Men's Basketball plays at Indiana State on Sunday

Sunday, February 19

Terre Haute, Ind.

3:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

Indiana St.

Photo by: Madison Case

02/18/2017 | 8:00:00 | Men's Basketball

Watch Listen Live Stats Game Notes

By: By Tom Weber, SIUSalukis.com

Southern Illinois (14-14, 7-8) looks to snap a three-game losing skid when it plays at Indiana State (10-17, 4-11) on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be televised live on ESPN3.

The Salukis are 23-18 all-time all-time at Indiana State's Hulman Center — one of three MVC facilities where SIU has a winning record (Drake's Knapp Center and Loyola's Gentile Arena are the others). Southern Illinois has won the last three meetings between the schools, including an 85-78 win in Terre Haute last year.

First meeting vs. Indiana State
   SIU won the first meeting between the schools this season in Carbondale, 80-74, in overtime. F Sean O'Brien had a career-high 28 points and 14 rebounds. Indiana State led by seven at halftime, SIU rallied to lead by seven with 4:16 to play, but late 3-pointers by Niels Bunschoten and Brenton Scott sent the game to OT.

Senior leadership in Valley play
   SIU's three seniors have led the team in scoring in 14 out of the team's 15 Missouri Valley Conference games — Sean O'Brien (7 times), Mike Rodriguez (5 times) and Leo Vincent (3 times). Note: O'Brien and Vincent tied for the team-high at Bradley.

Sean O'Brien makes his mark in Saluki record book
   F Sean O'Brien (6-7, 215, Sr.) is putting the finishing touches on a stellar career as a four-year starter for SIU.
•Ranks 27th in career scoring (1,197)
•Ranks 9th in career rebounds (759)
•Ranks 12th in career blocks (70)
•Ranks 8th in career starts (117), including 94-straight.
•Eight double-doubles on the season, giving him 17 in his career. It's the most double-doubles in a season by a Saluki since Jeff Early had eight in 2013. The last player to have nine in a season was Mamadou Seck in 2012.

Measuring Mike Rodriguez impact on Saluki offense
   How big of an impact has PG Mike Rodriguez (5-10, 165, Sr.) had on SIU's offense? Consider these stats.
•He has either scored (102) or recorded an assist (115) on 31 percent of SIU's field goals.
•By comparison, All-Conference G Anthony Beane either scored or recorded an assist on 32 percent of SIU's field goals last year.
•His 2.09 assist-TO ratio currently stands as the third-best single-season mark in school history. Bryan Mullins (3.26 in 2009) holds the school record.
•Rodriguez is 17-for-45 (.378) from 3-point in the last 13 games. In the preceding six games, he was 0-for-11.
•His 115 assists are the most by a Saluki since Kevin Dillard had 146 in 2009.

Leo Vincent providing a spark
   In the last five games, G Leo Vincent (6-1, 192, Sr.) is 13-for-29 (.448) from 3-point. He had a season-high 21 points versus Evansville on Feb. 11. A member of the MVC's All-Bench team last year, he started 15 games this season before returning to his familiar sixth man role.

Trends
•SIU has not held a lead at any point during its last three games — a span of 120 minutes.
•The Salukis have shot 40 percent or lower in the first half in five-straight games and eight of their last nine.
•SIU is 12-3 when it has an advantage in points in the paint, and 7-2 when it wins the rebounding battle.
•SIU has either trailed or been tied at halftime in 18 of its 28 games. In six of those games, SIU has gone on to win.

Dawg Bites
•In MVC-only games, there are two categories where the Salukis lead the league — offensive rebounds (11.9) and steals (7.1).
•In SIU's wins, it averages 79.9 points. In its losses, it averages 60.4 points.
•In SIU's wins, it is +4.6 on the boards. In the losses, it is -7.4.

Thik Bol among blocks leaders
   F Thik Bol (6-8, 205, Jr.) ranks eighth at SIU in single-season blocks with 57. That mark is also good for 17th all-time at SIU. Bol had a career-high six blocks versus Mount St. Mary's and Evansville, which tied for the fifth-most in a game in school history. He ranks second in the MVC (behind Missouri State's Obediah Church) and 42nd in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.04).