Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Wednesday, February 22
Normal, Ill.
6:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
Illinois St.
Photo by: Madison Case
Men's Basketball plays at first-place Illinois State
02/21/2017 | 4:49:00 | Men's Basketball
Southern Illinois (15-14, 8-8) plays at first-place Illinois State (23-5, 15-1) on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in a game televised on the MVC TV network. The telecast will be cleared live on FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports Indiana and FOX Sports Kansas City, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, ESPN3 (outside the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska), DirecTV (FOX Sports Midwest – Channel 671; Comcast SportsNet Chicago – Channel 665), Dish Network (FOX Sports Midwest – Channel 418; Comcast SportsNet Chicago – Channel 429) and AT&T U-verse (FOX Sports Midwest -- Channels 748 and 1748; Comcast SportsNet Chicago – Channels 740 and 1740).
Series vs. Illinois State
The Redbirds have won nine-straight games versus the Salukis at Redbird Arena. The last SIU victory was 68-49 on Dec. 29, 2006. Chris Lowery was the head coach for Southern Illinois and Porter Moser was at the helm of ISU. Jamaal Tatum led the Salukis with 16 points and five assists, while Randal Falker had 10 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, four blocks and two steals.
First meeting vs. Illinois State
Illinois State held Southern Illinois to 18 percent shooting in the second half to grind out a 60-53 win at SIU Arena on Jan. 11. The Redbirds trailed by four at halftime, 33-29, but the Salukis made only two field goals during the first 15 minutes of the second half and finished 5-for-27.
Senior leadership in Valley play
SIU's three seniors have led the team in scoring in 14 out of the team's 16 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.
Thik Bol among blocks leaders
Juco transfer F Thik Bol (6-8, 205, Jr.) ranks seventh at SIU in single-season blocks with 63. That mark is also good for 16th all-time at SIU. The Iowa Western Community College grad had a career-high six blocks versus Mount St. Mary's, Evansville and Indiana State, 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 34th in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.17).
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 26th in career scoring (1,210)
•Ranks 9th in career rebounds (767)
•Ranks 12th in career blocks (70)
•Ranks 8th in career starts (118), including 95-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 (107) or recorded an assist (118) 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 2.00 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 18-for-46 (.391) from 3-point in the last 14 games. In the preceding six games, he was 0-for-11.
•His 118 assists are the most by a Saluki since Kevin Dillard had 146 in 2009.
Leo Vincent providing a spark
In the last six games, G Leo Vincent (6-1, 192, Sr.) is 14-for-32 (.438) 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 is 13-3 when it has an advantage in points in the paint, and 8-2 when it wins the rebounding battle.
•SIU has either trailed or been tied at halftime in 18 of its 29 games. In seven of those games, SIU has gone on to win.
•O'Brien and Bol combine to account for 45 percent of SIU's rebounding total.
•SIU's non-conference SOS ranks 87th in the nation. Last year, it was 325th.
Dawg Bites
•In MVC-only games, there are two categories where the Salukis lead the league — offensive rebounds (11.8) and steals (6.8).
•In SIU's wins, it averages 79.5 points. In its losses, it averages 60.4 points.
•In SIU's wins, it is +4.9 on the boards. In the losses, it is -7.4.
Series vs. Illinois State
The Redbirds have won nine-straight games versus the Salukis at Redbird Arena. The last SIU victory was 68-49 on Dec. 29, 2006. Chris Lowery was the head coach for Southern Illinois and Porter Moser was at the helm of ISU. Jamaal Tatum led the Salukis with 16 points and five assists, while Randal Falker had 10 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, four blocks and two steals.
First meeting vs. Illinois State
Illinois State held Southern Illinois to 18 percent shooting in the second half to grind out a 60-53 win at SIU Arena on Jan. 11. The Redbirds trailed by four at halftime, 33-29, but the Salukis made only two field goals during the first 15 minutes of the second half and finished 5-for-27.
Senior leadership in Valley play
SIU's three seniors have led the team in scoring in 14 out of the team's 16 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.
Thik Bol among blocks leaders
Juco transfer F Thik Bol (6-8, 205, Jr.) ranks seventh at SIU in single-season blocks with 63. That mark is also good for 16th all-time at SIU. The Iowa Western Community College grad had a career-high six blocks versus Mount St. Mary's, Evansville and Indiana State, 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 34th in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.17).
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 26th in career scoring (1,210)
•Ranks 9th in career rebounds (767)
•Ranks 12th in career blocks (70)
•Ranks 8th in career starts (118), including 95-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 (107) or recorded an assist (118) 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 2.00 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 18-for-46 (.391) from 3-point in the last 14 games. In the preceding six games, he was 0-for-11.
•His 118 assists are the most by a Saluki since Kevin Dillard had 146 in 2009.
Leo Vincent providing a spark
In the last six games, G Leo Vincent (6-1, 192, Sr.) is 14-for-32 (.438) 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 is 13-3 when it has an advantage in points in the paint, and 8-2 when it wins the rebounding battle.
•SIU has either trailed or been tied at halftime in 18 of its 29 games. In seven of those games, SIU has gone on to win.
•O'Brien and Bol combine to account for 45 percent of SIU's rebounding total.
•SIU's non-conference SOS ranks 87th in the nation. Last year, it was 325th.
Dawg Bites
•In MVC-only games, there are two categories where the Salukis lead the league — offensive rebounds (11.8) and steals (6.8).
•In SIU's wins, it averages 79.5 points. In its losses, it averages 60.4 points.
•In SIU's wins, it is +4.9 on the boards. In the losses, it is -7.4.
Players Mentioned
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