Salukis wrap road swing at SIUE on Saturday

The Southern Illinois men's basketball team visits SIU Edwardsville for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, December 1. The Salukis are playing their fourth-straight game away from Carbondale, the longest stretch away from home for SIU since starting the 2014-15 season with five-straight road and neutral-site games. The game with the Salukis and Cougars will be streamed nationally through ESPN+.

Southern Illinois (4-3) at SIU Edwardsville (1-4) || Saturday, December 1 || 2 p.m. || Edwardsville, Ill.

Watch » ESPN+ with Joe Pott and Colin Suhre
Listen » Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis and Ray Giacoletti (Stream available through TuneIn)
Stats » Via SIUE
Game Notes » Southern Illinois (PDF) | SIUE (PDF)

Coach Hinson Press Conference » Watch on YouTube

THE RUNDOWN

Southern Illinois travels SIU Edwardsville for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, December 1. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Armon Fletcher, an Edwardsville native, is eight points shy of 1,000 career points. If he reaches the mark, he will become the 46th player in school history to earn 1,000 career points.
The Salukis have won four of the last five games and are coming off back-to-back wins over Tulsa and Colorado State.
SIU is 9-1 all-time against SIUE, with the lone loss coming in Carbondale in 2015. SIU is 4-0 over SIUE in games played in Edwardsville.
SIU has a winning record against every opponent in the Ohio Valley Conference, with the exception of Eastern Kentucky (SIU is 1-2 against EKU and the teams haven't played since 1991.)
Eric McGill is the reigning MVC Newcomer of the Week. In the last three games, McGill is averaging 14 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.He had a career-high seven assists in his last game, at Colorado State.
In SIU's four wins, the Salukis have 84 assists on 117 field goals (72 percent).
In the MVC, SIU is...
- 1st in assists per game (16.4)
- 2nd in FG% (.479)
- 2nd in 3-point FG% (.402)

GAME PREVIEW

SIU and SIU Edwardsville face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 1. The Salukis are 9-1 all-time against SIUE and 4-0 in games played in Edwardsville. The game will be streamed nationally on ESPN+.
Four Cougars are averaging double-figures this year, led by Tyresse Williford at 13.2 ppg. Cameron Williams (10.6 ppg) and Brandon Jackson (10.4 ppg) are also averaging double-figures while shooting a combined 44-for-85 (.518) from the field.
The Cougars have already played two opponents that the Salukis will see this year. SIUE fell by 12 to Winthrop (which comes to SIU on Dec. 22) and lost by five in overtime at Valparaiso, which SIU will face twice in MVC play.

DAWG BITES

Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Southern Illinois is 19-2 when holding an opponent under 70 points (4-1 in 2018-19).
The Salukis have made at least one 3-point field goal in 122 consecutive games.
Abby Myers, SIU's graduate assistant, is the only female graduate assistant in Division I men's basketball. She joins four other women serving in operations for Division I men's basketball. Myers is a Du Quoin, Ill., native and grew up with season tickets to Saluki Basketball games.
SIU has improved its final MVC standing in each of the last three years: (4th in 2015-16, 3rd in 2016-17, and 2nd in 2017-18).
Three all-time great Salukis went into the SIU Hall of Fame in the Class of 2018. Jermaine Dearman, Bruce Weber, and Bryan Mullins all were inducted in October 2018.
SIU was receiving votes in Week 2 of the AP top-25, the first time SIU was getting votes in the poll since Nov. 16, 2009.
Against Howard (Nov. 19, 2018), SIU had three players with 10+ points, two players with 10+ rebounds, and one player with 10 assists without anyone having a double-double. This was the only time in school history six different players hit double-figures in a statistical category without anyone recording a double-double.
On this date: On Dec. 1, 2001, Southern Illinois beat No. 24 Indiana 72-60 in Carbondale.

McGILL WATCH

After missing two games with an injury, Eric McGill has been outstanding off the bench in the last three games.
McGill has scored in a double-figures three-straight games, including a career-high 18 points against UMass. He led the team in rebounding against Tulsa and in assists against Colorado State.
In the three games, McGill is averaging 14.0 points (while shooting 60 percent), 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists--and he's using only seven shots per game and 25 minutes per game to put up those numbers.

For a complete set of game notes in PDF format, click here.