SIU visits UNI for first road test in MVC play

The Southern Illinois men's basketball teams travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a game against Northern Iowa on Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Salukis and Panthers are each 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference and are the league's only matchup of 1-0 teams this weekend. SIU won last year in Cedar Falls, 56-53, to snap a 14-game losing streak against UNI in Cedar Falls.

Southern Illinois (8-6, 1-0 MVC) at Northern Iowa (6-8, 1-0 MVC) || Saturday, January 5 || 7 p.m. || Cedar Falls, Iowa

Watch » ESPN+ with Eric Braley and Kevin Lehman
Listen » Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis (Stream available through TuneIn)
Stats » via UNI
Game Notes » Southern Illinois (PDF)

THE RUNDOWN

Southern Illinois visits Northern Iowa for SIU's first road game of 2019. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 5. The game will be broadcast nationally through ESPN+.
Saluki Athletics donated more than 3,500 hours of community service to Carbondale and the surrounding area during Fall 2018, which ranked second in the nation.
SIU had lost 14-straight games in Cedar Falls before snapping the streak with a 56-53 win over UNI last year.
The SIU-UNI game is the MVC's only matchup between 1-0 teams this weekend.
SIU has assisted on 62.6 percent of its field goals, which ranks 12th nationally.
Sean Lloyd has scored in double-figures nine-straight games. In that span, he is averaging 14.3 points per game on 54 percent shooting.
Since being outrebounded by a combined 37 in the first two games of the season, SIU has outrebounded opponents by 48 in the last 12 games.
In the MVC, SIU is...
- 1st in blocks per games (4.1)
- 2nd in 3-point field goal percentage (38.6)
- 2nd in assists/game (15.6)
- 2nd in FG% defense (.416)
- 3rd in scoring defense (68.7)

GAME PREVIEW

Southern Illinois has its first road test of the MVC season on Saturday night at Northern Iowa. Tip is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed nationally on ESPN+.
SIU leads the all-time series 34-30 after sweeping the series last year. Prior to that, UNI had won six of the previous seven meetings.
Seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by single-digits. SIU scrapped out an 11-point win in Carbondale last year for the lone exception.
The Panthers are coming off an impressive 18-point road win at Bradley. UNI was the only road team to win on opening night in the MVC.
The Panthers are led by AJ Green, averaging 15 points per game.
Expect a low-scoring game: According to KenPom, SIU's adjusted tempo is 310th of 353. UNI's is 311th.
SIU had lost 14-straight games in Cedar Falls before snapping the streak with a 56-53 win over UNI last year.
The SIU-UNI game is the MVC's only matchup between 1-0 teams this weekend.

SEAN LLOYD

SIU senior guard Sean Lloyd Jr. started slowly this season, shooting 31 percent in SIU's first five games.
Since then, he's scored in double-figures nine-straight games, averaging 14.3 points on 53.8 percent shooting. He's also connected on 41.4 percent of his 3-point attempts and 83 percent of his free throw attempts in the last nine games.
SIU has featured a balanced offense during senior guard Armon Fletcher's suspension. Four Salukis are averaging at least 11.4 points per game in the last five games, led by Sean Lloyd Jr. (16.2 ppg).
Eric McGill is nearly averaging a double-double in that span (14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg).

ERIC McGILL

Junior guard Eric McGill is making a case for MVC Newcomer of the Year. A transfer from Panola College (and SEMO before that), McGill missed all but 10 games last year with a hand injury and was granted a medical redshirt.
Now healthy, McGill is SIU's third-leading scorer (11.7) and leading rebounder (6.3 rpg) as a 6-2 guard.
SIU has three double-doubles this year, and all three belong to McGill.
McGill's three double-doubles are tied for 2nd in the MVC and are the most of any guard in the league.
McGill has been efficient in his scoring, as well, shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from the 3-point line.

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

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Armon Fletcher

Sean Lloyd Jr.

Eric McGill

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