Salukis host Illinois State for Senior Day

The Southern Illinois men's basketball program hosts Illinois State on Saturday at 1 p.m. SIU's six seniors will be honored prior to the game: Marcus Bartley, Thik Bol, Armon Fletcher, Sean Lloyd Jr., Kavion Pippen, and Rudy Stradnieks. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 12:40 for the senior ceremony.

Southern Illinois (16-14, 9-8 MVC) vs. Illinois State (16-14, 9-8 MVC) || Saturday, March 2 || 1 p.m. || Carbondale, Ill. (SIU Arena)

Tickets » SIUSalukis.com/tickets or call 877-SALUKIS
TV » CBS Sports Network with Jason Horowitz and Nick Bahe
Listen » Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis and Connor Onion (Stream available through TuneIn)
Stats » SIUSalukis.com/MBB/LiveStats
Game Notes » Southern Illinois (PDF)

SIX SENIOR FACTS

Marcus Bartley was named Academic All-American last year and is up for the honor again this year
Thik Bol became the sixth player in SIU history with 100+ career blocks earlier this season
Armon Fletcher is the MVC's No. 2 active career scorer, and he has scored 34 points in a game twice this year, the best single-game performances in the league this year
Kavion Pippen leads the MVC in blocks and became the seventh SIU player with 100+ career blocks, after Bol
Rudy Stradnieks, a Latvia native, is SIU's fifth-ever player from Europe. He has played in 107 career games.

THE RUNDOWN

Southern Illinois hosts Illinois State on Senior Day in the final game of the regular season.
SIU has the highest variability in seeding for Arch Madness. The Salukis can be as high as a No. 3 seed or as low as a No. 7 seed, depending on results around the MVC.
SIU head coach Barry Hinson's teams are 16-1 on Senior Day as a head coach, including his stops at Oral Roberts and Missouri State.
SIU seniors Marcus Bartley and Thik Bol declined the option to start on Senior Day, instead asking Hinson to start the regular lineup due to the importance of the game. "It just goes to show you the attitude they have had all year long. They have accepted and fallen into their role. I'm really proud of them," Hinson said.
Salukis in the MVC individual rankings (all games)...
- 1st - Kavion Pippen in blocks (1.9)
- 2nd - Eric McGill in steals (1.7)
- 3rd - Aaron Cook in assists (3.7)
- 3rd - Pippen in FG% (.566)
Salukis in the MVC team rankings (all games)...
- 1st in blocks (4.0)
- 1st in 3-point FG% (.379)
- 2nd in assists (13.9)
- 2nd in FG% defense (.429)
- 2nd in offensive rebounds (9.03)
- 2nd in fewest fouls (15.1)
- 2nd in steals (6.9)

GAME PREVIEW

Southern Illinois hosts Illinois State on Senior Day in the final game of the regular season.
The first game -- SIU rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to take the lead, but Illinois State pulled out a 59-58 win over SIU. Armon Fletcher had 17 points to lead SIU.
Last year, two of the three SIU-Illinois State games went to overtime. Six of the last seven games between the schools have been decided by single digits, including the 1-point game earlier this season.
SIU leads the all-time series 79-77. Illinois State has won seven of the last eight games.
Both teams need a win to assure a first-round bye in Arch Madness. If SIU loses, it would need Bradley and/or Northern Iowa to also lose on Saturday in order to avoid the play-in game.
With a win, SIU would...
- Win three-straight games for the first time since a five-game winning streak in late November and early December.
- Assure itself a first-round bye in the MVC Tournament
- Split the season series for a second-straight year.

NEW LOOK

SIU unveiled a new logo on February 28 at a private ceremony. The logo is SIU's first logo redesign since 2001.
The new logo refreshes the traditional Saluki "dog head" with a cleaner, streamlined appearance.
The new logo will take full effect in the 2019-20 academic year.
"The Saluki is unique throughout collegiate athletics," said SIU Director of Athletics Jerry Kill. "Our goal with the new logo was to retain the original look and feel of the Saluki, while giving it a sleeker, modern feel. There are exciting changes happening within Saluki Athletics and Southern Illinois University as a whole, and the new logo is symbolic of the progress we intend to make."

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

SIU scored 98 points on 60 percent shooting in a 98-91 win at Evansville on February 27.
In the Barry Hinson era (since 2012-13), it was the most points in a first half of an MVC game, most points in an MVC game, and most field goals made in an MVC game.
SIU's 98 points were the most for the Salukis since a 101-62 win over Evansville in 2002.
It was the most points in a road MVC game for SIU since 1995.
Most points in a road MVC win since 1991.
Armon Fletcher scored 34 points, which matched his own game against Indiana State for the most points in a game by any MVC player this year.

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

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Bartley

Thik Bol

Aaron Cook Jr.

Armon Fletcher

Sean Lloyd Jr.

Eric McGill

Kavion Pippen

Rudy Stradnieks

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