Game Notes: Men's Basketball at SEMO

CAPE GIRAREAU, Mo. - The SIU men's basketball team opens the 2020-21 season with a trip to Southeast Missouri on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.

SIU (0-0) at SEMO (1-0)

Date & Time » 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2 // Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Watch » ESPN+ with Erik Sean
Listen » Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis and Rodney Watson
Live Stats » StatBroadcast via SEMO
Social Media » @SIU_Basketball
Game Notes » SIU (PDF) | SEMO

OPENING TIP

SIU opens the 2020-21 season on Wednesday night at Southeast Missouri. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
SEMO head coach Brad Korn made six NCAA Tournament appearances while at SIU: three as a player (02, 03, 04) and three as an assistant coach (05, 06, 07). He was an assistant coach at SIU all four years that SIU's current head coach, Bryan Mullins, was a player at SIU (2006-09).
SIU head coach Bryan Mullins tested positive for COVID-19 on November 27 and is in isolation for 10 days. Assistant coach Brendan Mullins is serving as the program's acting head coach for the game. Brendan is Bryan's older brother.
SIU paused team activities on November 12 due to positive tests among the program's Tier 1 personnel. As a result, SIU did not compete at the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic, hosted by Louisville, Nov. 25-29. SIU was scheduled to face Louisville, Prairie View A&M, and Winthrop at the MTE.
No SIU student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 since the program's pause on November 12.
December 2 marks the latest start to a Saluki Basketball season since 1992-93. Rich Herrin's team opened that season December 3 against Truman State.
SIU was picked fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference's preseason poll of conference coaches, media and sports information directors in 2020-21.

YOUNG DAWGS

SIU returns two starters and five letterwinners from last year's 16-16 team. Ben Harvey (an Eastern Illinois transfer) also returns after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
SIU's top four returning scorers were all freshmen last season: Marcus Domask, Lance Jones, Trent Brown, and Sekou Dembele. Domask was named the MVC's Newcomer and Freshman of the Year.
Eight newcomers join the roster this year: Four freshmen, two graduate transfers, one junior college transfer, and one Division II transfer. Two of the transfers are from the Division II ranks (Anthony D'Avanzo from Lewis and Steven Verplancken Jr. from Glenville State).
J.D. Muila, who was rated the No. 24 juco player in the nation last year, will miss the season with a knee injury.
Steven Verplancken Jr., who averaged 15 ppg at Division II Glenville State last season, was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA and will play this season.
Ten of the 14 players on SIU's roster are underclassmen (freshmen or sophomores).
After J.D. Muila's season-ending injury, SIU has only two available scholarship upperclassmen (D'Avanzo, Long).
Entering the season, Jakolby Long was the only player on the roster who had played in more than one season of Division I basketball.
Only five players on SIU's roster have played more than 100 career minutes in Division I basketball, entering the season.

2019-20 RECAP

SIU head coach Bryan Mullins, an SIU alum, was runner-up for MVC Coach of the Year in his first season as head coach of his alma mater.
SIU's 10 MVC wins last year represent the most ever by an MVC team that was picked last in the preseason poll (since 1986). In 2018, Drake was picked last in the MVC poll, and also won 10 games.
Since the MVC preseason poll started in 1986, only four teams have been picked last and gone on to finish in the top half of the league standings: 1993 Drake, 2003 Evansville, 2018 Drake, and the 2020 Salukis.
SIU has finished in the top half of the league standings in each of the last five seasons, the longest active streak in the league.
The Salukis led the MVC and ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense last season (62.2 ppg). SIU led the MVC in scoring defense for the first time since 2007.
Marcus Domask was one of the best freshmen in the nation last year, averaging 13.6 poings, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He earned the MVC's Newcomer and Freshman of the Year honors, along with being All-MVC Second Team. College Insider named him a Freshman All-American.
Lance Jones was also a standout as a freshman for SIU last year, averaging 9.3 points and 2.5 assists per game. He ended the year playing his best basketball -- he averaged 18.0 points per game over the final six games of the season on 55% shooting.

FLOORBURN U

SIU led the MVC in scoring defense in Bryan Mullins' first season (2019-20), the first time SIU led the MVC in scoring defense since 2007 -- when Mullins was a sophomore guard leading SIU to the Sweet Sixteen. The Salukis ranked 14th nationally last season in scoring defense, allowing just 62.2 points per game.
Last year's SIU team held 12 opponents under 40% shooting, the program's most since 2007.

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Players Mentioned

Trent Brown

Anthony D'Avanzo

Sekou Dembele

Marcus Domask

Ben Harvey

Lance Jones

Jakolby Long

JD Muila

Steven Verplancken Jr.

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