Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Friday, November 12
Carbondale, Ill.
7 p PM
Southern Illinois University
vs
Austin Peay
Men's Basketball hosts Austin Peay in the Charles Helleny Tipoff Classic on Friday night
11/11/2021 | 8:22:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois hosts Austin Peay on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Banterra Center in the home opener for Saluki Basketball. The game is billed as the Charles Helleny Tipoff Classic in honor of the late Charles Helleny, a long-time supporter of the program.
The Salukis (0-1) are 2-0 in home openers under head coach Bryan Mullins. SIU is trying to win three-straight home openers for the first time since winning 12-straight from 1998-99 to 2009-10.
Southern is 10-6 all-time against Austin Peay and 7-1 against the Governors (1-0) at Banterra Center. Only three of the 16 meetings between the schools have occurred since 1995.
SIU has won eight-straight home nonconference games, dating back to the 2019-20 season (won final four home nonconference games in 2019-20 and went 4-0 in home nonconference games last season). SIU's last nonconference home loss was November 16, 2019, vs. San Francisco. SIU is 9-1 in nonconference home games under head coach Bryan Mullins.
Head Coach Bryan Mullins' Press Conference – 11/11/21
Opening Statement:
"Obviously, I'm disappointed in that we couldn't get the win on Tuesday night; we did it to ourselves with the turnovers. Little Rock is a good team – won a championship recently with Coach Walker. They have a great program and we didn't play well enough to win on the road. With all the mistakes and the turnovers, we had a chance to still win it and didn't. As far as where this team can go, this team has a very high ceiling. Coup [Ben Coupet Jr.] hasn't practiced in three and a half weeks, obviously missed a game and has been out – so we're still getting guys back out on the court. We can't beat ourselves and find the best adjustment for our guys in what we can do on the road."
On Austin Peay:
"They're a very good team. They have a lot of transfers, they have an old team. Their first year with coach [Nate] James, they have a point guard who's been there a couple years, he's got a 2-1 assist ratio, he controls the tempo. They have a freshman – a big kid – who's up there and could be the freshman of the year in the league. They also have really good wings – in terms of [Cameron] Copeland, in terms of [Tariq] Silver who transferred from Oregon State and went to the Sweet Sixteen. So they have multiple weapons – offensively, they play with great pace, share the ball. Defensively, they do a good job of helping each other and connecting,"
On breaking the full-court press:
"Having poise, being aggressive and taking care of the ball while meeting our passes. Not being rushed, our guys have to play more downhill against the press and not east-west. Some of our turnovers were for whatever reason, we weren't focused on the possession and taking care of the turnovers against really strong traps."
On rebounds:
"It's something we're slowly getting better at. We are nowhere near where we need to be at in terms of rebounds on both sides of the ball, but in terms of exhibition, scrimmage, and Tuesday night we are improving in that area. It's got to be a staple for us, we have to be an elite defensive rebounding team."
Helleny, who was known as "Mr. Southern Illinois," was a 1957 SIU alum and generously donated the fourth-largest gift in Saluki Athletics history. He passed away in August 2019, and SIU's first home game against a Division I opponent each season is named in his honor.
The first 1,000 SIU students in attendance at the game will receive a free "Pack The Pound" t-shirt. The pregame show will feature a special instrumental rendition of the National Anthem, performed by renowned saxophonist Jeff Wisely.The Salukis (0-1) are 2-0 in home openers under head coach Bryan Mullins. SIU is trying to win three-straight home openers for the first time since winning 12-straight from 1998-99 to 2009-10.
Southern is 10-6 all-time against Austin Peay and 7-1 against the Governors (1-0) at Banterra Center. Only three of the 16 meetings between the schools have occurred since 1995.
SIU has won eight-straight home nonconference games, dating back to the 2019-20 season (won final four home nonconference games in 2019-20 and went 4-0 in home nonconference games last season). SIU's last nonconference home loss was November 16, 2019, vs. San Francisco. SIU is 9-1 in nonconference home games under head coach Bryan Mullins.
Head Coach Bryan Mullins' Press Conference – 11/11/21
Opening Statement:
"Obviously, I'm disappointed in that we couldn't get the win on Tuesday night; we did it to ourselves with the turnovers. Little Rock is a good team – won a championship recently with Coach Walker. They have a great program and we didn't play well enough to win on the road. With all the mistakes and the turnovers, we had a chance to still win it and didn't. As far as where this team can go, this team has a very high ceiling. Coup [Ben Coupet Jr.] hasn't practiced in three and a half weeks, obviously missed a game and has been out – so we're still getting guys back out on the court. We can't beat ourselves and find the best adjustment for our guys in what we can do on the road."
On Austin Peay:
"They're a very good team. They have a lot of transfers, they have an old team. Their first year with coach [Nate] James, they have a point guard who's been there a couple years, he's got a 2-1 assist ratio, he controls the tempo. They have a freshman – a big kid – who's up there and could be the freshman of the year in the league. They also have really good wings – in terms of [Cameron] Copeland, in terms of [Tariq] Silver who transferred from Oregon State and went to the Sweet Sixteen. So they have multiple weapons – offensively, they play with great pace, share the ball. Defensively, they do a good job of helping each other and connecting,"
On breaking the full-court press:
"Having poise, being aggressive and taking care of the ball while meeting our passes. Not being rushed, our guys have to play more downhill against the press and not east-west. Some of our turnovers were for whatever reason, we weren't focused on the possession and taking care of the turnovers against really strong traps."
On rebounds:
"It's something we're slowly getting better at. We are nowhere near where we need to be at in terms of rebounds on both sides of the ball, but in terms of exhibition, scrimmage, and Tuesday night we are improving in that area. It's got to be a staple for us, we have to be an elite defensive rebounding team."
Players Mentioned
G
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