Wednesday, December 22
San Francisco, Calif.
4:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
San Francisco
Men's Basketball takes on 11-1 San Francisco on Wednesday
12/21/2021 | 1:15:00 | Men's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Southern Illinois plays its final non-conference road game on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (CT) when it faces San Francisco of the West Coast Conference.
The Salukis (7-4) are 1-2 all-time against the Dons (11-1), who enter the game with a NET ranking of 34. Wednesday's game is a return trip from Nov. 16, 2019, when USF beat the Salukis in Carbondale, 76-60. The teams also met at neutral sites in 1967 (L, 55-71) and 2009 (W, 67-66).
Quoting Coach Mullins
On facing the 11-1 Dons
"It's a great opportunity playing one of the top teams in the country. They're off to a great start. We're excited about the challenge and there's nothing better than winning on the road in college basketball.
Keys to the game
"San Francisco's going to present a lot of challenges with its guards and their big guys. They're a deep team, they have multiple guys who can beat you. We have to be disciplined, in terms of our defense, be possession-by-possession. I've said that a lot this year, because when we've done that, we've guarded at a high level, having that defensive identity. If we play connected, team defense and then finish the possession with rebounding, we'll be at our best."
On the trip to the West Coast
"Going out to the Virgin Islands and now San Francisco, this team is extremely close. It's a lot of time together, a lot of opportunities for us to get to know each other, and for us as a program to grow and build together."
The Opening Tip
The Salukis (7-4) are 1-2 all-time against the Dons (11-1), who enter the game with a NET ranking of 34. Wednesday's game is a return trip from Nov. 16, 2019, when USF beat the Salukis in Carbondale, 76-60. The teams also met at neutral sites in 1967 (L, 55-71) and 2009 (W, 67-66).
Quoting Coach Mullins
On facing the 11-1 Dons
"It's a great opportunity playing one of the top teams in the country. They're off to a great start. We're excited about the challenge and there's nothing better than winning on the road in college basketball.
Keys to the game
"San Francisco's going to present a lot of challenges with its guards and their big guys. They're a deep team, they have multiple guys who can beat you. We have to be disciplined, in terms of our defense, be possession-by-possession. I've said that a lot this year, because when we've done that, we've guarded at a high level, having that defensive identity. If we play connected, team defense and then finish the possession with rebounding, we'll be at our best."
On the trip to the West Coast
"Going out to the Virgin Islands and now San Francisco, this team is extremely close. It's a lot of time together, a lot of opportunities for us to get to know each other, and for us as a program to grow and build together."
The Opening Tip
- In the last four games, the Salukis are averaging 18.5 assists and 11.5 turnovers.
- SIU is 19-5 in the Bryan Mullins era with 15+ assists and 21-7 when it has more assists than its opponent.
- In Saturday's win over Maryville, the Salukis had 22 assists and five players in double figures for the first time this season. Lance Jones (foot) did not play vs. the Saints.
- Marcus Domask is second in the league in assists (4.4) and has 19 assists in the last three games. He leads the conference and ranks 27th in the nation in minutes played (35.54).
- Jones is shooting 77.1% on 2-point field goals this year (37-for-48).
- SIU is allowing 58.5 points per game, which leads the MVC and ranks 19th nationally.
- SIU leads the MVC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (31.7)
- SIU is 18-1 in its last 19 games when it out-rebounds its opponent and has won or tied the rebounding battle in nine of 11 games this season.
- SIU is 21-4 under Mullins when it wins the points in the paint battle (5-1 this year).
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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