Wednesday, January 12
Springfield, Mo.
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
Missouri State
Men's Basketball looks to extend road winning streak at Missouri State on Wednesday
01/10/2022 | 3:41:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Winners of seven of its last nine games, Southern Illinois will try for a 3-0 start in conference road games when it travels to Missouri State for a 7 p.m. matchup on Wednesday night on ESPN+.
The Salukis (9-5, 2-0) already have Missouri Valley Conference road wins at Evansville and Valparaiso and are tied atop the league standings with unbeaten Loyola. The Bears (11-6, 2-2) have won the last three meetings with SIU overall, and the last three meetings at JQH Arena.
Allowing just 59.4 points per game, Southern has the MVC's top defense and has held all 15 opponents this season under 70 points — the longest streak since 2006-07 (17) and longest streak to start a season since 1946-47 (20).
Marcus Domask
Head Coach Bryan Mullins' MVC Head Coaches' Press Conference – 1/10/22
On Valpo Game:
"Like I mentioned post-game, I thought we played well for 32 minutes, we are up by 16. Then watching, Valpo really had a chance to win it. So I think just trying to correct the last eight minutes, especially defensively – we were allowing them to score too much, too easily and too quickly. We had to stop the clock with some fouls that we got from them, then obviously we went 3-for-10 at the free throw line in the last eight minutes, that's something we need to execute in late games."
On missed free throws:
"In terms of the last eight minutes, we had pretty good offensive possessions. Maybe you don't go 10-for-10, but 8-for-10 or 9-for-10, but we left five or six points off the board that when you are in a one-possession game, you have to make free throws."
On Missouri State on Wednesday:
"Offensively, defensively, Coach [Dana] Ford has done a great job with the roster. They are extremely talented. They have [Gaige] Prim and [Isiaih] Mosley – two of the best players in the league. They have great depth and probably a lot of guys who can score at least 15-20 points on any other team. Offensively, they play with great pace and they don't turn the ball over a lot. They have guys who make good decisions and are able to get to their spots. Defensively, they play hard, they're physical, they take away your actions, they deny you. They keep a lot of two-man games and try to limit assists and extra passes. We know it's a challenge but you have to be strong with the ball and have toughness to beat a team like that."
On freshman Troy D'Amico:
"Troy has been a great lift for us. He didn't play a ton at the beginning of the year. After the Paradise Jam, he started to play a little bit more and I think that's common for freshmen – in terms of practices and getting the feel for Division I games. He was playing well, he hurt his groin a bit while playing at Tulsa and we cooled him down for a couple weeks. Now he's healthy, he gives us versatility. Troy has a good feel for the game, he's able to switch, he's able to do some things defensively that helps us. He's never been sped up as a freshman: he'll pass the ball, he'll make open shots. He's the kind of guy you can count on and trust in a game."
The Salukis (9-5, 2-0) already have Missouri Valley Conference road wins at Evansville and Valparaiso and are tied atop the league standings with unbeaten Loyola. The Bears (11-6, 2-2) have won the last three meetings with SIU overall, and the last three meetings at JQH Arena.
Allowing just 59.4 points per game, Southern has the MVC's top defense and has held all 15 opponents this season under 70 points — the longest streak since 2006-07 (17) and longest streak to start a season since 1946-47 (20).
Marcus Domask
- Leads the league in assists (4.4) and has 34 in the last six games (5.7 avg). No forward in SIU history has averaged 4.0+ apg in a season.
- Leads the conference and ranks 22nd in the nation in minutes played (36.00).
- Enters the game with 817 career points, 281 rebounds, 173 assists.
- Made 32-straight free throws during a nine-game stretch (11/22-12/28) — the second-longest streak in school history.
- Missed the final 16 games last season with a foot injury.
- Allow 59.4 points per game, which leads the MVC and ranks 18th nationally.
- Lead the MVC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.2).
- Are 12-6 in their last 18 games decided by one possession or in OT.
- Are 19-1 in their last 20 games when out-rebounding an opponent. They have won or tied the rebounding battle in 10 of 14 games this season.
- Are 20-5 in the Bryan Mullins era with 15+ assists and 22-7 when they have more assists than their opponent.
- Are 22-4 under Mullins when they win the points in the paint (7-1 this year).
- Did not allow any fast-break points in two games this season (at Evansville, Southern Miss)
- Leads the league in steals (2.00).
- Is shooting 68.1% on 2-point field goals this year (47-for-69).
- Missed the Evansville and Maryville games with a foot injury.
- Stands at 805 career points, 212 rebounds and 172 assists.
- Was SIU's top scorer during the month of December, averaging 15.9 points in seven games.
- Recorded double figures in all seven December games, including a career-high 27 at Tulsa.
- Averaged 7.5 points in six games in November.
Head Coach Bryan Mullins' MVC Head Coaches' Press Conference – 1/10/22
On Valpo Game:
"Like I mentioned post-game, I thought we played well for 32 minutes, we are up by 16. Then watching, Valpo really had a chance to win it. So I think just trying to correct the last eight minutes, especially defensively – we were allowing them to score too much, too easily and too quickly. We had to stop the clock with some fouls that we got from them, then obviously we went 3-for-10 at the free throw line in the last eight minutes, that's something we need to execute in late games."
On missed free throws:
"In terms of the last eight minutes, we had pretty good offensive possessions. Maybe you don't go 10-for-10, but 8-for-10 or 9-for-10, but we left five or six points off the board that when you are in a one-possession game, you have to make free throws."
On Missouri State on Wednesday:
"Offensively, defensively, Coach [Dana] Ford has done a great job with the roster. They are extremely talented. They have [Gaige] Prim and [Isiaih] Mosley – two of the best players in the league. They have great depth and probably a lot of guys who can score at least 15-20 points on any other team. Offensively, they play with great pace and they don't turn the ball over a lot. They have guys who make good decisions and are able to get to their spots. Defensively, they play hard, they're physical, they take away your actions, they deny you. They keep a lot of two-man games and try to limit assists and extra passes. We know it's a challenge but you have to be strong with the ball and have toughness to beat a team like that."
On freshman Troy D'Amico:
"Troy has been a great lift for us. He didn't play a ton at the beginning of the year. After the Paradise Jam, he started to play a little bit more and I think that's common for freshmen – in terms of practices and getting the feel for Division I games. He was playing well, he hurt his groin a bit while playing at Tulsa and we cooled him down for a couple weeks. Now he's healthy, he gives us versatility. Troy has a good feel for the game, he's able to switch, he's able to do some things defensively that helps us. He's never been sped up as a freshman: he'll pass the ball, he'll make open shots. He's the kind of guy you can count on and trust in a game."
Players Mentioned
Inside Saluki Athletics - September 30th
Tuesday, September 30
9.30.25 | Coach Nick Hill Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, September 30
9.24.25 | Saluki Football Podcast - Bye Week
Thursday, September 25
9.24.25 | Saluki Chats in Chevies - DJ Williams
Wednesday, September 24