No. 6 seed Salukis face No. 3 seed Drake at Arch Madness on Friday night

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — No. 6-seed Southern Illinois squares off against No. 3-seed Drake in the quarterfinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Arch Madness tournament on Friday at 8:30 p.m.

The Salukis SIU lost both regular-season games to Drake this season by a total of three points, and had the final possession to tie or win in both games.

The game will be televised on Bally Sports (Midwest, Indiana Plus, Kansas City) and NBC Sports Chicago Plus. The game will also air on ESPN+, however it will be blacked out on ESPN+ in the Bally Sports markets in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

Fans are invited to attend pre-game gatherings at the Shark Bar in Ballpark Village prior to each SIU game during the tournament. There will also be a team send-off at the team hotel (Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark) in the Lindbergh Room at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. MVC shuttle service is available from Ballpark Village to the Enterprise Center and back after the game.

Enterprise Center Vaccination & Mask Policy
To enter the Enterprise Center, you must show proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of game time. Masks are required in the Enterprise Center.

Enterprise Center now offers an online check-in system that allows guests attending events at Enterprise Center to upload their vaccination card or negative COVID-19 test results through their smart phone prior to arrival. Simply go to ecfancheckin.com on your smart phone or click the link below beginning 72 hours prior to your event to start the process.

Online check-in to verify your vaccination card or negative COVID-19 test will start 72 hours prior to our game time. On-Site COVID-19 Testing is available at Stifel Theatre (corner of Market Street and South 14th Street). Visit the Enterprise Center Health and Safety page for more information.

Bag Policy
Enterprise Center has a No Bag Policy, in order to reduce contamination. Medical and parent bags are exceptions but will be subject to X-Ray screenings at designated locations for entry into Enterprise Center. To speed up gate access, fans will no longer be required to empty their pockets prior to passing through metal detectors due to upgrades in technology.

Opening Tip

The Salukis have won five MVC Tournament championships in school history (1977, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2006).
The last time SIU advanced to the championship game was in 2007 (lost to Creighton).
The last time SIU advanced to the semifinal game was in 2018 (lost to Illinois State)
The Salukis are 3-2 vs. Drake in the MVC Tournament. The last meeting was in 2010.
SIU has a 2-3 record as the No. 6 seed at Arch Madness, with wins in 1989 (Tulsa) and 2014 (Northern Iowa). Southern advanced to the championship game in 1989 where it lost to Creighton, 79-77.

Built on Defense

The Salukis allow 61.2 points per game, which leads the MVC and ranks 16th nationally.
SIU has held all but three opponents under 70 points. For the first time since 2006-07, no opponent reached 70 points at Banterra Center.
SIU has held 15 opponents to 60 or fewer points.

Trending

Steven Verplancken Jr. has made six of his last seven shots from 3-point and moved up to third in the MVC in 3-point percentage (.420).
SIU is 34-of-72 (.472) from 3-point in the last three games.
Kyler Filewich is 22-of-36 (.611) from the field in the last nine games. He is sixth in the MVC in field goal percentage (.551) on the season.

Marcus Domask: ALL-MVC 2ND TEAM

Named the co-State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, along with Northern Iowa's A.J. Green. Has a 4.00 GPA and is majoring in sport administration. Is SIU's first Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's basketball since Bryan Mullins won it in 2009.
Leads the team in scoring (15.1), rebounding (5.1) and assists (3.9). In school history, the only other Salukis to do so are Darren Brooks (2004 and 2005) and Desmar Jackson (2014).
Scored 20+ points eight times this season, including a streak of four-straight games (Dec. 28-Jan. 15).
Had a streak of 133-consecutive minutes played without committing a turnover, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5.
Made 32-straight FTs during a nine-game stretch (11/22-12/28) — the second-longest streak in SIU history.
Stands at 1,047 career points.

Lance Jones: MVC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Leads the league in steals (2.00 avg.) and ranks 15th all-time in steals (122).
Is 12-of-22 (.545) from 3-point in the last three games.
Had a career-high 31 points at Illinois State on Feb. 5.
Has scored double figures in all but four games.
Missed the Evansville and Maryville games with a foot injury.
Stands at 1,044 career points

Ben Coupet Jr.

Is averaging 17.8 points in the last four games.
In conference-only games, led the MVC in 3-point shooting (.446).
Was 18-of-34 (.529) from 3-point during the month of February .
Was SIU's top scorer during the month of December, averaging 15.9 points in seven games.
Recorded a career-high 27 at Tulsa.

Season Milestones

SIU holds two wins over Top 100 teams in the most recent NET ratings — Colorado (76) and Bradley (96).
The win over Colorado was the program's first win over a Power 5 program since 2008.

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