Preview | Salukis Host Regional Foe Saint Louis Saturday - Southern Illinois University Athletics

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois plays host to regional rival Saint Louis on Saturday afternoon at Banterra Center. The game will tipoff at 2:30 p.m.

PROMOTIONS
• Remember, at all Saluki men's basketball games, kids are invited down to the court for pregame starting lineups. To participate, bring your child to the floor in front of Section 107 10 minutes before tipoff and look for Brown or Grey Dawg.

WHERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN
• The game will be available nationally on ESPN Plus with Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play) and Riley Angel (analyst) calling the action.

• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Saluki Radio Network, SIUSalukis.com/Listen, the Saluki Mobile App, and the Varsity Network App with Larry Larson (play-by-play) and Rodney Watson (analyst) on the call.

QUICK HITS
• SIU is holding opponents to 27.1 percent from 3-point range -- 29th-best nationally.
• Xavier Johnson's 21.8 points per game ranks tops in the MVC and 13th nationally.
• Xavier Johnson has scored 16 or more in all six games this season, tying his longest stretch of six consecutive games scoring in double figures at George Mason in February of 2022.
• Xavier Johnson leads the MVC with a 92.5 percent mark (47-51) from the free throw line.
• Trent Brown is shooting 53.6 percent from behind the arc -- the fifth-best percentage in the nation.
• Clarence Rupert's 2.67 offensive rebounds per game ranks third in the MVC.
• Five turnovers against New Mexico State were the lowest for the Saluki program since only having four turnovers on the road against Murray State last season in a 63-57 win for the Dawgs.

LAST TIME OUT
• SIU fell in its Missouri Valley Conference opener on the road at Indiana State, 77-48.
• Southern had no assists in the first half and just two for the game, along with 16 turnovers.
• Clarence Rupert collected his second double-double of the season with a 16-point and 10 rebounds.
• Clarence Rupert and Xavier Johnson led the team in scoring with 16 points apiece, but Southern shot just 30.4 percent from the field, including 3-of-20 from 3-point.

THE MATCHUP
• Saturday's game in Carbondale will mark the first road game of the season for Saint Louis who enters play at 5-3 overall. After a 4-0 start, the Bills have lost three of their last four including their last game to Utah State 81-76. SLU averages 76.9 points per game and is holding opponents to 72.6 points. The Billikens are led by a trio of double-digits scorers in Sincere Parker (17.3), Gibson Jimerson (15.6) and Terrance Hargrove Jr. (15.5).

THE SERIES
• Saturday will mark the 61st meeting between Southern Illinois and Saint Louis. SLU leads the series 33-27 all-time but the Salukis have a 15-8 series lead in games played in Carbondale, including two straight inside Banterra Center. The Billikens have won seven of the last 10 games including the last two meetings.

JOHNSON GOES OFF IN CANCUN
• Graduate guard Xavier Johnson averaged 28 points, 5.5 rebounds, five assists and 1.5 steals per game as the Salukis went 1-1 at the Cancun Challenge. Johnson put together one of the best single-game performances in a Saluki uniform when he scored a career-high 38 points in a six-point loss to No. 22 James Madison in the opener of the Cancun Challenge. Down 16 in the first half, Johnson willed the Salukis back with 22 first-half points and eventually helped SIU to a 5-point lead. His 38 points were the most points by a Saluki player since Carlton Fay's 38 points versus Western Michigan in 2010. Johnson answered the call once again in the final game of the tournament when he scored a team-high 18 points and dished out seven assists as SIU rolled past New Mexico State to claim its fourth win of the season. Over the two games, Johnson shot 21-24 from the charity stripe.

BANTERRA MAGIC
Southern Illinois extended its program-record nonconference home winning streak to 22 games when the Salukis defeated Chicago State. SIU entered the year (19-straight) tied for the longest nonconference home winning streak which happened under the direction of head coaches Bruce Weber and Matt Painter from 1999-2003.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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Preview | Salukis Host Regional Foe Saint Louis Saturday

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