Preview | Salukis Welcome North Dakota State to Banterra Center Tuesday

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois basketball will take on North Dakota State for the first time since 1965 when the Salukis host the Bison Tuesday night at Banterra Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

GAME PROMOTIONS

Fans can purchase tickets for any of the remaining games in the month of December by using code "FIVE" at SIUSalukis.com/Promo. Fans can also get 50% off select lower bowl seats, including a $5-off drink coupon with code "FIFTY".
Younger fans will have the opportunity to meet Santa pregame and also receive a custom Saluki Christmas Tree Ornament as they enter Banterra Center.
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.

COMING UP

The December 22 men's basketball matchup versus Southern Indiana is being billed as the "Blizzard of Egypt" with a special halftime Rockettes-style dance performance by the Saluki Spirit teams and artificial snow machines that will turn the arena into a winter wonderland. The December 30 game versus UIC will be the second-annual New Year's Saluki Bash, with another record-setting balloon drop at halftime and a festive atmosphere to ring in the new year.

WHERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN

The game will be available nationally on ESPN Plus with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Mike Trude (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 Luke Martin (play-by-play) and Rodney Watson (analyst) on the call.

QUICK HITS

SIU enters the game ranked 102 in the NET, while North Dakota State sits at 198.
The Salukis rank 39th nationally and third in the MVC in effective field goal percent at 55.9 percent.
Southern is shooting 39.8 percent from behind the arc -- ranking 10th nationally.
SIU is holding opponents to 29.4 percent from 3-point range -- 52nd-best nationally.
Xavier Johnson is one of 11 players in SIU history with four 30+ point games. All four have been this season and are as many as the rest of the MVC has combined.
Xavier Johnson leads the nation in scoring at 24.8 points per game.
Xavier Johnson has scored 16 or more in all 10 games this season -- the longest stretch of his career.
Xavier Johnson leads the MVC with an 89.7 percent mark (78-87) from the free throw line.
SIU is second in the MVC with 15.4 made free throws per game -- SIU shoots 73.3 percent as a team.

NUMBERS WATCH

Xavier Johnson needs just nine points to reach 1,000 career points. In two seasons, Johnson has scored 480 points in maroon & white. Johnson scored 511 points in three years at George Mason.
Trent Brown enters with 128 career 3-pointers, passing Bryan Mullins on the all-time list last time out.
Clarence Rupert has two double-doubles this season -- matching the number of double-doubles SIU has produced in the last two seasons combined.
Clarence Rupert recorded his fifth straight double-digit scoring effort last time out against Wichita State. It was the seventh time this season that Rupert reached double-digits.

THE MATCHUP

North Dakota State enters Tuesday's game at 7-5 overall after dropping a game at Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. They are led by 10th-year head coach David Richman who is 182-110. The Bison are 5-0 at home and 2-4 away from Fargo.
NDSU scored on average 77.9 points per game while holding opponents to 69.8 points. Damari Wheeler-Thomas leads the charge with 13.2 points and 3.2 assists per game. Boden Skunberg (12.7) and Andrew Morgan (10.3) also score in double-figures for the Bison.

THE SERIES

Southern Illinois and North Dakota State will meet for the first time since the 1965-66 season Tuesday night. The series began in 1932 with a 34-27 SIU win at home -- three wins in the series for Southern have come in Carbondale with the lone loss coming in Fargo during the 1957-58 season.

LAST TIME OUT

The Salukis fell to Wichita State, 69-68 on the road.
SIU found itself down 15 in the first half (19-4) before rallying back to cut the lead to just seven at halftime.
SIU had two opportunities to win the game in the final 15 seconds. Xavier Johnson's shot was blocked at the buzzer.
Xavier Johnson led the Salukis with 23 points, nine assists, and three rebounds. Clarence Rupert had 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go with a team-high seven rebounds.
Salukis center Scottie Ebube scored all eight of his points in the second half. He played eight minutes.
Jarrett Hensley made his SIU debut, scoring eight points in the first half. The forward also hit a 3-pointer.

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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