Preview | Salukis Host USI for Blizzard in Egypt & White Out Friday at 6 p.m.

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois basketball closes out its nonconference schedule Friday evening as Southern Indiana comes to town for a 6 p.m. tip at Banterra Center. It's SIU's Blizzard in Egypt game as well as a White Out.

GAME PROMOTIONS

It's a WHITE OUT! Friday's game 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 Banterra Center into a winter wonderland.
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.

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 97 in the NET, while Southern Indiana sits at 332.
Southern is shooting 40.2 percent from behind the arc -- ranking 10th nationally.
The Salukis rank 34th nationally and third in the MVC in effective field goal percent at 56.2 percent.
SIU is holding opponents to 27.9 percent from 3-point range -- 25th-best nationally.
Xavier Johnson is one of 11 players in SIU history with four 30+ point games. All four have been this season. He has four of the nine 30+ point games in the MVC. His seven 20+ point games lead the MVC.
Xavier Johnson leads the nation in scoring at 24.8 points per game.
Xavier Johnson has scored 16 or more in all 11 games this season -- the longest stretch of his career.
Xavier Johnson has scored 20 or more points in five straight games.
SIU is fourth in the MVC with 15 made free throws per game -- SIU shoots 73.3 percent as a team.
In the two games he has been available, Jarrett Hensley is second in scoring with 11 points per game.

NUMBERS WATCH

With 25 points last time out against North Dakota State, Xavier Johnson surpassed 1,000 career points.
Graduate Trent Brown enters the game with 130 career 3-pointers -- ranking 16th in program history.
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 has reached double-digit scoring in seven games this season. His streak of five straight games with 10+ points was snapped against North Dakota State.

LAST TIME OUT

Southern Illinois snapped a two-game losing skid Tuesday night after defeating North Dakota State.
Xavier Johnson scored a game-high 25 points while Jarrett Hensley (14) and Scottie Ebube (13) joined him in double-digits.
The Salukis held NDSU to just 1-for-10 from 3-point range.
SIU recorded 17 assists -- the seventh time this season that Southern has put up 15 or more assists in a game.
Freshman Sheridan Sharp made his college debut in the game.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Indiana enters the game at 3-9 overall on the season after snapping a three-game losing skid Tuesday when USI defeated University of St. Francis, 79-47. The Screamin' Eagles have played at Saint Louis, Michigan State as well as at Duke this season.
USI is scoring 66.2 points per game while opponents are scoring 69.7 points.
Two players score in double-figures led by Jeremiah Hernandez with 12.8 points per game while AJ Smith averages nearly a double-double with 11.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
USI is 0-6 away from Screaming Eagles Arena.

THE SERIES

The Salukis and Screaming Eagles have met just four times overall with SIU leading the series 3-1. The game is part of a 2-for-1 deal signed last season when the Salukis traveled to Evansville, falling for the first time to USI, 71-53, in their first-ever Division I home game. Before 2022, the teams met just three times in the early 80's with SIU claiming all three wins at home.

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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