Preview | Salukis Play host to Bradley Wednesday for Mike Reis Appreciation Night

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois basketball will welcome Bradley to Banterra Center Wednesday night for Mike Reis Appreciation Night. Celebrity shout-outs and tributes to Reis will be played throughout the game, and he will be recognized during a special halftime presentation. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

GAME PROMOTIONS

The first 1,000 fans will receive a special Mike Reis Rally Towel.
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 Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Kevin Lehman (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 101 in the NET, while Bradley ranks 72.
SIU is holding opponents to 26.7 percent from 3-point range -- fourth-best nationally.
Southern is shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc -- ranking 21st nationally.
The Salukis rank 45th nationally in effective field goal percentage at 54.9 percent.
SIU ranks first in the MVC in scoring defense, first in 3-point defense, and fourth in field goal defense.
In his last eight games, Scottie Ebube has 65 points in 82 minutes, shot 28-of-37, 29 rebounds, and recorded five blocks.
SIU is 27-0 under Bryan Mullins when scoring 75 points or more and 51-6 when scoring 70 or more.
With a 10-point win over Belmont, SIU now has nine double-digit wins this season out of the 12 overall. The most wins in one season by 10+ points SIU has had under head coach Bryan Mullins is 10 in 2019-20, with three of them being MVC wins.

XAVIER JOHNSON...

has been named to two Mid-Season Watch List: Lute Olson (National Player of the Year) & Lue Henson (Mid-Major Player of the Year).
is second in the nation in scoring at 23.8 points per game.
is 17th nationally and leading the MVC with 6.1 assists per game.
is second nationally with 127 free throws made and ninth nationally in free throw attempts with 139.
is the only player in the nation averaging 20+ points, shooting better than 40 percent or better from the field, 40 percent or better from three, 85 percent or better from the free throw line, and averaging five or more assists per game.
has scored 16 or more in all 17 games this season -- the longest stretch of his career.

NUMBERS WATCH

Xavier Johnson is one of seven players in SIU history with five 30+ point games in a season. He has five of the 11 30+ point games in the MVC. His nine 20+ point games lead the MVC.
Graduate Trent Brown enters the game with 142 career 3-pointers -- ranking 14th 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.

THE MATCHUP

The Braves enter Wednesday's game on a six-game win streak and hold a 12-5 overall record as well as a 4-2 record in MVC play.
Picked to finish third in the MVC Preseason Poll, the Braves are led by Connor Hickman who is averaging 14.9 points per game.
BU is also getting 10+ points from three others including Malevy Leons (12.8), Duke Dean (12.1) and Darius Hannah (11.3).

THE SERIES

Bradley leads the all-time series with SIU 56-50 and has won seven of the last 10 meetings. The Salukis hold a 28-19 advantage against the Braves on their home court and are 16-34 on the road, and 6-3 in neutral-site contests.

LAST TIME OUT

The Salukis saw their six-game winning streak come to an end after falling to Drake, 76-58 at Banterra Center.
Johnson led the Salukis with 19 points and five assists while playing with four fouls for much of the second half. Ferguson was the only other Saluki to score in double figures with 10 points.
Reigning MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries scored a game-high 34 points for the Bulldogs while Atin Wright and Kevin Overton added 10 apiece.

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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