Preview | Salukis Travel to Regional Rival Murray State Saturday

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois is set to travel to Murray State on Saturday to continue its regional rivalry with the Racers. Tipoff inside the CFSB Center is scheduled for 1 p.m.

WHERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN

The game will be available on NBC Sports Chicago, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports South (Alabama / Georgia / Kentucky / Mississippi / North Carolina / South Carolina / Tennessee), and ESPN Plus with Tom Ackerman (play-by-play) and Adam Emmenecker (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

Southern Illinois is ranked 105 in the NET, while Murray State ranks 157.
SIU is holding opponents to 28.4 percent from 3-point range -- 12th-best nationally.
Southern is shooting 37.1 percent from behind the arc -- ranking 42nd nationally.
The Salukis rank 57th nationally in effective field goal percentage at 54.3 percent.
SIU's scoring defense ranks 32nd in the nation -- holding opponents to 64.8 points per game.
SIU is shooting 76 percent from the free throw line which is second in the MVC and 35th nationally.
Last time out against Valpo marked the first win for SIU this season after trailing at halftime.
SIU is 28-0 under Bryan Mullins when scoring 75 points or more and 52-6 when scoring 70 or more.
Bryan Mullins is tied for the fourth-fastest coach in program history to reach 80 wins -- 142 games.
SIU has nine double-digit wins this season out of the 13 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 23.4 points per game and has scored 16 or more in all 20 games.
is 19th nationally and leading the MVC with 6.1 assists per game.
is third nationally with 146 free throws made and sixth nationally in free throw attempts with 161.
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.

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 14 30+ point games in the MVC. His 12 20+ point games lead the MVC.
Xavier Johnson has dished out 121 assists (17th in SIU history) this season -- 6.1 apg -- Bryan Mullins holds the season record with 154 assists during the 2007-08 season.
Sharpshooter Trent Brown enters the game with 147 career 3-pointers -- tying for 12th in program history. Brown ranks 12th in program history with 420 3-point attempts.
Forward Clarence Rupert has three double-doubles this season -- exceeding the number of double-doubles SIU had last year in total.

THE SERIES

It will be the 41st meeting of all time between Southern Illinois and Murray State. The Salukis lead the series 21-19 and have won three straight games against the Racers. SIU is 8-11 on the road, 12-5 at home, and 1-3 against Murray State.

THE MATCHUP

Murray State was picked to finish seventh in the MVC Preseason Poll and currently sits at 8-12 overall and 5-4 in The Valley.
After winning five of six, the Racers have dropped their last two contests -- at home against Indiana State and at Bradley.
MSU is 5-5 at home, 3-5 on the road, and 0-2 on neutral courts.
Murray State has five players averaging double-digits led by forward Rob Perry who leads the Racers with 13 points per game to go along with five rebounds. JaCobi Wood is averaging 12.2 points, and four rebounds, and is shooting 41.8 percent from deep.
As a team, MSU averages 71.6 points per game and shoots 44.3 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from behind the arc.

LAST TIME OUT

SIU snapped a three-game losing skid with a 75-69 comeback win over Valparaiso Wednesday night at home.
The Salukis had three players score in double-figures led by Xavier Johnson's 27 points. Trent Brown had 14 and Troy D'Amico had 13 for SIU.
Xavier Johnson scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half, including 14 during a 23-3 second half run for the Salukis.
Clarence Rupert finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

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