Preview | Saluki Basketball Travels to Oklahoma State for Matchup with Cowboys

CARBONDALE, Ill. – After opening its home slate with a win Friday, the Southern Illinois basketball team returns to the road for a matchup against Big 12 member Oklahoma State Thursday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN Plus from historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game marks the final meeting with the Cowboys in what was a two-for-one contract signed prior to the 2022 season.

ESPN+ Broadcast | Radio Broadcast | Live Stats | SIU Game Notes | Live Updates on X

HOW TO FOLLOW

Adam Hildebrandt and Bryndon Manzer will have the television call.
The radio broadcast can be heard locally on 101.5 CIL-FM, on the Saluki Radio Network, SIUSalukis.com/Listen, the Saluki Mobile App, and the Varsity Network App with Luke Martin and Rodney Watson calling the action.
Fans can follow Live Stats at SIUSalukis.com.

QUICK HITS

First-year head coach Scott Nagy leads the Salukis. Nagy brings 30 years of head coaching experience to Carbondale and has recorded 14 straight winning seasons while at the helm of both South Dakota State and Wright State. Nagy ranks No. 17 in wins (578) among active Division I head coaches.
The Salukis return three players from last year's squad in Kennard Davis Jr., Jarrett Hensley, and guard Sheridan Sharp. SIU added 11 new players to the roster before summer access.
Kennard Davis Jr. and Ali Dibba picked up Third Team Preseason All-MVC honors.
The Salukis were picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
Kennard Davis Jr. tied for fifth in program history with seven steals against Missouri S&T. The sophomore leads the nation in steals with five per game. He had 22 total steals during his freshman season.
As a team SIU is 13th nationally with 12.5 steals per game.
SIU has outscored opponents on the fast break, 37-7 in two games.
Southern ranks 37th nationally and tops in the MVC with 28.5 free throw attempts per game.
SIU transfer Ali Dibba scored 15 points to go with five rebounds and three assists during a 64-59 win over the Cowboys last season while with Abilene Christian.

LOOKING AT OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowboys come into play at 2-0 with wins over Green Bay (89-76) and St. Thomas (80-71) in Stillwater. OSU is scoring 84.5 points per game and allowing 73.5 points under first-year coach Steve Lutz. The Cowboys have a trio of double-digit scorers led by the duo of Bryce Thomas and Marchelus Avery at 16.5 points per game. Big man Abou Ousmane put up 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the season opener for the Cowboys and did not play against St. Thomas.

THE SERIES WITH THE COWBOYS
Southern Illinois is 6-2 all-time against Oklahoma State. To start the two-for-one series with OSU the Salukis went to Stillwater in 2022 and knocked off the Cowboys 61-60 behind 19 points from Lance Jones and 16 from Marcus Domask. Last year Southern defeated OSU in Carbondale 70-68 after Xavier Johnson scored 32 points. The last loss SIU suffered to the Cowboys came in the NCAA Tournament at the Oklahoma City Regional in 2005.

LAST TIME OUT
Kennard Davis Jr. nearly put up the program's third triple-double with a 22 point, eight assist, and seven steal performance as Southern Illinois secured its first win of the season with an 86-64 victory over Missouri S&T. The Salukis took a 38-33 lead into the locker room after battling the Miners with six lead changes and five ties in the first 20 minutes of action. Southern used an 8-0 run at the midway point to take a 25-18 lead. Davis and the Salukis shot 48.3 percent (14-29) in the first and were 5-for-11 from behind the arc but struggled at the charity stripe where they were 5-for-11. Southern came out in the second half and outscored the Miners 48-31 en route to the victory. The Salukis locked on the defensive side of the ball forcing S&T into 15 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

DAVIS OFF TO A HOT START
In two games, sophomore Kennard Davis Jr. has made his impact on the court. He is averaging 17 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds. After scoring 12 in the season-opener, Davis came out to lead SIU with 22 points in a win over Missouri S&T, nearly recording a triple-double with eight assists and seven steals.

EXPERIENCE ON THE BENCH FOR THE SALUKIS
One thing that Southern Illinois does not lack on the bench is experience within the coaching staff. SIU boasts over 100 years of total coaching experience between six coaches, as well as over 50 years of head coaching experience between Scott Nagy (30) and Steve Hawkins (28). Nagy (578) and Hawkins (453) have won a combined 1,031 games while at the help of their programs respectively.

NCAA NAGY, THE PLAYER
As a player at NCAA Division II Delta State, Scott Nagy was a part of two Regional Championships with the Statesmen in 1987 and 1988. A guard from 1985-1988, Nagy started 122 straight games and is Delta State's career assist leader (549) and the program leader for most assists in a season (234, 1986-87). The Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year in 1985, he was the Gulf South's Athlete of the Year in 1988, and a three-time member of the Gulf South All-Academic Team (1986, 1987, 1988).

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
SIU head coach Scott Nagy has made five trips to the NCAA Tournament, a place his father was very familiar with. Dick Nagy spent 33 years in coaching, mostly as a top assistant. He worked for the legendary Lou Henson at Illinois for 17 years, helping the Illini reach the NCAA tourney 14 times and advance to the Final Four in 1989. He also was on the bench for Wright State's Horizon League foe UIC when it won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1998.

RESPECT THE VALLEY

Notably, MVC teams are 12-4 in their first game in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2012. The league has now combined for 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past 11 NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994.
From 2012 to 2019, MVC teams won 10-straight, first-round games in the NCAA Tournament, tying a league record that was set from 1941-55.
MVC teams have 42 total wins in the NCAA Tournament since 1994 with 12 Sweet 16 trips and two Final Four appearances. Notably, 31 of 42 victories have been against Power conferences, and the league has a winning record in that span against Big 12 and SEC schools.
During the last decade, the MVC has ranked in the Top 10 nine times for all conferences in average home attendance.

SEASON TICKETS AND MINI PLANS
Get season tickets starting at $125 or build your own Mini-Plan for as little as $36. Single-game tickets start at $10 with no added fees this season!

Six-Game Mini-Plans
$84: Pick any six games and get upper-bowl, chair-back seats (Sections 203, 204, 206, 207, 211, 212, 214, 215)
$54: Pick any six games and get upper-bowl, bleacher seats (All sections)

Four-Game Mini-Plans
$56: Pick any four games and get upper-bowl, chair-back seats (Sections 203, 204, 206, 207, 211, 212, 214, 215)
$36: Pick any four games and get upper-bowl, bleacher seats (All sections)

Season Tickets
$125-$275: Tickets for all 14 home dates start at just $125 for upper bleacher sections.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

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