Preview | Salukis Host North Dakota State for Charles Helleny Tip-off Classic Monday

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois basketball returns to Banterra Canter Monday night to host North Dakota State for the Charles Helleny Tip-Off Classic at 7 p.m. CT. The annual Charles Helleny Tip-Off Classic - the first Division I men's basketball home game of the season, is named in honor of a generous legacy gift from Charles Helleny.

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

PROMOTIONS

Brown Dawg's Kids Club
- Brown Dawg's Kids Club members can redeem their free ticket at the ticket window — just provide the member or parent name. Parents can purchase additional tickets for $10/each.
Teacher Appreciation Night
- For more information about Teacher Appreciation Night, contact Thomas Becker for Group Sales and Special Events at thomas.becker@siu.edu, or call the ticket office at 877-SALUKIS.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The ESPN Plus broadcast team is Mike Trude on play-by-play and Saluki Basketball Hall of Famer Jamaal Tatum serving as the analyst.
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.
Kennard Davis Jr. tied for fifth in program history with seven steals against Missouri S&T. The sophomore ranks 6th in the nation in steals with 3.67 per game. He had 22 total steals during his freshman season.
SIU ranks 39th nationally and second in the MVC with 18.3 assists per game. Davis leads the team with 4.3 dimes per game. Dibba is averaging 2.7 assists in three games. Nine Salukis have five or more assists.
Elijah Elliott, Kennard Davis Jr., and Ali Dibba have each scored in double-digits in three games.

LAST TIME OUT
Southern Illinois basketball fell on the road to Power 5 opponent Oklahoma State, 85-78, Thursday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Elijah Elliott led the Salukis with 21 points, including five 3-pointers while Kennard Davis Jr. added 16 and Ali Dibba dropped in 12. Down 18 points to the Cowboys with 6:56 remaining to play the Salukis rallied to close the gap to just four points with 24 seconds left before Oklahoma State was finally able to put the game away at the free throw line. The defense played a pivotal role in the rally as Southern held OSU without a field goal for the final 4:32 of the game with the Cowboys shooting 0-for-5 from the floor during the closing moments of the game.

LOOKING AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State enters play at 2-2 on the season with wins over Jamestown as well as an overtime victory over Santa Clara on the road. NDSU fell to Illinois State at home and CSU Bakersfield on the road. The Bison are led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Jacari White (22.5), Jackson Moni (12.7), and Tajavis Miller (11.3). As a team, the Bison are outscoring opponents 83.3 to 75.5 (+7.8) on the year while holding a slight edge in rebounding 34.8 to 33.3 in four games. White has 14 of NDSU's 48 3-point field goals this season, shooting 48.3 percent from behind the arc while the team is shooting 38.4 percent from downtown.

THE SERIES WITH THE BISON
Southern Illinois and North Dakota State will meet for the second consecutive season after not playing for nearly 60 years prior. SIU leads the series 6-1 and has won five straight against the Bison. 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 season, Xavier Johnson scored 25 points while Jarrett Hensley added 14 off the bench.

DAVIS OFF TO A HOT START
In three games, sophomore Kennard Davis Jr. has made his impact on the court. He is averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 rebounds per game. 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. He scored 16 points on the road at Oklahoma State with 13 coming in the second half.

ELLIOTT LIGHTING IT UP
Scorers score and that is exactly what Elijah Elliott has done for the Salukis in three games. The transfer guard can score in bunches and from all areas of the floor. He leads the team at 19.3 points per game as well as knocking down nine 3-pointers, including a career-high five triples at Oklahoma State. He has scored 20 or more in each of his starts while putting in 14 off the bench in 21 minutes against Missouri S&T.

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.

Calendar

Upcoming Events