Preview | Salukis and Bulldogs Set for Wednesday Showdown in Des Moines

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois basketball travels to Des Moines, Iowa for a Wednesday night matchup with Drake. Tipoff with the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. from the Knapp Center.

WHERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN

The game will be available on ESPN Plus with Larry Morgan (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 108 in the NET, while Drake ranks 54.
SIU is holding opponents to 29.2 percent from 3-point range -- 17th-best nationally.
Southern is shooting 37.1 percent from behind the arc -- ranking 36th nationally.
SIU ranks fourth in the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.21.
The Salukis rank 58th nationally in effective field goal percentage at 54.2 percent.
SIU's scoring defense ranks 34th in the nation -- holding opponents to 65.3 points per game.
SIU is shooting 75.8 percent from the free throw line which is second in the MVC and 37th nationally.
SIU has won its last three games when trailing at halftime. SIU was 0-4 when trailing at the half before Valpo.
SIU is 29-1 under Bryan Mullins when scoring 75 points or more and 53-7 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 14 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 23.5 points per game and has scored 16 or more in all 23 games.
is 18th nationally and leading the MVC with 6.0 assists per game.
is second nationally with 170 free throws made and seventh nationally in free throw attempts with 189.
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.
shot a program record 20 free throws against UIC, surpassing Charlie Vaughn's record of 18 attempted vs Belmont in 1960. Johnson also set a school record for free throw makes with 18 of the 20. Charlie Vaughn made 16 against Villa Madonna in 1960.

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 14 20+ point games lead the MVC.
Xavier Johnson has dished out 139 assists (6th in SIU history) this season -- 6.0 apg -- Bryan Mullins holds the season record with 154 assists during the 2007-08 season.
Sharpshooter Trent Brown enters the game with 157 career 3-pointers -- 10th in program history. Brown ranks eighth in program history with 449 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

Wednesday's meeting with the Bulldogs will be the 105th between the two programs. Southern Illinois leads the all-time series 61-43. Drake has won each of the last three games, including a 76-58 win against SIU in mid-January in Carbondale.

THE MATCHUP

Led by the MVC Preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries, Drake enters the matchup at 18-5 overall and 9-3 in the MVC.
DeVries is one of four Bulldogs to score in double-digits with a team-best 20.5 points per outing. Atin Wright (13.8), Kevin Overton (11.9) and Darnell Brodie (11.8) round out the scoring.
Drake is 12-0 at home this season and has won 17 games in a row inside the Knapp Center.

LAST TIME OUT

Southern Illinois erased a seven-point deficit in the final four minutes to beat UIC on Saturday, 74-71.
Xavier Johnson led the Salukis with 29 points and converted 18-of-20 free throws.
AJ Ferguson added 16 points and 10 rebounds and scored four points during the game-winning run. It was his free throws with 21 seconds left that put SIU ahead, 72-71. It was his first career double-double.
SIU won the rebounding battle 30-26 with the Flames. Ferguson has a team-high 10 while Johnson had five.

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.

Calendar

Upcoming Events