Preview | Salukis Battle with Missouri State Saturday at Banterra Center

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois basketball begins a rare back-to-back with Missouri State on Saturday as the Bears make their way to Carbondale for a 6 p.m. CT tip at Banterra Center. The Salukis will travel to Missouri State next Wednesday to complete the season series.

SAMARITAN'S FEET GAME

Coach Nagy will coach the game in bare feet, to help spotlight the need to distribute shoes in our community and throughout the world.
Fans can support the cause through our virtual shoe drive, sponsored by Samaritan's Feet International. An online $30 donation will provide shoes, socks and hope to a person in need domestically as well as internationally.
Fans can also bring a pair of new children's shoes to Banterra Center and deposit in drop boxes located in the pavilion outside the ticket office. The shoes will go to needy children identified in Jackson and Williamson counties.

PROMOTIONS

Purchase $10 tickets in Section 113 with promo code FAMILY as we recognize area faith organizations, including FCA.
No added ticket fees this season.
Halftime performance by Studio 84.

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

HOW TO FOLLOW

The ESPN Plus broadcast team is Mike Trude and Saluki Hall of Famer Jamaal Tatum.
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

SIU enters play at 5-11 overall and 0-5 in MVC play after dropping its last game at Belmont, 90-86.
Ali Dibba leads the team with 15.1 points per game. He has scored 10 or more points in all but two games this season.
Dibba scored a career-high 33 last game at Belmont. He finished the game 13-for-23 from the field, 5-for-8 from behind the arc, and a rebound short of a double-double. His 13 made field goals also set the opponent record at the Curb Event Center.
Kennard Davis Jr. is second on the team with 14.1 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Davis ranks second in the MVC in steals with 1.9 per game this season. He has 29 steals this year after just 22 all last season.
With a season-high four steals at Belmont, Davis passed the 50 career steals mark.
Jarrett Hensley is putting up 10.3 points per game to go along with a team-high 5.8 rebounds per contest. He leads SIU and ranks 10th in the MVC with 14 blocked shots.
Hensley has scored in double-digits in back-to-back games against Illinois State and Belmont. The senior has nine games this season scoring in double-figures, including a season-high 20 at UNI.
With nine points in the last game at Belmont, freshman Rolyns Aligbe has scored five or more in nine games.
Drew Steffe dished out five assists at Belmont. The freshman has multiple assists in 13 of 16 games this season. His 37 assists to 11 turnovers lead the Salukis.
SIU ranks fourth in the MVC with 35.56 rebounds per game. The Salukis have done damage on the offensive glass as they rank fourth in the league with 11.25 caroms on the offensive end this season.
SIU is averaging 10.38 fastbreak points per game which ranks fifth in the MVC.
As a team, SIU is seventh in the Valley in blocks with 2.9 per game. Jarrett Hensley leads SIU with 14 blocks and 0.88 blocks per game. Antwaun Massey has nine blocks for the Dawgs.
SIU forced 10 lead changes against Belmont after 12 in the previous eight games combined.
SIU's 22 assists at Belmont was the second-most this season behind a 24-assist outing against Missouri S&T.
It will be the first time that Damien Mayo Jr. will faceoff with his former team after spending the two previous years with the Bears. Guard Tyler Bey also joined the Salukis from Missouri State but will not play due to redshirting this season.

LOOKING AT MISSOURI STATE

Missouri State comes into Saturday with a 7-9 overall record and a 0-5 mark in the MVC.
The Bears have dropped their last four games and hold a 1-4 record away from Springfield.
MSU is scoring 70.9 points per game this season and is led by Dez White (15.8 ppg) and Vincent Bradley II (13.9 ppg).
The Bears are second in the MVC in forced turnovers (14.0) and steals per game with 8.4 per outing. Bradley II leads MSU with 1.57 per game while Michael Osei-Bonsu is just behind at 1.56 per game.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEARS

Southern Illinois leads the series with Missouri State 53-44 in a series dating back to 1957, including a 29-12 record in Carbondale.
SIU won three straight games in the series before the Bears snapped the streak with an overtime win in Carbondale in the lone meeting between the two programs last season.

NAGY TOP-20 IN CAREER WINS
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 (582) among active Division I head coaches.

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