Dawgs Return to Banterra; $10 Tickets Available
11/28/2025 | 10:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — If the SIU men's basketball team is thankful for one thing this holiday season, it's the chance to play at home for the first time in more than three weeks.
The Salukis return from a grueling 1-4 road trip that included four cities, nine flights and countless bus rides. They'll look forward to home cooking and the friendly confines of Banterra Center when they face Arkansas–Little Rock at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29.
"It's been a tough schedule. We're not going to use that as an excuse," head coach Scott Nagy said after SIU's 74-58 loss to Memphis on Wednesday, Nov. 26. "It's got the players beat up. You can't feel sorry for yourself. As a coaching staff, we have to get them feeling better about themselves. A lot of this is my fault when you put a schedule together. I OK'd the schedule because I believe in them."
Game Details
Date & Time: 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29
Opponent: Arkansas Little Rock Trojans (OVC)
Location: Banterra Center, Carbondale
Live Stats: Follow along
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: The Varsity Network or listen locally on 101.5 CIL FM
Scouting the Trojans
Little Rock is led by Johnathan Lawson, a 6-foot-7 guard averaging 12.7 points per game, and Cameron Wallace, a 6-8 forward averaging 12.2 points. Lawson was recruited by Memphis and played last season at Creighton.
The Trojans are shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc. Guard Braxton Bayless, at 6-2, has hit 10 of 14 attempts from 3-point range this season.
Overall, Little Rock averages 67.5 points per game and allows opponents to shoot just over 49 percent from the field.
Head coach Darrell Walker, a 10-year NBA veteran, was the 12th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. He averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game while playing for five franchises under Hall of Fame coaches Hubie Brown, Wes Unseld, Chuck Daly and Phil Jackson. Walker has coached in the NBA, WNBA and at the Division I and II levels.
Our Dawgs
While the Salukis have struggled from 3-point range, hitting just 22.8 percent of their attempts, they still average 80 points per game. Sophomore point guard Quel'Ron House leads SIU with 16.6 points per game. Senior guard Davion Sykes is the only other Saluki in double figures, averaging 10.3 points.
SIU is outrebounding opponents by 3.4 boards per game. The Aligbe brothers — Rolyns and Prince — lead the team on the glass, averaging 6.0 and 5.9 rebounds, respectively.
Freshman guard Jalen Haynes has seen his minutes spike in the past two games, topping 20 minutes against both UAB and Memphis. He scored a career-high 10 points against the Tigers.
Looking Ahead
The homestand lasts just one game before the Salukis hit the road to play High Point in North Carolina on Wednesday, Dec. 3. They return to Banterra Center for a home matchup with UT Martin on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The nonconference schedule wraps up against Richmond in Virginia on Saturday, Dec. 13.
The Missouri Valley Conference season begins Thursday, Dec. 18, with a home matchup against preseason No. 1 Illinois State.
Fans can get single-game tickets here; get a three-game pack of rivalry game tickets here; or pick their own three-game pack here. The three-game packs offer discounts on premium seats.
