Southern Illinois University
Valparaiso
Saluki Basketball Hosts Valpo for New Year's Bash
12/31/2025 | 12:57:00 | Men's Basketball
The Salukis (6-8, 0-3 MVC) take on the Beacons (6-7, 0-2 MVC) at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, in the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Ill.
Game Details
Matchup: SIU vs. ValpoÂ
Time: 2Â p.m.
Location: Banterra Center, Carbondale, Ill.
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SCOUTING THE BEACONS
The Beacons enter the day having lost its first two MVC games as part of a four-game losing streak. Last time out, they lost 58-48 at UNI.
Highlighting the Beacons' non-conference slate were three power-five matchups at Kentucky, Marquette, and Northwestern. The matchup at Marquette was a narrow 75-72 overtime loss.
Owen Dease leads the Beacons in scoring at 12.1 points per game, good for 19th in the MVC. The redshirt-senior had a season-high 25 points in the Dec. 21 loss at Murray State. Dease has been efficient, shooting 54.6% on the season and starting just two games thus far. He averages 22.0 minutes per game.
They average 71.38 points per game as a team, 302nd nationally and ninth in The Valley. Defensively, the Beacons allow 70.2 points per game, tied for 105th in the NCAA and sixth in The Valley.
The Beacons rank No. 225 in the latest NET ratings and No. 207 in KenPom.
THE DAWGS
Eight Salukis average more than 16 minutes per game. Quel'Ron House leads the team with 14.7 points per game. Seven others average seven or more points, including Drew Steffe (9.6), Rolyns Aligbe (9.6), Prince Aligbe (8.8), Davion Sykes (8.7), Damien Mayo Jr. (8.5), Jalen Haynes (7.3) and Isaiah Stafford (7.0).
Sophomore Max Pikaar logged a season-high 25 minutes in 83-54 win over UT Martin on Dec. 10.
SIU shot 41% (21-for-51) from three during its recent three-game win streak. (Little Rock, High Point, UT Martin)
Southern is shooting 48.7 percent from the field, which is 56th in the nation. They do most of their work inside the arc, making only 4.5 3-pointers per game, which is bottom five in the country.
SIU has been good on the boards, holding a +4.4 rebounds per game margin on the season. They are in the top 83 overall, averaging 39.2 rebounds per game. The Dawgs split up the work pretty evenly, with Rolyns Aligbe leading the way with 6.4 boards per game. He notched a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the loss at Richmond on Dec. 13.
True freshman Jalen Haynes has seen his minutes spike recently playing more than 20 minutes in six of the last
nine games. He scored 6, 10, 10, 10, 12, and 12 points in those contests, respectively.
SIU landed at No. 129 in the most recent NET ratings, sixth in the MVC.
LAST TIME OUT
SIU fell 84-81 at Murray State on Dec. 29. Prince Aligbe led the way with 19 points (tied career high) and nine rebounds.
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.
