Preview | Salukis Host Valparaiso for Blackout Cancer Game Saturday Night

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois men's basketball team plays host to Valparaiso on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Banterra Center.

Saluki Athletics continues its partnership with the SIH Foundation for the Salukis Blackout Cancer game. The team will wear special, black jerseys that were purchased through an online bidding process, and fans are encouraged to wear black to the game. Learn more by visiting SalukisBlackoutCancer.com.

Tickets start at just $10 with no added fees this season and can be purchased at SIUSalukis.com/Tickets or by calling 877-SALUKIS.

PROMOTIONS

Wear Black!
All season long we're celebrating the 60th birthday of the Banterra Center. Saturday's game versus Valpo will celebrate the decade of the 2000s with special music and videos.
The National Anthem will be performed by SIU grad Jermaine Bollinger. Jermaine is a School of Music alumni who has twenty-five No. 1 singles on the Christian Radio Chart.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The ESPN Plus broadcast team is made up of Joey Lindstrom 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.

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

QUICK HITS

SIU enters play at 12-16 overall and 7-10 in Missouri Valley Conference action. The Salukis tied for ninth place in the league standings with Indiana State with just three games remaining before Arch Madness.
The Salukis rank third in the MVC with 35.68 rebounds per game. SIU has done damage on the offensive glass as they rank second in the league with 10.50 offensive boards per game. Southern is outrebounding teams on the offensive glass this season 294 to 271.
SIU is averaging 10.21 fastbreak points per game which ranks second in the MVC.
Ali Dibba (16.8) and Kennard Davis Jr. (15.7) rank third and sixth in scoring in the MVC.
Dibba has scored in double-digits in all but three games this season.
Dibba leads the MVC and ranks 27th in the nation with 183 made field goals.
Davis' 26 points against Murray State last time out marked the seventh 20+ point performance this season. The sophomore scored 20 or more in three of his last six games.
Davis recorded his fourth double-double of the season against Murray State with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Davis is second on the team with 5.1 boards per game.
Dibba scored 33 on the road at Belmont before Jarrett Hensley had 30 at home against Missouri State. They became the first Saluki duo to score 30 or more in a season since 2005-06 when Jamaal Tatum (37) and Tony Young (30) did so against Eastern Washington and Bradley.
Jarrett Hensley is third on the team with 10.57 points per game. The graduate student has three double-doubles of the season.
Freshman Drew Steffe has recorded multiple assists in 23 of 28 games. His 3.5 assist-to-turnover (63:18) ratio leads the Salukis.

LOOKING AT VALPO

Valpo is 12-16 overall and 5-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference after winning two of their last three games.
As a team, Valpo is scoring 75.8 points per game while holding opponents to 74.9 scoring.
Four Beacons score in double-digits led by Cooper Schiweger at 14.9 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEACONS

Southern Illinois and Valparaiso have met on the hardwood 18 times in their histories, with SIU leading the series 11-7.
Southern has won seven straight games in the series, including the last three meetings in Carbondale.

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.

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