Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Evansville
Saluki Basketball Closes Regular Season with Makeup Game at Evansville
02/28/2026 | 3:08:00 | Men's Basketball
The Salukis (14-15, 9-10 MVC) take on the Purple Aces (6-23, 2-16 MVC) at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. The contest is a makeup from Jan. 25th's cancellation due to the winter storm. Evansville will play on back-to-back days, hosting Valparaiso Saturday.
Game Details
Matchup: SIU at Evansville
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Ind.
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SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
The Purple Aces have had a rough go in the second half of MVC play, currently in the midst of a 1-10 stretch with its last victory coming on Feb. 9 against Illinois State at home.
AJ Casey leads Evansville, averaging 12.2 points per game, which is 14th in The Valley.
2024-25 MVC Defensive Player of the Year Connor Turnbull has been limited this season, playing in 16 of 29 possible games. He has not seen action since Feb. 3 against Indiana State.
The Purple Aces score 66.8 points per game, which is 11th in The Valley and 345th in the nation.
Defensively, they allow 76.5 points per game, which is ninth in The Valley and 250th in the nation.
Evansville ranks No. 305 in the latest NET ratings and No. 309 in KenPom.
THE DAWGS
The Salukis are led by second-year head coach Scott Nagy. Nagy brings 31 years of head coaching experience to Carbondale and had recorded 14 straight winning seasons while at the helm of both South Dakota State and Wright State before a 14-19 first season at SIU. He became the 13th active coach and the 70th all-time to reach 600 wins with a 65-50 victory over UNI on Jan. 28.
Eight Salukis average more than 18 minutes per game. Quel'Ron House leads the team with 14.9 points per game. Seven others average seven or more points, including Drew Steffe (9.8), Rolyns Aligbe (9.7), Damien Mayo Jr. (8.7), Jalen Haynes (8.2), Isaiah Stafford (7.3), Prince Aligbe (7.1) and Davion Sykes (7.1).
Southern is shooting 45.4% from the field, which is 172nd in the nation. They do most of their work inside the arc, making only 4.9 three-pointers per game, which is bottom 10 in the country.
Freshman Jalen Haynes has been a bright spot off the bench this season, scoring in double figures in 10 contests. He had a season-high 22 in his first start of the season on Jan. 17 against Belmont.
On the boards, the Dawgs split up the work pretty evenly, with Rolyns Aligbe leading the way with 7.2 boards per game. Aligbe has five double-doubles on the season, one coming against Northern Iowa on Jan. 28 when he had a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. He tallied a career-high 16 rebounds in SIU's win over Indiana State on Feb. 9, the most a Saluki has recorded since Thik Bol had 17 on Nov. 16, 2016.
Quel'Ron House has earned two MVC Newcomer of the Week awards, and was named the league's Player of the Week for his performance on the Iowa road swing between Feb. 16-22. He had a career-high 26 on Feb. 6 against
Murray State, and tied that total against Bradley on Feb. 15.
SIU landed at No. 115 in the most recent NET ratings, seventh in the MVC.
LAST TIME OUT
Southern Illinois defeated Indiana State 66-55 on Wednesday night. The Salukis honored their five seniors, Prince Aligbe, Damien Mayo Jr., Jorge Moreno, Isaiah Stafford and Davion Sykes. Five players scored in double-figures, including Jalen Haynes, who had 11 off the bench.
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.
