Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Murray State
Salukis and Racers Face Off in Carbondale on Friday Night
02/05/2026 | 1:47:00 | Men's Basketball
The Salukis (10-13, 4-8 MVC) take on the Racers (17-7, 9-4 MVC) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Ill.
Game Details
Matchup: SIU vs Murray State
Time: 7Â p.m.
Location: Banterra Center, Carbondale, Ill.
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SCOUTING THE RACERS
Murray State won eight straight games to start Missouri Valley Conference play before losing four in a row. The Racers got back on track with an 81-74 win over UIC on Tuesday night.
Javon Jackson leads the Racers, averaging 16.5 points per game, second in the MVC. He led his team with 19 points in the first matchup against SIU.
Freshman Roman Domon has been a revelation, leading the Racers with 18 points in Tuesday's win over UIC. He and Fred King join Jackson in The Valley's top 10 scoring ranks, both averaging 13.5 points per game.
Murray State averages 86.08 points per game as a team, first in The Valley and 24th nationally. The Racers also lead the conference in several other offensive categories, including free-throw percentage (76.6%), rebounding (38.0 rpg), and blocked shots (4.13 bpg).
Defensively, the Racers allow 79.04 points per game, which is last in The Valley.
They live up to their name as one of the fastest teams in the country, ranking 17th in KenPom's adjusted tempo metric.
Murray State ranks No. 89 in the latest NET ratings and No. 96 in KenPom.
THE DAWGS
Head Coach Scott Nagy 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 13.9 points per game. Six others average seven or more points, including Rolyns Aligbe (9.8), Drew Steffe (9.4), Damien Mayo Jr. (9.0), Jalen Haynes (8.3), Prince Aligbe (7.6) and Isaiah Stafford (7.3).
Southern is shooting 46.0 percent from the field, which is 140th in the nation. They do most of their work inside the arc, making only 4.8 3-pointers per game, which is bottom five in the country.
Freshman Jalen Haynes has been a bright spot off the bench this season, scoring in double figures in eight 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 7.0 boards per game. Aligbe has four 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 12 rebounds in SIU's win over Valparaiso on Jan. 1, and tied that total on Tuesday night at Illinois State.
Southern's Jan. 25 game at Evansville was postponed due to the winter storm. The game has been rescheduled for Sunday, Mar. 1.
SIU landed at No. 131 in the most recent NET ratings, sixth in the MVC.
LAST TIME OUT
Southern Illinois defeated Illinois State 54-50 in Normal on Tuesday night. House led the way with 22 points, while Rolyns Aligbe collected his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 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.
