Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
No. 9 Drake
Salukis Draw Bulldogs for First Round of Arch Madness
03/04/2026 | 1:58:00 | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Southern Illinois will take on Drake to open the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday.
The Salukis (16-15, 10-10 MVC) take on the Bulldogs (12-19, 6-14 MVC) at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Game Details
Matchup: SIU vs. Drake
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo.
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SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Drake has won the last four matchups between the teams in Arch Madness. SIU's last victory over the Bulldogs came on March 2, 2007.
Drake lost its last nine games in MVC play, which included a 66-61 loss to the Salukis on Feb. 18. The Bulldogs won the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 14, a 76-73 overtime victory over the Salukis.
Jalen Quinn leads Drake and The Valley, averaging 19.4 points per game. He's averaging 22.0 points against the Salukis this season.
The Bulldogs score 75.29 points per game, which is tied for fifth in The Valley and tied for 198th in the nation.
Defensively, they allow 75.16 points per game, which is ninth in The Valley and 225th in the nation.
Drake ranks No. 208 in the latest NET ratings and No. 215 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 14.7 points per game. Seven others average seven or more points, including Drew Steffe (10.0), Rolyns Aligbe (9.5), Damien Mayo Jr. (9.2), Jalen Haynes (8.2), Prince Aligbe (7.3), Isaiah Stafford (7.3) and Davion Sykes (7.0).
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 5.0 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 7.1 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. He was named to the MVC's Most Improved team on March 3.
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. House was named All-MVC Second Team and All-Newcomer Team on March 4.
SIU landed at No. 114 in the most recent NET ratings, sixth in the MVC.Â
LAST TIME OUT
Southern Illinois defeated Evansville 81-67 to finish the regular season on Sunday, March 1. Damien Mayo Jr. led the way with a career-high 23 points, while Drew Steffe knocked in four threes in the win.
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.
