Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team is set to face Murray State on Monday, December 29, as it seeks its first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) win of the season. The Salukis, currently holding a 6-7 overall record and 0-2 in conference play, will play the Racers at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
Murray State enters the game with a 10-3 record and is tied for the longest current win streak in the MVC with six consecutive victories. Their most recent win was an 85-79 result over Valparaiso. The Racers have also posted notable performances this season, including a 115-100 victory against Akron at the Jack Jones Classic in Nevada. Senior Javon Jackson leads Murray State in scoring with an average of 16.1 points per game, ranking third in the MVC.
The Racers average 89.3 points per game, which places them first in the MVC and 28th nationally. Defensively, they allow 78.1 points per game—ranking last in their conference and tied for 293rd nationally. Murray State holds a +11.23 scoring margin and is ranked No. 70 in NET ratings and No. 96 by KenPom.
For Southern Illinois, eight players average more than 16 minutes per game this season. Quel’Ron House leads with an average of 14.7 points per game and tops the MVC with 81 field goals made so far. Other key contributors include Drew Steffe (9.6 points), Rolyns Aligbe (9.5), Damien Mayo Jr. (8.6), Davion Sykes (8.5), Prince Aligbe (7.8), Jalen Haynes (7.7), and Isaiah Stafford (7.6). Sophomore Max Pikaar has led the team with nine blocks.
The Salukis recently shot 41% from three-point range during a three-game win streak against Little Rock, High Point, and UT Martin but generally focus on scoring inside; they make only about 4.6 three-pointers per game—among the lowest nationally.
On rebounding, SIU has maintained a plus-56 margin this season and averages just over 39 rebounds per game, placing them among the top teams nationally in that category; Rolyns Aligbe leads individual rebounding efforts with an average of 6.6 boards per contest.
Freshman Jalen Haynes has seen increased playing time recently, consistently scoring between six and twelve points over his last several games.
In their previous outing on December 21 against Bradley, SIU lost narrowly by a score of 73-69 despite Damien Mayo Jr.’s team-high performance of eighteen points and four steals.
Southern Illinois Salukis Men’s Basketball competes as part of NCAA Division I athletics within the Missouri Valley Conference (official website). The program operates out of Carbondale, Illinois (official website) and plays home games at Banterra Center (official website). The team is led by head coach Scott Nagy (official website). Over its history, Southern Illinois has produced NBA talent such as Walt Frazier (official website), made ten NCAA Tournament appearances (official website), won an NAIA national championship in 1946 (official website), and retired numbers for program legends like Frazier (official website).
Fans can follow updates about Southern Illinois Salukis Men’s Basketball on their official social media accounts or via their mobile app.
