The Southern Illinois University (SIU) men’s basketball team is preparing to face the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin) Skyhawks on Wednesday, December 10, at 7 p.m. The game will be held at Banterra Center in Carbondale. SIU enters the matchup with a record of 5-4, having won its last two games.
In their most recent game on December 3, the Salukis defeated High Point 86-84 with a last-second layup by Davion Sykes. Damien Mayo Jr. contributed significantly with 22 points in the second half as SIU overcame a 12-point halftime deficit. On November 29, SIU also secured a home win against Little Rock, who were picked as preseason favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference—a conference that includes both UT Martin and Little Rock.
For fans attending Wednesday’s game, several promotions are being offered. Youth Sports Night allows children involved in youth sports programs to purchase tickets for $5 if they wear their jerseys or uniforms. Additionally, through the “Dawgs Win, You Win” promotion, any fan who buys a full-price ticket for this game will receive a free ticket to the December 18 match against Illinois State if SIU wins.
UT Martin arrives with a 7-2 record and features an international roster; eleven of its fourteen players come from outside the United States. Leading scorer Andrija Bukumirovic from Serbia averages 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Other key contributors include Matas Denlusas of Lithuania and Dragos Lungu of Romania. The team also has players from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gambia, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Slovenia, Spain, and local junior Charlie King from Ozark—who is redshirting this season.
Defensively, UT Martin holds opponents to an average of 65 points per game and outrebounds them by more than nine per contest—ranking among the top teams nationally in both categories—but struggles with turnovers.
The Salukis have seen balanced contributions across their roster; nine players average over fourteen minutes per game and seven score more than seven points each night. Quel’Ron House leads SIU with an average of 14.4 points per game while Drew Steffe has sparked recent three-point shooting improvements.
As part of ongoing efforts to engage students during home games at Banterra Center, Saluki Athletics is launching a spring tuition giveaway for current students enrolled in Spring 2026 who do not already have full scholarships covering tuition that semester. Three students attending Wednesday’s game will be randomly selected for an on-court contest where they could win coverage for their spring tuition.
“We are so excited to host this promotion and help support SIU students,” said Director of Athletics Tim Leonard. “We need our student section to be full and excited for every home game, but it’s also important that we as a department and a university show as much support for the students as possible.”
To participate in the tuition giveaway contest:
– Students must be enrolled for Spring 2026 at SIU Carbondale without existing full tuition scholarships.
– They must attend Wednesday’s game from tipoff and sit in bleacher section 105 (“Dawg Pound”).
– Three participants will be chosen randomly during the event.
– If there are no winners on Wednesday night, additional contests will occur during subsequent home games until there is at least one winner.
The Dawg Pound remains the largest student organization on campus dedicated to supporting all Saluki Athletics programs.
