Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team is set to face Evansville on Sunday, January 25, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The game will begin at 3 p.m., and despite ongoing heavy snowfall in the region, the Salukis will travel as scheduled. The matchup will not be available for streaming on ESPN+.
The Salukis currently hold an 8-12 overall record and are 2-7 in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play. Their opponent, the Purple Aces of Evansville, stand at 5-15 overall and 1-8 in conference games.
Evansville recently broke a six-game losing streak in MVC competition with a win over Indiana State but fell to UIC in their last outing. Center Connor Turnbull leads the Purple Aces with an average of 12.4 points per game; however, he has been absent since January 4. Without Turnbull, Evansville has managed just one win in six games. AJ Casey has taken over as leading scorer during conference play with an average of 14.4 points per game.
As a team, Evansville averages 67.25 points per game and allows opponents to score an average of 73.8 points per contest. In national rankings, they are positioned No. 284 by NET ratings and No. 289 by KenPom.
For Southern Illinois, eight players log more than 18 minutes per game. Quel’Ron House leads scoring for the Salukis with an average of 13.7 points per game. Other significant contributors include Drew Steffe (9.9), Rolyns Aligbe (9.1), Damien Mayo Jr. (8.8), Jalen Haynes (8.7), Prince Aligbe (7.9), Isaiah Stafford (7.3), and Davion Sykes (7). Sophomore Max Pikaar has recorded a block in seven out of nine MVC games this season and leads SIU with a total of 17 blocks.
The Salukis have shot well from beyond the arc during non-conference play but generally focus on scoring inside; they rank near the bottom nationally in three-pointers made per game but shoot 46.3 percent from the field overall.
Freshman Jalen Haynes has provided key performances off the bench this season and scored a season-high 22 points against Belmont on January 17 during his first start.
On rebounding, SIU maintains a positive margin (+2.6) and averages nearly 39 rebounds per game—placing them among the top teams nationally for rebounding totals this season.
Southern Illinois most recently lost to Valparaiso by a score of 69-63 on January 21; Haynes led SIU scorers with 17 points that night.
Fans can follow updates about Southern Illinois men’s basketball through their official website or via social media channels including X (@SIU_Basketball), Instagram (@SIU_Basketball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SIUBasketball), or by downloading the “Salukis” mobile app from major app stores.
