Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team is preparing for a home game against Belmont on Saturday night at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis currently hold an 8-10 overall record and are 2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play. Their opponent, the Belmont Bruins, stand at 16-3 overall and 6-2 in conference games.
Belmont has recently secured three consecutive wins in MVC competition, including a narrow victory over Valparaiso and a significant comeback against Drake where they overcame a 19-point halftime deficit. In their previous matchup this season, SIU’s Quel’Ron House scored a buzzer-beating shot to defeat Belmont in Nashville. Historically, SIU leads the series with Belmont by four games to three.
Tyler Lundblade is leading Belmont’s offense with an average of 16 points per game, ranking fourth in the MVC. He also averages 3.7 made three-pointers per game, tying him for third nationally. As a team, Belmont averages just over 83 points per game and ranks among the top two teams in the MVC for scoring.
Defensively, Belmont allows nearly 70 points per game and is third-best within the conference. The Bruins lead several statistical categories within the MVC such as scoring margin (+13.16), field goal percentage (51.3%), field goal defense (38.5%), three-point percentage (39.4%), and assists per game (18). Nationally recognized rankings place Belmont at No. 61 in NET ratings and No. 64 by KenPom.
For Southern Illinois, eight players average more than 16 minutes on court each game. Quel’Ron House tops the team’s scoring with an average of nearly 14 points per contest while seven other players contribute at least seven points each on average.
Max Pikaar has contributed defensively with blocks recorded in six out of seven conference games so far this season, totaling sixteen blocks overall.
The Salukis have demonstrated strong rebounding skills with an average margin of +2.9 rebounds per game compared to opponents—placing them among the top programs nationally with nearly thirty-nine rebounds collected each outing.
Freshman Jaylen Haynes has come off the bench to score double figures six times this season—including thirteen points during SIU’s win at Belmont earlier this month.
In their last outing, Southern Illinois lost to Drake in overtime by a score of 76-73 despite Rolyns Aligbe achieving his second double-double of the year and Quel’Ron House recording seven steals—fifth most ever by an SIU player in one game.
Fans can follow updates about Southern Illinois men’s basketball through official channels including their website and social media accounts across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, or via the “Salukis” mobile app available on major app stores.
