Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team will face Murray State on Friday night at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. The game is set for 7 p.m. and will feature a jersey retirement ceremony for Hall of Famer Mike Glenn, along with a free jersey giveaway and a reception starting at 4 p.m.
The Salukis, who compete in the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at Banterra Center in Carbondale, currently hold a record of 10-13 overall and 4-8 in conference play. Their opponent, the Racers, enter the matchup with a 17-7 overall record and are 9-4 in the MVC.
Murray State began its conference schedule with eight consecutive wins before dropping four straight games. The Racers recently ended their losing streak by defeating UIC 81-74. Javon Jackson leads Murray State with an average of 16.5 points per game, ranking second in the MVC. Freshman Roman Domon contributed 18 points in the win over UIC, while Fred King also ranks among the top scorers on the team.
As a unit, Murray State averages 86.08 points per game—first in the conference and ranked 24th nationally—and leads several other offensive categories such as free-throw percentage (76.6%), rebounding (38 rebounds per game), and blocked shots (4.13 per game). Defensively, they allow an average of 79.04 points per game, which is last in their conference.
Murray State is recognized as one of the fastest teams nationally based on KenPom’s adjusted tempo metric and holds No. 89 in NET ratings and No. 96 in KenPom rankings.
For Southern Illinois, head coach Scott Nagy recently reached his 600th career win following a victory over Northern Iowa on January 28. Eight players on the Salukis’ roster average more than 18 minutes per game; Quel’Ron House leads scoring with an average of 13.9 points per contest.
The Salukis shoot at a rate of 46 percent from the field but make only about five three-pointers per game—one of the lowest marks nationally for Division I teams competing at this level according to their official website. Jalen Haynes has been effective off the bench this season, reaching double figures eight times including a season-high performance against Belmont.
On rebounding efforts, Rolyns Aligbe leads Southern Illinois with seven boards per game and has recorded four double-doubles this season.
A recent winter storm postponed Southern Illinois’ January matchup against Evansville; that contest has been rescheduled for March 1.
In their most recent outing, Southern Illinois defeated Illinois State by a score of 54-50 behind House’s team-leading effort of 22 points and another double-double from Aligbe.
Fans can follow updates about Southern Illinois Salukis Men’s Basketball—which participates at NCAA Division I level within intercollegiate athletics under Southern Illinois University—by visiting their official website or following them on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook or through their mobile app.
