Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University (SIU) men's basketball team is set to face top-seeded Drake in the quarterfinals of Arch Madness on Friday at Enterprise Center, St. Louis. The game is scheduled for a 12:07 p.m. CT tipoff and will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.

The Salukis advanced after narrowly defeating No. 9 seed Indiana State 86-85, with Ali Dibba scoring 30 points. The match against Drake will mark the 107th meeting between the two programs, with Southern Illinois leading the series 61-45 despite losing their last five encounters.

First-year SIU head coach Scott Nagy has a record of success in conference tournaments, with previous tenures at South Dakota State and Wright State contributing to his overall tournament record of 24-11.

Ali Dibba was named Third Team All-MVC, while Kennard Davis Jr. earned Second Team All-MVC honors and was recognized as part of the Most Improved Team. Dibba and Davis are key players for SIU, ranking second and fourth in MVC scoring respectively.

Drake enters the game with a strong season record of 27-3 under new head coach Ben McCollum. Bennett Stirtz leads Drake as both MVC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, averaging 18.9 points per game.

The Salukis' previous encounter with Drake this season ended in a 75-65 loss, where turnovers played a critical role in their defeat. Despite leading early in that game, SIU struggled against Drake's shooting accuracy in the second half.

Fans can follow the action through various platforms including local radio on 101.5 CIL-FM and live stats available on SIUSalukis.com.