Discover the Salukis: Southern Illinois University’s Official Athletic Hub

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois basketball aims for its initial Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season on Sunday when the Salukis compete against Illinois State away from home. The tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at CEFCU Arena in Normal.   

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The ESPN Plus broadcast crew includes Kurt Pegler and Kelly Burke.
• The radio broadcast will be available locally on 101.5 CIL-FM, via the Saluki Radio Network, SIUSalukis.com/Listen, the Saluki Mobile App, and the Varsity Network App with Luke Martin and Rodney Watson providing commentary.
• Supporters can track Live Stats at SIUSalukis.com.

QUICK HITS

• SIU approaches the matchup with a record of 5-9 overall and 0-3 in MVC competition after losing its previous game at home to Evansville.
• Ali Dibba has achieved 10 or more points in every game this season except one. The senior guard set a personal best with 27 points against High Point after scoring 26 points against Eastern Kentucky, with 24 of those points coming in the second half. He paces the team with an average of 15.1 points per game.
• Kennard Davis Jr. recently recorded his second double-double of the season, contributing 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds against Evansville. He ranks second on the team with an average of 14.2 points per game, along with 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Davis stands third in the MVC (following Drake’s Bennett Stirtz and UIC’s Javon Jackson) in steals with an average of 1.8 per game this season. He has 25 steals this year after recording just 22 throughout last season.
• The combination of Dibba and Davis is positioned fifth and seventh in scoring within the MVC.
• Jarrett Hensley is averaging 10.3 points per game in addition to leading the team with a high of 6.2 rebounds per game. He ranks first in SIU and ninth in the MVC with 12 blocked shots.
• SIU holds the fourth position in the MVC with an average of 36.79 rebounds per game. The Salukis excel in offensive rebounds, ranking fourth in the league with 11.29 offensive boards this season.
• SIU averages 10.43 fastbreak points per game, placing them fourth in the MVC.
• As a collective, SIU stands third in the Valley for blocks, averaging 3.1 per game. Jarrett Hensley leads SIU with 12 blocks, averaging 0.86 blocks per game. Antwaun Massey has accounted for nine blocks this season for the Dawgs.
• The Salukis are ranked 12th in the MVC regarding 3-point percentage defense (35.8) and 3-pointers per game (6.0).

LOOKING AT ILLINOIS STATE

• Illinois State enters Sunday with a record of 9-5 overall and has triumphed in five of their last six contests.
• The Redbirds stand at 1-2 in the MVC, having suffered defeats against Belmont and UIC, but ISU is coming off a victory on the road against Murray State in their most recent game.
• ISU averages 78.7 points per game and is spearheaded by three double-digit scorers. Chase Walker leads with 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, while Johnny Kinziger contributes an average of 14.1 points per game.
• Former Saluki Dalton Banks is scoring 10.6 points while also leading ISU with 58 assists over 14 games.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE REDBIRDS

• This will be the 169th encounter between SIU and Illinois State when the two squads clash on Sunday. The Salukis maintain an advantage in their all-time series with ISU, holding a record of 89-79, winning six of the previous seven and eight of the last 10 encounters.
• Overall, SIU is 54-20 at home against Illinois State, 27-52 in away games, 7-8 on neutral territory, and 8-6 when facing each other in the MVC Tournament.

ALIGBE NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

• Forward Rolyns Aligbe has been recognized as the MVC Freshman of the Week following his performance against UNI. Aligbe, hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, made his inaugural career start for the Salukis while competing on the road at Northern Iowa Sunday. He tallied seven points and registered a team-high eight rebounds for Southern in the defeat.
• The big man averages 4.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14 minutes of play per game this season. He has achieved five or more points in six games and reached a season-high of 10 rebounds during the away game at Florida.

NAGY TOP-20 IN CAREER WINS
Nagy brings three decades of head coaching expertise to Carbondale and has achieved 14 consecutive winning seasons while leading both South Dakota State and Wright State. He ranks No. 17 in career wins (582) among active Division I head coaches.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Stay updated with all the latest news and information regarding the Salukis by heading over to SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Supporters can also download the “Salukis” mobile application from the App Store or Google Play Store.