Opening Tip
The Fighting Illini face their final road, non-conference matchup of the season, traveling to Carbondale, Ill., for a Sunday afternoon matchup against Southern Illinois at the Salukis' Banterra Center.
» Tipoff between the Fighting Illini (5-5, 0-1 B1G) and the Salukis (4-4, 0-0 MVC) is set for 2 p.m. CT.
» The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
» Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM).
» Streaming audio and live stats is also available at FightingIllini.com.
About the Illini
Illinois enters Sunday's matchup at Southern Illinois with an overall record of 5-5, and are coming off of a 78-66 home win over Butler on Sunday, Dec. 12 at State Farm Center.
» The Illini are 5-2 at home, most recently coming off of a home win over Eastern Kentucky (78-66) at State Farm Center on Sunday, Dec. 12.
» The team is 0-3 away from home, however, with a pair of neutral-site losses - vs. Dayton and Middle Tennessee - as part of the Daytona Beach Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend, and a setback in their Big Ten opener at Michigan State on Dec. 9.
» Offensively, the Illini have opened the season with an improved scoring average from last season. Through 10 games, the Illini are averaging 66.5 points per game, an improvement of nearly seven points per game over last year's season average of 59.6 ppg.
» Illinois enter Sunday's matchup vs. Butler with a 5-0 mark in games in which the Illini offense scores at least 70 points.
» Leading scorer, sophomore G Aaliyah Nye, is averaging 12.7 ppg, an improvement of more nearly 5 points per game from her freshman campaign (8.1 ppg).
» Behind Nye, the Illini's offensive attack has been balanced with eight other players tallying at least one double-digit scoring game so far this season, and three others - Jada Peebles (9.7), Adalia McKenzie (9.1), and De'Myla Brown (9.0) entering action vs. SIU averaging better than 9.0 ppg.
» Sophomore F Kendall Bostic averages a team-leading 11.3 rebounds per game, first in the Big Ten Conference and 11th nationally.
About Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 4-4. The Salukis are coming off of a Tennessee road trip this week that saw the team capture a 69-54 win at UT Martin on Wednesday night, followed by a 62-61 setback at Middle Tennessee on Friday evening.
» SIU is just 1-0 at home this season following a 70-45 win over NCAA Division II foe Quincy University on Sunday, Dec. 12. The Salukis original home opener vs. IUPUI (Nov. 24) was cancelled due to COVID-19-related concerns within the Jaguars program.
» The Salukis opened the season with an impressive showing in a near-upset (59-49) at then-No. 15 Tennessee. Following an road loss at Kansas City (67-46) to fall to 0-2, the Salukis have won four of their last six games with wins at Southeast Missouri State (78-61) and vs. Eastern Illinois (74-66) adding to their victories over Quincy and UT Martin.
» The Salukis are led by a trio of fifth-year players - 5-11 guard Makenzie Silvey, 6-0 guard Gabby Walker, and 6-1 forward Abby Brockmeyer - that all returned to cap of their careers at SIU.
» Silvey, a first-team All-MVC selection in 2020-21, leads the team in minutes (34.3), three-pointers (15), assists (38), steals (13), and free-throw percentage (.933), while ranking second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game.
» Brockmeyer, who was a second-team all-conference selection in 2020-21 and the league's former freshman of the year, ranks just ahead of Silvey as the Salukis' leading scorer at 17.5 points per game. She also paces the team in rebounding, pulling down 10.6 boards per contest.
» Walker, the 2019-20 MVC newcomer of the year, ranks third in scoring at 11.1 ppg, and second in rebounding (5.8 rpg).
Series vs. Southern Illinois
Sunday's matchup vs. Southern Illinois marks the 26th in the series between the Illini and the Salukis.
» Illinois leads the all-time series, 13-12, though SIU holds a 7-2 edge in games played in Carbondale; Illinois is 10-5 in games played in Champaign, and 1-0 in neutral site games vs. the Salukis.
» The Illini have won seven straight in the series dating back to Nov. 30, 1994, with six of those seven matchups being played in Champaign.
» Illinois last faced Southern Illinois on Dec. 8, 2015, a 78-64 Illini win in Champaign.
» Last season's matchup, originally scheduled for Dec. 22, 2020, was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19-related concerns within the SIU program.
» Illinois last game at Southern Illinois came Dec. 9, 1995, a 65-57 win for the Orange & Blue.
Up Next
The Fighting Illini return home for a Wednesday afternoon matchup vs. rival Missouri for the McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game.
» Tipoff between the Illini and the visiting Tigers is set for 12 p.m. CT from State Farm Center.
» Missouri is 9-2 to start the season. The Tigers opened the year 8-0 before suffering a 70-68 road loss at No. 5/7 Baylor on Dec. 4. Since then, the Tigers fell 79-61 at Missouri State (12/10) but bounced back to beat Alabama A&M 69-55 (12/12).
» Prior to next Wednesday's matchup with the Illini, the Tigers are scheduled to host Southern (Dec. 20).
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