Southern Illinois Salukis

Valpo, S. Illinois meet in conference play

Published Jan. 6, 2020 3:33 p.m. ET

Valparaiso (8-7, 1-1) vs. Southern Illinois (7-8, 1-1)

SIU Arena, Carbondale, Illinois; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: MVC foes meet as Valparaiso matches up against Southern Illinois. Both programs won this past Saturday. Southern Illinois earned a 67-55 win at home over Illinois State, while Valparaiso got an 81-79 win in overtime at Evansville.

FEARLESS FRESHMEN: Southern Illinois' Marcus Domask, Barret Benson and Lance Jones have combined to account for 48 percent of the team's scoring this season and have scored 45 percent of all Salukis points over the last five games.

KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Javon Freeman-Liberty has either made or assisted on 42 percent of all Valparaiso field goals over the last three games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 19 field goals and 15 assists in those games.

WINLESS WHEN: The Crusaders are 0-5 when they score 70 points or fewer and 8-2 when they exceed 70 points. The Salukis are 0-7 when allowing 61 or more points and 7-1 when holding opponents below 61.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: Valparaiso is a perfect 5-0 when it turns the ball over 12 times or fewer. The Crusaders are 3-7 when they record more than 12 turnovers. Southern Illinois has forced 13.9 turnovers per game this year and 15.4 per game over its last five.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The steady Southern Illinois defense has held opponents to 60.9 points per game, the 26th-lowest mark in Division I. Valparaiso has allowed an average of 73.3 points through 15 games (ranking the Crusaders 237th).

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