Southern Illinois (12-7,3-6) @ Indiana State (11-9,3-6)
Hulman Center
Terra Haute, IN 6:05 CT
TV: NONE
After showing some signs of the old Southern Illinois on Monday, completely random day for a Valley game, in their win over Western Kentucky, the Salukis will hope to keep things going tonight against the Sycamores of Indiana State. With some solid defense and four players scoring in double figures, SIU was able to knock off the final game of a four year home-and-home deal with WKU 68-63.
Although the game did not help them much in the Valley standings, which is the #1 priority for most teams this deep into the season, they will hope to gain some ground tonight. While they are still on the bottom half of the rankings, a win tonight could get them closer to the pack.
Indiana State on the other hand, showed some promise in a battle with #25 Northern Iowa, as our own MVC Hall of Fame inductee Bob Harstad provided some solid color commentary during the game. With a lack luster crown of about 800, due to the Colts playing in the AFC title game, the Sycamores made a few threatening runs in the second half to keep the Panthers on their toes. However, UNI ended up being a bit much for ISU Blue, as they eventually fell by a final score of 67-58.
I like the chances of the home team in this one, and quite frankly, I am OK with Southern on the outside looking in.
– Paul Liberty