SIUC sophomore Chris Thunell knows revenge can be as simple as a little defensive pressure.

After a 105-70 blowout loss Jan. 10, Thunell and the Saluki men’s basketball teammates are ready to send a message to Illinois State University when the Redbirds visit Carbondale tonight.

Illinois State leads the Missouri Valley Conference with an 8-1 record and a 13-4 mark overall. SIUC is 9-9 overall and fifth in conference play at 4-4.

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It’s all we’ve been talking about, Thunell said. We just flat out got killed when we played them up there. There’s a revenge factor, and we know we need to play our game. We’ve made a few adjustments, and we’re ready.

Adjustments were one of the things lacking in SIUC’s trip to Normal more than two weeks ago. Illinois State blew open a 14-point game early in the second half by shooting 61 percent from the field.

The Redbirds relied on the inside play of junior forward Rico Hill and senior center LeRoy Watkins to build the lead. Watkins and Hill scored 25 of Illinois State’s first 45 points with Hill finishing with 20 and Watkins adding 11.

To add to the embarrassment, Illinois State coach Kevin Stallings kept his starting five in long after the outcome was decided.

But revenge is not the only thing the Salukis are concerned about. SIUC has improved defensively since the loss in Normal, but Thunell admits Hill and his Redbird teammates will still be a challenge to stop.

We’ve been pressuring the ball now, and we didn’t do that up there, Thunell said. We weren’t getting through picks, and we weren’t beating people on cuts.

The Salukis are coming off one of their best defensive performances of the season in an 82-58 win over Indiana State University Saturday night. SIUC forced the Sycamores into shooting just 37 percent from the field and committing 18 turnovers.

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For Saluki coach Rich Herrin, the defensive effort overshadowed SIUC’s poor shooting (37 percent) and was a result of continued improvement.

You make some adjustments, and you play hard and play without the basketball and try to play better defense, Herrin said. We do play better defense, and that’s the key to any success. If you play good defense and rebound, you can stay in it.

We didn’t shoot the ball very good against Indiana State, but we did enough to win the basketball game.

Both teams have a common foe that gives SIUC hope for a win.

The Salukis used an offensive explosion in the second half of a 106-78 romp over Southwest Missouri State University Jan. 15 at SIU Arena. In the process, SIUC scored the most points since a 114-64 blitzing of the University of Tampa Nov. 27, 1993.

Southwest then turned around and shocked the Redbirds 89-81 Jan. 18 in Springfield, Mo. Hill kept Illinois State close with 31 points and 10 rebounds, but the Bears’ 18-point lead with 17 minutes left in the second half was too much to overcome.

Thunell said the game gave SIUC a mental boost and showed that the Illinois State players are human.

Southwest beat them, and we killed Southwest, Thunell said. It just shows who’s coming ready to play. I’m pretty confident we will be.

Herrin’s Salukis also are prepared for a physical battle, with Hill and Watkins both using their strength to gain position on the inside.

It will be a physical basketball game against Illinois State, Herrin said. We’ll be better prepared for it. There’s eight teams that are evenly matched in the league, and Illinois State is probably the team to beat. I think you’ll see a good effort on our part.

SIUC takes on Illinois State University 7:05 tonight at SIU Arena.

The game can be heard on WXLT 95.1 FM or at http://www.siu.edu/~athletic.