First Illinois State’s Rico Hill. Now, Creighton’s Rodney Buford.

The Salukis must face the second of what basketball coach Rich Herrin calls the two most dominant players in the Missouri Valley Conference Saturday night at the SIU Arena.

Creighton University forward Rodney Buford, the MVC’s leading scoring at 18.7 points per game, is the other piece of the puzzle. The 6-foot-5 junior leads the team in three-point field goals made (39) and rebounding (7.3) also this season.

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Buford was also was an invitee to the 1997 USA Basketball trials.

They’ve got, if not the best the player in the league, he’s No. 2, Herrin said. Behind Hill, he’s the premier player in the league.

Both Hill and Buford have caused problems for the Salukis. Hill scored 20 points in Illinois State University’s 79-67 win Wednesday at SIU Arena. Last season, Buford averaged 23 points in the Blue Jays two wins over SIUC.

Despite Buford’s talent, the three-point line could be the determining factor in Saturday night’s game. The matchup features the conference’s top two leaders in three-point field goals made.

SIUC and Creighton University have relied heavily on the three-point shot this season. Both average more than seven three-pointers per game. The Salukis, 9-10 overall and 4-5 in the MVC, have connected on 140 attempts to lead the Valley, while the Blue Jays (12-6, 6-4) rank second with 127.

Creighton, winners of three in a row, have four players with 15 or more three-point baskets on the year. The backcourt combination of junior Corie Brandon, freshman Ryan Sears and sophomore Matt West has hit on 40 percent (69-of-172) of their threes attempted.

Herrin has noticed many similarities between Creighton’s style of play his squad’s.

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I think it will be an up tempo game, Herrin said. They like to get up and down the floor. We like to get up. I think you’ll see some points get on the board.

This will be the finale of the Salukis’ three-game homestand. They are currently 1-1 after Wednesday’s 79-67 loss to conference-leader Illinois State. Herrin said this will be an important victory for the team because the Salukis do not return to SIU Arena until Feb. 11, when they take on Drake University.

Herrin does not want to call this a must-win, but a victory would move his team one step closer to avoiding a first-round game in the MVC tournament Feb. 27 through March 2 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis.

We go three on the road, Herrin said. This is an important game for us. What we’re all striving for is that we don’t have to play on Friday because you’ve got one team that’s got it made and that’s Illinois State. The rest of us, we’re all packed in there together.

SIUC wraps up a three-game homestand with a conference matchup against Creighton University at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

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