The Salukis (9-10, 2-4 MVC) are set to face the University of Northern Iowa (8-11, 3-3 MVC) tonight at SIU Arena with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

This is the second match-up between the two teams this year, with the last game being a win for the Salukis in Cedar Falls, 58-51.

In the previous game, senior center Kavion Pippen was the difference for the Salukis, scoring 18 points and grabbing three rebounds. Senior forward Armon Fletcher was out of the game due to a suspension.

In this upcoming game, expect Pippen to have another good game, much like the last. The only player who matches up with Pippen is seven foot junior center Justin Dahl – he played a total of 11 minutes in the last match-up.

Both SIU and UNI rank near the bottom of the conference with the Panthers averaging 65.2 points per game, while the Dawgs average slightly more at 67.7 points. They both have top five defenses in the Valley, with Southern getting the edge by only allowing 67.2 points per game in conference.

SIU has the field goal percentage in their favor, UNI is last in the conference with 39 percent. The Salukis have the best field goal defense in the conference, limiting their conference foes to 41.5 percent in shooting.

The big key for Southern will be turnovers as they rank last in the conference in turnover margin averaging 15.2 turnovers per game compared to their opponent’s 13 turnovers.

The best player for UNI is freshman guard AJ Green. He is leading all freshmen in the conference averaging 15 points per game.

Southern has lost four straight games coming into the match-up, while Northern Iowa is coming off an 11 point loss to Valparaiso after winning two straight.

Sports editor Adam Warfel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at
@warfel_adam.

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