Southern Illinois is 1-4 against the three teams ahead of it in the standings. While everybody could use a winning week to boost their confidence and seeding at the MVC Tournament, the Salukis need it more than any team in the top half.
Since a Jan. 12 win over Illinois State, SIU hasn’t defeated a team with a winning record in a 6-5 stretch. It is 0-2 against Wichita State and Evansville. A collapse at home in an overtime loss to Evansville started a four-game slide. On Saturday, the Aces led by as many as 23 points in the second half on its way to a 83-71 victory over SIU.