Missouri State basketball vs Southern Illinois: Scouting report, prediction for MVC action
For the second consecutive game, Missouri State basketball and Southern Illinois will meet on the hardwood, this time in Springfield at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The struggling Bears (7-10, 0-6 MVC) will host the Salukis (6-11, 1-5) MVC on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
The scheduling quirk saw the Salukis beat the Bears 88-78 in overtime on Saturday night in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis will now travel 300 miles west in the final regular season game between the rivals as Missouri Valley Conference foes.
Cuonzo Martin's first season back as Missouri State's coach hasn't necessarily gone to plan, sitting alone in last place during the team's final run through the Valley. It's the first time the Bears have started 0-6 in league play as a member of the Valley.
Southern Illinois struggled similarly until it won its first league game on Saturday under new coach Scott Nagy.
Southern Illinois basketball just beat Missouri State in Carbondale
The Bears erased a 10-point deficit in the final 3:50 of Saturday night's contest in Carbondale to force overtime, but they couldn't maintain their momentum in the extra period and fell by 10.
The Salukis were led by Link Year Prep's Jarrett Hensley, who had a career-high 30 points on 11 of 16 shooting. The Bears got 24 points from Vincent Brady II and 23 from Zaxton King. The rest of MSU's roster was 11 for 31 from the field.
A handful of Bears struggled to avoid foul trouble during the game. The team committed 22 fouls, with Michael Osei-Bonsu fouling out with seven minutes remaining.
They were also dominated in points in the paint, with the Salukis outscoring the Bears 46-24. The Bears also turned the ball over 19 times.
Former Missouri State guard Damien Mayo Jr. starting for the Salukis
Former Bears starter Damien Mayo Jr. has started for the Salukis in each of their last three games and has started in spurts throughout the season. He was known for his hard-nosed style when he was one of the leaders for the Bears in the program's last two seasons under Dana Ford.
He played 37 minutes on Saturday for the Salukis against the Bears, scoring six points, grabbing four rebounds, dishing out three assists and grabbing four steals.
His numbers with the Salukis are similar to what he did with the Bears, except he's shooting 16.6% worse from the field. However, he continues to be the one that's first to the floor when diving for a loose ball.
Tyler Bey, who also transferred from Missouri State to Southern Illinois, has yet to play this season.
Missouri State basketball could be without its most talented player
Standout guard Dez White appears to be questionable for the game after exiting the Bears' loss to Southern Illinois with 5:33 left in regulation due to an apparent head injury.
White appeared to have bonked heads with an opponent when trying to grab a loose ball. He was slow to get up before staggering to the bench for the remainder of the night.
Since Missouri Valley Conference play began, White has mostly struggled. He averaged 18.3 points and made 41% of his shots ahead of league play, but he has averaged just 8.2 points on 26.5% shooting over the last five games.
Score prediction: Southern Illinois 67, Missouri State 64
It wouldn't be a surprise if this game goes either way, but until we see the Bears come out on top, they'll be the underdogs during this rough stretch in our minds. They're due to win soon, but the potential of being without White could hurt.
Some encouragement could have been taken from the Bears' second-half rally to force overtime. Although they didn't come out on top in the end, there's still a sense of pride when they could have lied down against what has been the other worst team in the league. That's a good culture item, and it's not the biggest surprise with Martin as head coach.