Southern Welcomes Lindenwood for Free Exhibition Tuesday Night

Tuesday, October 20

Carbondale, IL

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Lindenwood

Luke Walsh attempts a pass around his teammates during Southern Illinois' Donuts with the Dawgs exhibition Saturday, October 3, 2026, in Carbondale, Ill.

Photo by: Saluki Athletic Communications

10/19/2026 | 2:13:00 | Men's Basketball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois men's basketball plays its first action in the Banterra Center against Lindenwood in an exhibition Tuesday night in Carbondale. Fans can enjoy free tickets to the game and will get their first look at the 2026-27 Salukis.

OPENING TIP

Southern Illinois is in its 113th year of basketball. The Salukis play the Lindenwood Lions at 6 p.m. CT in their first public exhibition in Carbondale.

Game Details
Matchup: SIU vs. Lindenwood
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Banterra Center, Carbondale, Ill.
Live Stats | Listen | App | Tickets

LOOKING AT LAST SEASON

The Salukis are led by third-year head coach Scott Nagy. Nagy brings 32 years of head coaching experience to Carbondale. He recorded 14 straight winning seasons while at the helm of both South Dakota State and Wright State. He became the 13th active coach and the 70th all-time to reach 600 wins with a 65-50 victory over UNI on Jan. 28, 2026.
Southern did most of its work inside the arc, making fewer than five three-pointers per game (bottom 10 in the country).
Jalen Haynes was a bright spot as a true freshman, scoring in double figures in 10 contests. He had a season-high 22 in his first career start on Jan. 17 against Belmont.
The Salukis were one of the nation's best rebounding teams, ranking 46th with 38.2 rebounds per game — which also led The Valley.
The Salukis ended the season rated 29th in KenPom's defensive ratings, the program's highest finish since 2008.
SIU finished the season ranked 122nd in the NET, seventh in the MVC.

LAST TIME OUT

The 2025-26 season ended on a 67-63 loss to No. 9 Drake in the opening round of the MVC Tournament.

FAMILY MATTERS

Caden Hawkins is the son of former SIU sharpshooter and coach Shane Hawkins. Caden, a Carterville High School graduate, joins SIU after helping John A. Logan College to a 24-10 record last season. He made 22 starts for JALC, averaging 7.9 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 42% from beyond the arc. Shane, a Pinckneyville High School graduate, is the Salukis' all-time leader in 3-point shooting.

NEW DAWGS ON THE BLOCK

The Salukis added seven new players to their 2026-27 roster. Jeremiah Jackson, Ty Laur, Pietro Ranieri and Luke Susko make up the freshman class. Jaxson Fugate (20.7 points, 8.4 rebounds at Indiana Tech), Donovan Hill (16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds at Saint Leo) and Brock McClure (15.2 points, 9.1 rebounds at Snow College) come in as transfers after putting up big numbers at their previous spots.

LOOKING AT LINDENWOOD

Lindenwood's season ended with a loss to No. 3 Southeast Missouri in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The Lions enter the 2026-27 season with an entirely new roster, returning zero players from the 2025-26 season.

SEASON TICKETS

Season tickets are on sale now! Visit saluk.is/MBBTickets for more information. Single-game tickets will be available soon. For ticket inquiries, call 618-453-2000.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store.