Eagles visit St. Louis to play UMSL & Maryville USI rises to 15th in national poll

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The 15th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team travels to St. Louis, Missouri, this week to play the GLVC West Division’s University of Missouri-St. Louis Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Maryville University Saturday at 3:15 p.m.

Game coverage for this week’s games, including live stats, video streams, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on WEOA 98.5FM/1400AM and 95.7FM The Spin.

The Screaming Eagles (21-2, 11-2 GLVC) start the week in sole possession of second in the GLVC East Division, a game behind seventh-ranked and first place Bellarmine University and a game ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. UMSL (10-13, 4-9 GLVC) begins the week fifth in the GLVC West Division, while Maryville (8-17, 2-11 GLVC) is in last place.

Following this weekend’s action, the Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center for the final two home games of the 2016-17 regular season. USI concludes the regular-season home schedule February 16 when it hosts the University of Illinois Springfield and February 18 when it welcomes McKendree University to the PAC for Senior Day.

USI Men’s Basketball vs. Week 15 Quick Notes:

  • USI in national rankings.The University of Southern Indiana stopped its slide in the NCAA Division II rankings this week, rising two spots to 15th in the NABC Division II Top 25 and remaining 14th in the D2SIDA Media Top 25.  USI also is ranked 11th in the HeroSports.com and 12th in the NCAA Division II power rankings.
  • 20-Win Season.USI surpassed the 20-win mark with victories over Missouri University of Science & Technology, 86-78, and Drury University, 77-51. The Eagles have won 20 games for the first time since 2013-14 and reached the 20-win plateau for the 22nd time since 1992-93. USI has won 20-or-more games 26 times in the history of the program, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament 23 times in the previous 20-win seasons.
  • Watson gets No. 100 in GLVC play.USI Head Coach Rodney Watson won his 100th game in the GLVC with the victory over Drury. Watson is 100-39 in the GLVC regular season, a .719 winning percentage.
  • USI on the road.USI is 5-1 on the road this year, compared to 4-5 in 2015-16 and 5-4 in 2014-15. The Eagles also are averaging 96.2 points per road game.
  • Washington is heating up.Junior guard Marcellous Washington, who posted his first USI double-double with 17 points and a season-best 10 rebounds versus Missouri S&T, has reached double-digits in scoring each of the last five games and is averaging 14.4 points per game. He ranks fifth on the team with 9.0 points per outing this season.
  • Taylor posting double-digits.Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor, USI’s leading scorer with 21.8 points per game, has reach double-digits in points in 21-straight games and 21 of his 22 games this year. He also has scored 20-or-more points 12 times this season.  The USI single-season scoring average record is 21.4 by Stephen Jackson in 1984-85.
  • Taylor closing on 1,000 points.Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor needs 34 points to reach 1,000 career points and become the 19th Eagle all-time to reach the milestone. He also would be the first since Geoff Van Winkle in 2007.
  • Lighting up the scoreboard.USI is lighting up the scoreboard this year, averaging a GLVC-best 92.4 points per game. The highest scoring average by an Eagles’ team was 1993-94 when the squad averaged 101.7 points per game and reached 100-or-more points 18 times. The last time a USI squad averaged 90-or-more points a game was in 2001-02 (90.3 points per game).
  • USI vs. UMSL.USI leads the all-time series with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 35-11, and has an advantage on the road, 14-7. The Eagles, who have won 13-straight versus the Tritons and 21 of the last 22, won last year’s meeting, 86-76, at the PAC and was led by  T.J. Tisdell‘s double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
  • USI vs. Maryville.The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Maryville University Saints overall, 8-2, and on the road, 2-0. Maryville, however, has won the last two meetings, including last year’s match-up, 89-80, at the PAC. Senior guard Jeril Taylor led USI in the loss with 24 points.

 

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