The 14th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team concludes the 2016-17 home slate this week when it hosts the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and McKendree University Saturday at 3:15 p.m. The USI-McKendree match-up is Senior Day for the Screaming Eagles.
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 (23-2, 13-2 GLVC) start the week in sole possession of second in the GLVC East Division, one game behind seventh-ranked and first place Bellarmine University (22-3, 14-1 GLVC) and two games ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (19-5, 11-4 GLVC), Lewis University (16-9, 11-4 GLVC), and the University of Indianapolis (14-9, 11-4 GLVC). Illinois Springfield (8-16, 3-12 GLVC) and McKendree (9-14, 3-12 GLVC) begin the week tied for sixth in the GLVC East.
Following this week’s homestand, USI will conclude regular season action with a visit to Bellarmine on February 23.
USI Men’s Basketball vs. Week 16 Quick Notes:
- USI in national rankings.The University of Southern Indiana jumped in the NCAA Division II rankings this week, rising one spot to 14th in the NABC Division II Top 25 and three spots to 11th in the D2SIDA Media Top 25. USI also is ranked ninth in the HeroSports.com and 10th in the NCAA Division II power rankings.
- Eagles cruised to two road wins.USI cruised to a 71-58 victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis Thursday and an 82-66 victory over Maryville University Saturday. Sophomore guard Alex Stein led the Eagles with 14.0 points per game, while senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor and senior guard Bobo Drummond rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.0 and 10.0 points per contest.
- Victory earns USI GLVC Tournament bye.USI can wrap up a GLVC-Tournament first round bye with a victory this week. The Eagles leads the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Lewis University and the University of Indianapolis by two games each and Truman State University by three games in the race to secure a first round bye.
- Rajala returned to action.Junior forward Julius Rajala returned to action after missing the last two weeks with a broken finger. Rajala averaged 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds on the road trip in 18 minutes of action.
- 20-Win Season.USI surpassed the 20-win mark in February and has reached 23 victories for the first time since the 25-win season of 2013-14. 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.
- USI at home in 2016-17.USI is 10-1 at home this year, averaging 90.6 points per home game. Senior guard Jeril Taylor is averaging 19.9 points per game, while sophomore guard Alex Stein is posting 17.7 points per outing.
- Taylor closing on 1,000 points.Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor needs 12 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.
- USI vs. Illinois Springfield.The Eagles lead the all-time series with the University of Illinois Springfield, 9-3, and at home, 6-1. USI, which has won four of the last five meetings with Illinois Springfield, won the first meeting of the year, 86-75, and was led by sophomore guard Alex Stein‘s 26 points.
- USI vs. McKendree.USI leads the all-time series with McKendreee University, 8-7, and holds the advantage at the PAC, 5-3. The Eagles, who have won eight of the last nine match-ups with the Bearcats, won the GLVC season-opener, 104-58, in Lebanon, Illinois, and was led by junior guard Marcellous Washington‘s season-high 20-point performance.
