12th-ranked University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball restarts 2019-20 Great Lakes Valley Conference action Thursday when it hosts 25th-ranked Drury University and Saturday with visiting Southwest Baptist University. Game time Thursday versus Drury is set for 7:30 p.m., while tip-off against Southwest Baptist is 3:15 p.m.
Game coverage for USI Men’s Basketball in 2019-20, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
In the national polls, USI rose to 12th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25, rising four spots. Drury, tied for 25th nationally, is USI’s first ranked opponent of the season. The Eagles remained ranked 23rd last Division 2 Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) of 2019 with the next poll scheduled for release on January 7.
USI Men’s Basketball Week 8 Quick Notes:
USI goes 2-0 in Bill Joergens Memorial Classic. USI posted a pair of comeback wins in the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic to end the calendar year, defeating King University, 87-68, and Tiffin University, 105-89. Junior forwards Emmanuel Little and Josh Price led the way by averaging double-doubles. Little posted 20.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, while Price added 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Eagles are 3-0 during homestand. The Eagles are 3-0 during its longest homestand of the year and are led by junior forwards Emmanuel Little and Josh Price. Little is posting 19.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, while Price is averaging 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds.
The Last Time. The Eagles also had three players post double-doubles in the win over Tiffin, marking the first time since the win over Lake Erie College in 2013. Junior forward Emmanuel Little led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds; junior forward Josh Price had 16 points, 11 boards; and senior guard Darnell Butler had 18 points, 13 rebounds.
Price named GLVC Player of the Week. USI junior forward Josh Price earned the first GLVC Player of the Week of his career after his efforts versus King and Tiffin. Price averaged a double-double with 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Leading the Eagles. Junior forward Emmanuel Little leads five USI players averaging in double-digits with 19.1 points per game with junior forward Josh Price following with 14.6 points per outing. Both are averaging a team-leading 8.6 rebounds per contest.
In the GLVC. Junior forward Emmanuel Little is tied for fifth in the GLVC in scoring, while junior forward Josh Price is 18th. Little and Price also are second and third, respectively, in the league in rebounding. As a team, USI is second in the GLVC in scoring, fifth in rebounding.
USI vs. Drury. USI trails the all-time series versus Drury University, 12-11, and has fallen short in five of the last six match-ups. The Panthers defeated the Eagles last year in the Physical Activities Center, 76-72, and USI was led by Alex Stein with 18 points. The Eagles held the series advantage in the PAC, 5-4, with their last victory over the Panthers coming in February of 2017, 77-51, at home.
Drury in 2019-20. Drury is 8-1 overall after splitting a pair of games in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, falling Rollins University, 72-67, and defeating Pittsburg State University, 94-92, in overtime. The Panthers also started the GLVC slate with a victory Southwest Baptist University, 76-70, in Springfield, Illinois.
USI vs. Southwest Baptist. USI and Southwest Baptist University will be meeting for the first overall and in the GLVC.
SBU in 2019-20. SBU is 7-2 overall, having won its last two games before the break, and will be playing McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, Thursday before coming to USI. SBU started its first GLVC campaign with a loss at Drury, 76-70.
NABC Division II Top 25 Poll
1. Bellarmine (Ky.)
2. Northwest Missouri State
3. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)
4. Nova Southeastern (Fla.)
5. West Texas A&M
6. UC San Diego
7. St. Edward’s (Texas)
8. Ferris State (Mich.)
9. Indiana (Pa.)
10. West Chester (Pa.)
11. Indianapolis (Ind.)
12. Southern Indiana  Â
13. Dixie State (Utah)
14. Florida Southern
15. Dallas Baptist (Texas)
16. Daemen (N.Y.)
17. Grand Valley State (Mich.)
18. Missouri Southern
19. Alabama Huntsville
20. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
21. St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.)
22. East Central (Okla.)
23. Bentley (Mass.)
24. Augustana (S.D.)
25. Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
Drury (Mo.)
