Southern Illinois Salukis Face Evansville Purple Aces in MVC Matchup

EVANSVILLE, IN – The Southern Illinois Salukis (15-15, 9-10 MVC) are set to visit the Evansville Purple Aces (7-23, 3-16 MVC) at the Ford Center on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Recent Form

Evansville comes into the contest after an 80-79 win against Valparaiso on February 28, fueled by a standout 37-point performance from AJ Casey . Southern Illinois secured a 66-61 victory over Drake on February 18, and previously defeated Evansville 86-60 on February 12 , a game where Rolyns Aligbe led the Salukis with 18 points.

Team Statistics

Southern Illinois averages 73.1 points per game while allowing 69.7, while Evansville scores 67.2 points and concedes 76.6. The Salukis shoot 45% from the field, while the Purple Aces have a 43% field goal percentage. Southern Illinois leads the MVC with 25.2 defensive rebounds per game, led by Aligbe’s 4.9 per game. Evansville averages 13.1 assists per game, led by Leif Moeller’s 4.0 assists .

Key Players

For Evansville, AJ Casey is averaging 17.6 points over the last 10 games, shooting 54.1% from the field. Alex Hemenway contributes 7.0 points per game, making 1.7 three-pointers. For Southern Illinois, Quel’Ron House averages 14.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 steals, while Rolyns Aligbe averages 11.1 points over the last 10 games .

MVC Standings (as of March 1, 2026)

• Belmont: 16-3
• Murray State: 12-7
• Bradley: 12-7
• UIC: 12-7
• Illinois State: 11-8
• Valparaiso: 11-9
• Northern Iowa: 10-9
• Southern Illinois: 9-10
• Drake: 6-13
• Indiana State: 3-16
• Evansville: 3-16

Betting Odds

As of March 1, 2026, Southern Illinois is favored by -10.5 points, with a moneyline of -455. Evansville is a +10.5 underdog with a moneyline of +350. The over/under is set at 138.5 points .

Tickets

Tickets for the game at the Ford Center are available starting at $35 .