CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- WSIL Sports Director Jason Hurst was Live from inside the Banterra Center prior to the SIU's tip-off against Valparaiso.
Winning home games is important in the Missouri Valley Conference and I have some numbers to back me.
The ten teams in the missouri valley conference are a combined 63-8 at home. SIU is 6-1 here inside the Banterra Center.
On the road, the league is a combined 13-32.
Winning at home is important becuase it is tough to win on the road in the MVC.
To get a W tonight, two areas of continued focus at practice has been rebounding and foul shooting.
And Eric McGill and Marcus Domask both recently commented on those areas.
"Coach Mullins emphasizes that in practices, we do plenty of drills, box out drills, box out and break drills so I feel like we've been practicing rebound a lot," McGill said.
"One of our teams goals every game is to make more free throws than they shoot so we want to get to the line and that is an emphasis for us," Domask said.
Taking care of the basketball will be a prority too.
SIU had 19 turnovers last game so they'll look to improve on that area as well.
Something else that caught my attention, Valpariaso is third in the league in scoring offense, SIU is first in scoring defense.
So something has to give.
Aaron Cook is still a no go for the Salukis, not in the lineup tonight.
