S. Illinois, Bradley meet in MVC quarters

No. 5 seed Southern Illinois (16-15, 10-8) vs. No. 4 seed Bradley (20-11, 11-7)

Missouri Valley Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Enterprise Center, St. Louis; Friday, 3:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Southern Illinois is set to meet Bradley in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament. In the regular season, Bradley won both of the head-to-head matchups. The teams last played on Feb. 15, when the Braves shot 46.6 percent from the field while limiting Southern Illinois’s shooters to just 39.3 percent en route to a two-point victory.

SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Darrell Brown, Nate Kennell and Koch Bar have collectively scored 46 percent of Bradley’s points this season and 50 percent of the team’s points over its last five games. For Southern Illinois, Marcus Domask, Eric McGill and Lance Jones have collectively accounted for 54 percent of the team’s total scoring, including 62 percent of all Salukis points over their last five.

KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Brown has made or assisted on 43 percent of all Bradley field goals over the last three games. Brown has accounted for 19 field goals and 16 assists in those games.

WINLESS WHEN: Bradley is 0-7 this year when it scores 64 points or fewer and 20-4 when it scores at least 65.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: The Braves are 10-0 when they hold opposing teams to 60 points or fewer and 10-11 when opponents exceed 60 points. The Salukis are 6-0 when at least four of their players score in double-figures and 10-15 on the year otherwise.

DID YOU KNOW: Bradley has committed a turnover on just 17.9 percent of its possessions this season, which is the second-best rate among all MVC teams. The Braves have turned the ball over only 12 times per game this season and just eight times per game over their last three games.