2017–18 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team

2017–18 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record9–21 (5–13 OVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaVadalabene Center
Seasons
2017–18 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Murray State † 16 – 2   .889 26 – 6   .813
Belmont 15 – 3   .833 24 – 9   .727
Austin Peay 12 – 6   .667 19 – 15   .559
Jacksonville State 11 – 7   .611 23 – 13   .639
Tennessee Tech 10 – 8   .556 19 – 14   .576
Tennessee State 10 – 8   .556 15 – 15   .500
Southeast Missouri State* 8 – 10   .444 14 – 17   .452
Eastern Illinois 7 – 11   .389 12 – 19   .387
SIU Edwardsville 5 – 13   .278 9 – 21   .300
UT Martin 5 – 13   .278 10 – 21   .323
Eastern Kentucky 5 – 13   .278 11 – 20   .355
Morehead State 4 – 14   .222 8 – 21   .276
*ineligible for postseason due to APR violations
† 2018 OVC tournament winner

The 2017–18 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by third year head coach Jon Harris, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 9–21, 5–13 in OVC play to finish in a three-way tie for ninth place. Due to Southeast Missouri State being ineligible for postseason play due to APR violations,[1] the Cougars received the No. 8 seed in the OVC tournament where they lost in the first round to Tennessee Tech.[2]

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2016–17 season 6–24, 1–15 in OVC play to finish in last place in the West Division. They failed to qualify for the OVC tournament.

Preseason

In a vote of conference coaches and sports information directors, SIUE was picked to finish in 12th place in the OVC.[1]

After five years of divisional play in the OVC, the conference eliminated divisions for the 2017–18 season. Additionally, for the first time, each conference team will play 18 conference games.[1]

Season summary

The Cougars finished the regular season with nine wins and twenty losses, an improvement over the two preceding seasons. Their conference record of 5–12 placed them in a tie for ninth place in the conference standings.

Post season

The Cougars' ninth place tie was broken by their 2–1 record versus Eastern Kentucky and UT Martin. With Southeast Missouri ineligible for post season play, the Cougars earned the No. 8 seed in the OVC tournament, the schools' first slot in the tournament since 2015.[3]

Awards and honors

Prior to the start of the OVC Tournament, the conference announced the Cougars senior forward Jalen Henry was named to the All-OVC Second Team.[4]

On March 27, the Ohio Valley Conference announced that the SIUE men's team are the recipients of the 2017-18 OVC Team Sportsmanship Award for men's basketball.[5]

Roster

2017–18 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 1 D.J. Jackson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Fayette Ware Moscow, TN
G 2 D'Quan Applewhite (xW) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Thornton Harvey, IL
G 3 Daniel Kinchen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Jr Alabama Southern CC/Stephenson Atlanta, GA
G 5 Kevion Stewart 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Cordova Memphis, TN
F 10 Bill Awet 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Victory Rock Prep Sydney, Australia
G 13 Christian Ellis 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Modesto Christian Oakland, CA
G 15 David McFarland 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr East Mississippi CC/Raymond Edwards, MS
G 22 Justin Benton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Houston Memphis, TN
F 24 Jalen Henry 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Southeast Springfield, IL
G 25 Jaylen McCoy 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Wallace State CC/Saint James School Montgomery, AL
F 32 Brandon Jackson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Cardinal Ritter East St. Louis, IL
F/C 34 Julian Torres† 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS So UIC/Bolingbrook Bolingbrook, IL
F 45 Keenan Simmons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Michigan City Michigan City, IN
† = left team at
holiday/semester break
—
—
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Bubba Wells
  • Brian Barone
  • Tarrance Crump
  • Yemi Makanjuola (GA)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 4 January 2018

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 5, 2017*
2:00 pm, OVCDN 		Brescia W 95–75  —
  19 – Henry   8 – Simmons, Torres & Team   10 – Benton  Vadalabene Center (1,059)
Edwardsville, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		at No. 20 Purdue L 74–105  0–1
  20 – Torres   7 – Ellis   6 – Benton  Mackey Arena (13,934)
West Lafayette, IN
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		Valparaiso L 69–94  0–2
  21 – Henry & Kinchen   9 – Henry   5 – Benton  Vadalabene Center (1,353)
Edwardsville, IL
Nov 18, 2017*
12:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Stetson W 80–76  1–2
  23 – Kinchen   13 – Henry   5 – Kinchen  Edmunds Center (475)
DeLand, FL
Nov 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		Western Illinois L 67–69  1–3
  26 – Kinchen   8 – Henry   4 – Henry  Vadalabene Center (1,126)
Edwardsville, IL
Nov 25, 2017*
3:30 pm, FS2 		at Creighton L 66–103  1–4
  19 – Ellis & Henry   9 – Henry   2 – McFarland & Stewart  CenturyLink Center Omaha (15,607)
Omaha, NE
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Southern Illinois L 59–86  1–5
  16 – Ellis   11 – Henry   3 – Ellis  SIU Arena (3,333)
Carbondale, IL
Dec 3, 2017*
1:00 pm, Mastodons All-Access 		at Fort Wayne L 71–86  1–6
  16 – Henry & McCoy   5 – Awet   6 – Ellis  Memorial Coliseum (1,315)
Fort Wayne, IN
Dec 6, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		at IUPUI W 82–81  2–6
  21 – Henry   9 – Henry   4 – Ellis  Indiana Farmers Coliseum (809)
Indianapolis, IN
Dec 10, 2017*
2:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		South Alabama W 76–75  3–6
  26 – Henry   12 – Henry   5 – Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,155)
Edwardsville, IL
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		Chicago State W 88–76  4–6
  19 – Ellis & Henry   6 – Henry   8 – Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,005)
Edwardsville, IL
Dec 22, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Central Michigan L 52–70  4–7
  14 – Ellis   8 – Ellis   5 – Ellis  McGuirk Arena (1,664)
Mount Pleasant, MI
Ohio Valley Conference regular season
Dec 28, 2017
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		at Austin Peay L 58–78  4–8
(0–1) 		 14 – Benton   6 – Benton, Ellis & D, Jackson   5 – Kinchen  Dunn Center (1,648)
Clarksville, TN
Dec 30, 2017
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		at Murray State L 63–87  4–9
(0–2) 		 13 – Kinchen   6 – B.Jackson   3 – Kinchen  CFSB Center (2,986)
Murray, KY
Jan 4, 2018
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		at Eastern Kentucky W 85–82  5–9
(1–2) 		 35 – Henry   7 – McFarland   5 – Benton  McBrayer Arena (1,120)
Richmond, KY
Jan 6, 2018
3:15 pm, OVCDN 		at Morehead State W 70–65  6–9
(2–2) 		 16 – Henry   11 – Henry   8 – Kinchen  Ellis Johnson Arena (1,442)
Morehead, KY
Jan 11, 2018
7:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		Belmont L 61–76  6–10
(2–3) 		 14 – Kinchen   8 – Ellis   3 – Bentom & Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,165)
Edwardsville, IL
Jan 13, 2018
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		Tennessee State W 82–79  7–10
(3–3) 		 19 – B. Jackson   7 – B. Jackson   9 – Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,346)
Edwardsville, IL
Jan 18, 2018
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		Southeast Missouri State L 74–86  7–11
(3–4) 		 22 – McFarland   9 – McFarland   5 – Bentom & Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,147)
Edwardsville, IL
Jan 20, 2018
1:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		UT Martin L 69–70  7–12
(3–5) 		 21 – Henry   6 – McFarland & Simmons   5 – Bentom & Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,234)
Edwardsville, IL
Jan 25, 2018
7:30 pm, OVCDN 		at Tennessee State L 57–85  7–13
(3–6) 		 11 – Ellis, Henry & McFarland   9 – Ellis   3 – Ellis & McFarland  Gentry Complex (1,291)
Nashville, TN
Jan 27, 2018
5:00 pm, OVCDN 		at Belmont L 72–83  7–14
(3–7) 		 17 – Henry   5 – B.Jackson   2 – Benton, Ellis & McFarland  Curb Event Center (2,454)
Nashville, TN
Feb 1, 2018
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		Tennessee Tech L 67–68  7–15
(3–8) 		 27 – Ellis   12 – McFarland   5 – Kinchen  Vadalabene Center (1,153)
Edwardsville, IL
Feb 3, 2018
1:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		Jacksonville State W 75–67  9–15
(4–8) 		 15 – McFarland   8 – Team   5 – Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,507)
Edwardsville, IL
Feb 8, 2018
7:00 pm, OVCDN 		Eastern Illinois L 74–78  8–16
(4–9) 		 21 – Kinchen   10 – Simmons   4 – Benton & Ellis  Vadalabene Center (1,205)
Edwardsville, IL
Feb 10, 2018
1:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		Murray State L 66–75  8–17
(4–10) 		 18 – Henry   10 – Simmons & Team   4 – McFarland  Vadalabene Center (1,517)
Edwardsville, IL
Feb 15, 2018
7:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		at UT Martin W 70–69  9–17
(5–10) 		 25 – Simmons   8 – Simmons   4 – Ellis  Skyhawk Arena (1,001)
Martin, TN
Feb 17, 2018
4:15 pm, OVCDN 		at Southeast Missouri State L 74–79  9–18
(5–11) 		 19 – Ellis   9 – Simmons   4 – Kinchen  Show Me Center (1,697)
Cape Girardeau, MO
Feb 22, 2018
7:00 pm, FSMW/OVCDN 		Austin Peay L 82–86  9–19
(5–12) 		 26 – Henry   7 – Henry   3 – Benton, Henry & Kinchen  Vadalabene Center (1,583)
Edwardsville, IL
Feb 24, 2018
3:15 pm, OVCDN 		at Eastern Illinois L 56–68  9–20
(5–13) 		 20 – Henry   11 – Simmons   3 – McFarland  Lantz Arena (1,550)
Charleston, IL
Ohio Valley Conference tournament
Feb 28, 2018
6:30 pm, OVCDN 		(8) vs. (5) Tennessee Tech
First Round 		L 51–60  9–21
  14 – Henry   15 – Henry   4 – Benton  Ford Center (654)
Evansville, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time Source[6].

References

  1. ^ a b c "Belmont Picked As 2017-18 OVC Men's Basketball Favorites; Murray State's Stark Tabbed Preseason Player of the Year". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "SIU-Edwardsville vs. Tennessee Tech - Game Recap - February 28, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  3. ^ "Field Set for 2018 OVC Men's Basketball Championship Presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com". Ohio Valley Conference. February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  4. ^ "Murray State's Stark, Tennessee State's Mekowulu, Austin Peay's Taylor and Figger Earn 2017-18 OVC Men's Basketball Top Honors". Ohio Valley Conference. February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  5. ^ "SIUE Men, Tennessee Tech Women Earn OVC Team Sportsmanship Awards For Men's and Women's Basketball" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ^ "2017–18 SIUE Men's Basketball Schedule". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Retrieved October 16, 2017.