EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball begins the 2022 post-season Monday when it hosts the University of Illinois Springfield for the first round of the GLVC Tournament. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
Tickets are on sale through the USI Ticket Office at usi.universitytickets.com. Season ticket holders can purchase their seats by clicking on the link and logging in before 10 a.m. Monday. The general public can purchase tickets on-line or at the USI Ticket Office at 8:30 a.m. Monday and prior to the game. For more information call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-7165  Monday.
 
Game coverage information for USI Men's Basketball, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available on GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
 
USI Men's Basketball vs. Illinois Springfield Quick Notes:

USI finishes strong with overtime win. USI concluded the 2021-22 regular season on a high note with a 77-70 victory over Lindenwood University in overtime. Freshman guard Isaiah Stafford led the Eagles with a season-high 31 points, while junior guard Jelani Simmons and sophomore guard Tyler Henry rounded out the double-digit scorers with 21 points and 10 points respectively.  
 
Stafford hits the 30-point plateau. Freshman guard Isaiah Stafford scored a season-high 31 points and the season-best game for an Eagle this year in the win over Lindenwood. Josh Price reached 34 points last February versus William Jewell College. Stafford is averaging 11.9 points per outing since becoming a starter at the end of January.
 
Henry in the last four games. Sophomore guard Tyler Henry has caught fire the last six games for the Eagles, averaging 13.8 points per contest.
 
At home vs. the road USI is 8-4 at home this season, 9-3 on the road. The Eagles also are averaging 71.0 points per game at home, compared to 75.3 points per outing on the road.   
 
Doing the job on defense. The Eagles are holding the opposition under 70 points per game (65.7) for the season for the first time since 2012-13 (65.4).
 
Leading Scorer: Junior guard Jelani Simmons leads the way in scoring this season with 13.5 points per game. He is followed closely sophomore guard Tyler Henry with 12.2 points per contest and junior forward Jacob Polakovich with 11.8 points and a team-best 11.5 rebounds per outing.
 
Polakovich doubling up to lead the Eagles. Junior forward Jacob Polakovich is averaging a double-double 11.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in 2021-22. Polakovich, who has 11 double-doubles this year, is the GLVC leader and ranked fifth nationally in rebounding.  The junior also is averaging over 14.8 rebounds per game in the last six games.
 
USI vs Illinois Springfield. USI has a 16-4 all-time series lead over the University of Illinois Springfield, including the last six and 10 of the last 12 games. The 66-39 victory by USI completed a regular season sweep of the Prairie Stars. The Eagles took the first meeting of the season, 64-52, in Springfield.
 
Illinois Springfield in 2021-22. The Prairie Stars finished the 2021-22 regular season with a 12-16 overall record and a 7-13 mark in GLVC play. Illinois Springfield lost 10 of its last 13 games since the end of January, beginning with a loss to USI, 66-39, at Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
USI vs. UIS in 2021-22. USI swept the season series with Illinois Springfield, winning on the road, 64-52, and at Screaming Eagles Arena, 66-39. USI junior forward Jacob Polakovich has dominated the two games with 22.0 points and 14.0 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Jelani Simmons followed with 14.5 points per game, while freshman guard Isaiah Stafford averaged 12.0 points per outing in the two contests.