Not many can say they have beaten Southern Illinois each of the past two years in men's basketball. Tonight, the University of Evansville is hoping to say it's three years in a row. Game time is 7:05 CST at Roberts Stadium. Evansville is 5-10 overall and 0-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis are 7-9 overall and 2-3 in the MVC. SIU was 15-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference last year, and 12-6 the year before. OUR OWN SALUKI One of the best to play at Southern Illinois, Marcus Belcher, is now here at Evansville. Belcher is a 2002 SIU graduate who was the starting point guard on coach Bruce Weber’s Sweet 16 team in ‘02 that beat Texas Tech and Georgia in the NCAA Tournament. The Salukis were 28-8 that year. Belcher began his coaching career in 2004 with Marty Simmons at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. A RARE HOME GAME Tonight’s game is sandwiched around two road games that have been played, and two more coming up– Saturday at Bradley and next Wednesday at Indiana State. All of those road games eventually get followed by three home games in a four-game span, beginning Jan. 26 with the Bears of Missouri State. NOT SHY ABOUT SCORING Junior forward Shy Ely scored a total of 26 points in his first four Missouri Valley Conference games. He surpassed that total in just one game last Saturday, scoring a career-high 28 in the Aces’ 74-66 loss at Illinois State. Ely was 10-for-18 from the field against the Redbirds, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range. CLOSING IN ON 200 The Aces’ other veteran junior, guard Jason Holsinger, is close to becoming only the fifth Evansville player to total 200 three-pointers. He goes into tonight’s game against the Salukis with 193 in just two-and-a-half seasons at UE. The only four with 200 or more are Marcus Wilson (250), Scott Haffner (245), Kyle Anslinger (213) and Scott Shreffler (211). COME ON BACK TO ROBERTS STADIUM THIS WEEK Coach Tricia Cullop’s UE women’s team evened its Valley record at 2-2 with a win last Saturday at Wichita State, and two more home games take place this weekend. The Lady Aces take on Creighton at 7:00 Thursday, and Drake at 2:00 Sunday. Also keep in the mind the annual Women’s Hoops For The Cure game benefiting fund-raising for cancer prevention, on Saturday, Jan. 26 against Southern Illinois at 5:00 followed by the men’s game against Missouri State at 7:15.