Southern Illinois guards have historically been tenacious on defense and efficient on offense.

This is what head coach Chris Lowery is attempting to accomplish with his 10-10 team.

"That's the one thing that's always defined us," Lowery said. "Right now, our guard play is not consistent. When our guards are consistent, that's when we play well."

SIU ranks ninth in the MVC with an 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games.