Thursday, March 20th, 11:59 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Wells Fargo Arena (14,198) -- Tempe, Arizona. Television: ESPN2. NIT Record: Southern Illinois 8-7, Arizona St. 4-9. Series Record: Arizona State leads, 2-1.

GAME NOTES: The top-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils welcome the fourth-seeded Southern Illinois Salukis to Tempe this evening, for second-round action in the 2008 NIT. The Sun Devils picked up their 20th win of the season with a 64-53 victory over Alabama State in first-round action on Tuesday. The Salukis, who missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001, topped Oklahoma State (69-53) on Tuesday to open tournament play. The win was the sixth in the last eight games for SIU, which moved to 18-14 this year. SIU won the NIT in 1967 and is now 8-7 in nine all-time appearances. Arizona State holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, but these two schools haven't met in 31 years. The last matchup took place in the 1977 NCAA Tournament, with Southern Illinois posting an 81-77 win. The winner of this game will take on either Creighton or Florida in quarterfinal action next Tuesday.

The Salukis are a defensive team by nature, ranking among the nation's elite in scoring defense, allowing just 59.8 ppg (12th nationally). The team relies heavily on the play of All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Teamer Randal Falker, who leads the team in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg). Falker is converting a remarkable 56.3 percent from the floor this year and is also a force in the paint with 43 blocks. Matt Shaw is a close second in both categories, averaging 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing. Bryan Mullins rounds out the team's top offensive threats with 10.7 ppg. Shaw led the team in the win over Oklahoma State, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds. Falker just missed a double-double as well, netting 15 points and grabbing nine boards. Joshua Bone tacked on 11 points, while Tony Boyle came off the bench to tally 10. SIU shot an efficient 51.2 percent from the floor, while holding OSU to a mere 35.3 percent.

Freshman sensation James Harden carried his strong play into the postseason, as he posted a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Sun Devils to an 11-point win over Alabama State in Tempe on Tuesday. Fellow freshman Ty Abbott hit five first half three-pointers and added 15 points to the cause. Junior Jeff Pendergraph and sophomore Eric Boateng added eight points apiece, with Boateng grabbing 10 rebounds. Harden as been outstanding in his first collegiate campaign, leading the team in scoring at 17.8 ppg. The 6-4 youngster is a First-Team All-Pac-10 member and much more than just a scorer, making his presence felt on the boards (5.2 rpg) in addition to proving to be a tremendous defender (70 steals) and a solid distributor (100 assists). Pendergraph is a frontcourt asset, averaging 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Abbott leads the team with 73 three-pointers and chips in with 10.1 ppg.

Harden will be the best player on the floor in this game and unless Southern Illinois can find a way to neutralize him, this game should go to the hometown team.

Predicted Outcome

Arizona State 73, Southern Illinois 64