SIUC (15-9, 9-4) won two games against visiting Wichita State University (8-13, 2-10) and Illinois State University before 4,300 and 6,300 fans, respectively, in the SIU arena. In each game the Salukis were able to build big leads, but squandered the momentum, resulting in narrow home victories. In Thursday's game against the Shockers, seniors Chris Thunell (32) and Ricky Collum (5) led the scoring with 12 and 17 points, respectively. Rebounding was shared by Thunell, sophomore Brandon Mells (3), junior Joshua Cross (12), freshman Jermaine Dearman (23), and junior Abel Schrader (45), with 7, 7, 8, 8, 6, respectively. The Shockers were led by sophomore guard Jason Perez with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. The final score was 72-63.

In Saturday's game, SIU built a 40-15 halftime advantage only to see the lead evaporate during the second half. SIU was led by junior forward Joshua Cross (12), senior guard Ricky Collum (5), and freshman guard Kent Williams (33), with 14, 11, and 11 points, respectively. Cross controlled the boards with 10 offensive and 7 defensive rebounds. The Redbirds were led by sophomore Shawn Jeppson (21) and junior Tarise Bryson (12) with 11 and 13 points, respectively. The Salukis ended the weekend with a 65-54 victory.