# 2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team

The 2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by sixth-year head coach Brian Barone, play their home games at the First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). As the No. 2 seed in the OVC tournament, the Cougars defeated Tennessee State and Southeast Missouri State to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's first-ever trip to the tournament.

## Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2023–24 season 17–16, 9–9 in OVC play to finish in sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the OVC tournament, they defeated Southern Indiana in the first round before losing to eventual tournament champion Morehead State.
SIUE guard Damarco Minor was honored as a member of the All-OVC First Team.

## Season forecast

Six players return from the 2023–24 squad. They are joined by one freshman, four transfers from junior colleges, two transfers from other Division I programs, and two graduate students from non-Division I schools.
In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, SIUE was picked to finish 3rd in the 11 team Ohio Valley Conference.
2024-25 OVC Men's Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Little Rock (20 first-place votes) - 200 points
2. Western Illinois - 172
3. SIUE (2) - 151
4. Tennessee State - 134
5. Morehead State - 131
6. Eastern Illinois - 87
7. Southeast Missouri - 86
8. Southern Indiana - 79
9. Lindenwood - 67
10. UT Martin - 52
11. Tennessee Tech - 51

## Regular season

The Cougars won 20 games for the first time since transitioning to Division I status in 2008. After going 7–4 in nonconference play, SIUE finished 13–7 in the Ohio Valley Conference, establishing a new school record for OVC wins and earning the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament.

## Postseason

In voting by league head coaches and communications directors prior to the OVC Tournament, Cougar guard Ray'Sean Taylor, who has averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game was voted the 2024-25 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.
Graduate student guard Player of the Year Ray'Sean Taylor was named to the eight-person All-OVC First Team, while his cousin junior guard Brian Taylor II was named to the eight-person All-OVC Second Team.
After a double bye as the #2 seed, the Cougars faced #3 seed Tennessee State Tigers in the OVC Tournament semifinals. With solid defense, SIUE took a 10-point halftime lead after being up on TSU by as any as 12 points. The Tigers, the highest scoring team in the OVC, demonstrated why in the second half, eliminating the Cougars' lead and briefly taking the lead before the SIUE defense locked down, hung on, and hung tough for the win. Ray'Sean Taylor was largely responsible for SIUE hanging on, scoring 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. However, although Taylor was the only Couger scoring in double figures, the win was a team effort, with all nine players who saw action scoring and having at least one rebound, and eight players having at least one assist. With the win, the Cougars advanced to the OVC Championship game for the first time to meet #1 seed Southeast Missouri, who defeated SIUE twice in the regular season, most recently 83–68 on Feb. 27 at First Community Arena.
SIUE’s Declan Dillon took an elbow to his face early in Saturday’s Ohio Valley Conference title game against Southeast Missouri that had blood streaming down his face. Dillon, who played the rest of the game with a large wound near his eyebrow, embodied the Cougars’ play Saturday in Evansville, Indiana. The second-seeded Cougars started slowly, turning the ball over four times in the first few minutes, and allowing the top-seeded SEMO Redhawks to go out to a 14–7 lead. Then they turned things around by rebounding, getting second chance baskets, and locking down on defense. SIUE led SEMO 35–24 at the half, but the second half started much like the first, and the Redhawks had a 10-1 run to open and tied the game at 36-36. After again being tied at 38, the Cougars went on a 16-0 run to take over the game, and never led by less than 14 from then on, winning by 69–48. “We talked about trust,” an emotional SIUE coach Brian Barone said after the game on ESPN2. “We talk about playing for one another, and that's what those guys just did. It feels amazing, because I love those guys right there. And it's amazing.” SIUE held Southeast Missouri State to an absolutely miserable shooting night from beyond the arc. The Redhawks had averaged more than seven made three pointers per game, but against the Cougars was held to a season low 3 of 24 (13 percent) from long range. SEMO finished the second half shooting only 1 of 17 (under 6 percent) and was held without a field goal for more than six minutes. Once again, Ray'Sean Taylor led the team in scoring, with 20 points, and all of his 11-second half points were from the free throw line---Taylor's scoring made him SIUE's all-time leading scorer, and he now has 1,952 points in his career. Ring Malith followed with 12 points, and Brian Taylor II had 10. Malith, the Taylor cousins, and Myles Thompson led the Cougars rebounding with 7 boards apiece. This was the Cougars' first win over the Redhawks this season, having been swept in the regular season. With the win, SIUE was the first team to garner an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and secured the Cougars' first OVC title and the school's first-ever trip to the Division I championship, where they are projected to be a #16 seed and to play in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. "Hats off to Edwardsville with the way they played. They played a phenomenal game and had a great game plan," SEMO coach Brad Korn said. "It stings. It don't feel very good because we didn't play our best ball, but it also had a lot to do with them. I give them credit." SIUE coach Barone declared,"We're going to be dancing all night, and we're going to be dancing into next week."
Graduate student guard Player of the Year Ray'Sean Taylor was named the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined on the OVC All-Tournament Team by junior swing man Ring Malith and junior forward Myles Thompson.
After being named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, SIUE graduate student guard Ray'Sean Taylor was named one of 35 finalists for the 2024-25 Lou Henson Award which is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball. The Lou Henson Award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach, who was the winningest coach at both schools, with a total of 775 victories in 41 seasons.
On the March 16 Selection Sunday, the NCAA Selection Committee placed the Cougars in the Midwest Regional versus the 2nd ranked and 2nd seeded Houston Cougars.

## Roster

Source

## Schedule and results

Source
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2024 3:00 PM | | Missouri Baptist | W 87–56 | | 23 – R. Taylor | 10 – Malith | 6 – R. Taylor | First Community Arena Edwardsville, IL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Westminster College | W 95–42 | 1–0 | 15 – Tied | 10 – R. Taylor | 6 – R. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,233) Edwardsville, IL |
| November 6, 2024 7:00 PM, BTN | | at No. 17 Indiana | L 61–80 | 1–1 | 17 – R. Taylor | 9 – Sakenis | 3 – Thompson | Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| November 8, 2024 7:00 PM, Peacock | | at Illinois | L 58–90 | 1–2 | 14 – R. Taylor | 11 – Valrie | 4 – R. Taylor | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| November 12, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+ | | Indiana State | W 77–72 | 2–2 | 22 – R. Taylor | 7 – Baker | 6 – R. Taylor | Hulman Center (4,264) Terre Haute, IN |
| November 15, 2024 4:00 PM | | Western Michigan Bronco Classic | W 79–60 | 3–2 | 30 – R. Taylor | 9 – Baker | 7 – R. Taylor | University Arena (1,258) Kalamazoo, MI |
| November 16, 2024 2:00 PM, Bronco All-Access | | vs. Canisius Bronco Classic | W 76–58 | 4–2 | 23 – B. Taylor | 7 – Baker | 7 – R. Taylor | University Arena (186) Kalamazoo, MI |
| November 19, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+ | | at Green Bay | L 57–82 | 4–3 | 16 – B. Taylor | 6 – Tied | 8 – R. Taylor | Kress Events Center (1,772) Green Bay, WI |
| November 23, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+ | | St. Ambrose | W 83–49 | 5–3 | 15 – R.Taylor | 19 – Malith | 7 – R Taylor | First Community Arena (984) Edwardsville, IL |
| November 29, 2024 6:00 PM, ESPN+ | | North Florida | L 73–78 | 5–4 | 19 – Polk | 8 – Malith | 9 – B. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,058) Edwardsville, IL |
| December 8, 2024 1:00 PM, ESPN+ | | Ball State | W 82–69 | 6–4 | 27 – R. Taylor | 14 – Sakenis | 3 – R. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,015) Edwardsville, IL |
| December 15, 2024 1:00 PM, ESPN+ | | Eureka College | W 100–52 | 7–4 | 18 – R. Taylor | 11 – Okey | 5 – B. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,007) Edwardsville, IL |
| Ohio Valley Conference regular season |||||||||
| December 19, 2024 7:00 PM, ESPN+ | | Little Rock | L 56–60 | 7–5 (0–1) | 18 – R. Taylor | 8 – B. Taylor | 3 – R. Taylor | Jack Stephens Center (820) Little Rock, AR |
| December 21, 2014 3:45 PM, ESPN+ | | Southeast Missouri State | L 64–80 | 7–6 (0–2) | 16 – R. Taylor | 6 – Malith | 2 – 4 Tied | Show Me Center (1,123) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| January 2, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPNU/ESPN+ | | Western Illinois | W 77–66 | 8–6 (1–2) | 23 – R. Taylor | 8 – Malith | 4 – Malith | First Community Arena (1,989) Edwardsville, IL |
| January 4, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Lindenwood | W 58–47 | 9–6 (2–2) | 18 – R. Taylor | 8 – R. Taylor | 3 – Dillon | First Community Arena (1,347) Edwardsville, IL |
| January 7, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Eastern Illinois | W 60–57 | 10–6 (3–2) | 19 – R. Taylor | 11 – Malith | 3 – Tied | Groniger Arena (635) Charleston, IL |
| January 11, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Tennessee Tech | W 67–59 | 11–6 (4–2) | 25 – R. Taylor | 9 – Malith | 4 – Dillon | First Community Arena (1,505) Edwardsville, IL |
| January 16, 2025 8:00 PM, ESPN+ | | Tennessee State | W 87–80 $^{2OT}$ | 12–6 (5–2) | 23 – B. Taylor | 8 – Dillon | 6 – Malith | Gentry Complex (1,204) Nashville, TN |
| January 18, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | UT Martin | L 82–85 | 12–7 (5–3) | 23 – R. Taylor | 5 – R. Taylor | 5 – B. Taylor | Skyhawk Arena (1,664) Martin, TN |
| January 23, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Southern Indiana | W 82–76 | 13–7 (6–3) | 24 – R. Taylor | 6 – Thompson | 3 – Pickett | First Community Arena (1,423) Edwardsville, IL |
| January 25, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Morehead State | W 65–54 | 14–7 (7–3) | 22 – R. Taylor | 8 – Thompson | 3 – B. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,818) Edwardsville, IL |
| January 30, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Lindenwood | L 63–65 | 14–8 (7–4) | 19 – R. Taylor | 13 – Malith | 5 – B. Taylor | Hyland Performance Arena (1,489) St. Charles, MO |
| February 1, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Western Illinois | W 69–65 | 15–8 (8–4) | 23 – R. Taylor | 11 – Thomas | 4 – R. Taylor | Western Hall (1,083) Macomb, IL |
| February 4, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Eastern Illinois | W 66–41 | 16–8 (9–4) | 15 – Thompson | 14 – Malith | 6 – B. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,415) Edwardsville, IL |
| February 6, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Tennessee Tech | W 75–58 | 17–8 (10–4) | 28 – R. Taylor | 14 – Malith | 5 – R. Taylor | Eblen Center Cookeville, TN |
| February 13, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | UT Martin | L 71–76 | 17–9 (10–5) | 22 – Malith | 9 – Thomas | 7 – R. Taylor | First Community Arena (1,501) Edwardsville, IL |
| February 15, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Tennessee State | W 84–72 | 18–9 (11–5) | 22 – B. Taylor | 8 – B. Taylor | 8 – R. Taylor | First Community Arena (2,112) Edwardsville, IL |
| February 20, 2025 6:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Morehead State | W 80–62 | 19–9 (12–5) | 33 – R. Taylor | 7 – R. Taylor | 4 – B. Taylor | Ellis Johnson Arena (1,545) Morehead, KY |
| February 22, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Southern Indiana | L 68–82 | 19–10 (12–6) | 18 – R. Taylor | 6 – Tied | 4 – R. Taylor | Liberty Arena Evansville, IN |
| February 27, 2025 7:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Southeast Missouri State | L 68–83 | 19–11 (12–7) | 30 – R. Taylor | 12 – Malith | 2 – 3 Tied | First Community Arena (2,503) Edwardsville, IL |
| March 1, 2025 3:30 PM, ESPN+ | | Little Rock | W 73–65 | 20–11 (13–7) | 21 – Malith | 7 – Malith | 5 – Tied | First Community Arena (2,751) Edwardsville, IL |
| OVC Tournament |||||||||
| March 7, 2025 9:30 PM, ESPNU&ESPN+ | (2) | vs. (3) Tennessee State Semifinals | W 71–69 | 21–11 | 24 – R. Taylor | 6 – Tied | 5 – B. Taylor | Ford Center (1,353) Evansville, IN |
| March 8, 2025 8:00 PM, ESPN2&ESPN+ | (2) | vs. (1) Southeast Missouri State Finals | W 69–48 | 22–11 | 20 – R. Taylor | 7 – 4 Tied | 4 – R. Taylor | Ford Center Evansville, IN |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2025* 1:00 PM, TBS | (16 MW) | vs. (1 MW) No. 2 Houston First Round | | | | | | Intrust Bank Arena Wichita, KS |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Source. |||||||||