The UIS men's basketball team heads back on the road this weekend following a split at home, traveling to Missouri for two important GLVC matchups. The Prairie Stars will face Drury on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. in Springfield, Mo., before taking on Missouri S&T on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Rolla, Mo.

Illinois Springfield (11-6, 7-2 GLVC)
UIS enters the week after a challenging home loss to Rockhurst followed by a dominant bounce-back performance against Southwest Baptist. The Prairie Stars fell 84-56 to Rockhurst on Thursday, a game that featured limited offensive rhythm and just two UIS players scoring in double figures. UIS responded emphatically on Saturday, defeating Southwest Baptist 84-61 behind a balanced and explosive offensive showing. Three Prairie Stars scored 20 or more points in the win, led by Tye Banks with 21 points. Britton Dutton set the tone early, scoring 14 first-half points, while Jordan Rice recorded 10 assists, becoming the program's NCAA-era career leader in assists.

Rice, now playing his fourth season as a Prairie Star, leads UIS at 17.1 points per game and sits at 290 points on the season entering the weekend. Isaiah Davis continues to be a major threat from deep, shooting 45.6% from three-point range—ranking 16th in NCAA Division II—while averaging 13.4 points per game. Banks averaged 15.5 points last week and shot 14-of-18 from the field, while Dutton has provided a highly efficient scoring spark in the new year, totaling 62 points over his last five games while shooting 56.8% from the floor and 55.6% from three-point range in 20 minutes per game.

As a team, UIS leads the GLVC in three-point percentage (39.7%) and ranks second in the league with 9.5 made threes per game.

Drury (8-9, 3-6 GLVC)
Drury enters the weekend looking to build momentum behind a physical, defensive-minded approach. The Panthers earned an 82-68 win over Maryville, opening the game with a 12-0 run and shooting 50.8% from the field. In a narrow loss at McKendree—currently receiving votes in the national poll—Drury remained competitive throughout before the Bearcats pulled away late. Isaiah Otyaluk led the Panthers in both games, scoring 25 points against Maryville and 24 points at McKendree, including an 8-for-10 performance from three-point range in the latter.

Zach Howell leads the team at 16.2 points per game, while KeShaun Thomas is close behind at 16.0, with both shooting ust under 50% from the field. Drury shoots 46.2% as a team, plays with physicality inside, and ranks among the GLVC's best defensively—No. 2 in blocks per game (3.53) and No. 1 in steals (9.06).

No. 9 Missouri S&T (13-2, 7-1 GLVC)
Missouri S&T enters the weekend riding a five-game winning streak since the resumption of GLVC play. The Miners most recently earned an 84-81 comeback win at UMSL, rallying from a 13-point halftime deficit at the site of this year's GLVC Tournament. Andrew Young scored 28 points in the victory. Missouri S&T followed with a 92-80 win at Maryville, highlighted by 25 fast-break points, though the Miners did allow 13 three-pointers in the contest.

The Miners feature an experienced core from last season's NCAA Regional team, with four players averaging double figures: Young (16.6 ppg), Blaise Beauchamp (14.6), Cameron Stovall (13.2), and Alex Benassi (10.6). Zac Brown, a 2024-25 GLVC All-Freshman Team selection, rounds out the top scoring group of returners. Missouri S&T ranks fourth in the GLVC in scoring (82.1 ppg) and leads the league in rebounds per game (39.3), including 29.1 defensive rebounds per contest.

GLVC Outlook
In the GLVC preseason poll released in October, Missouri S&T was picked No. 1, Drury fifth, and UIS ninth. As the regular season enters its final six weeks, Missouri S&T sits second in the conference standings, UIS follows closely in third, and Drury is 12th. The top eight teams will advance to the GLVC Tournament in St. Louis in March.

Follow Along
Both games will be streamed by the host schools on the GLVC Sports Network, with live stats available online. Links can be found on the UIS men's basketball schedule page.