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.

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.^[1]

SIUE guard Damarco Minor was honored as a member of the All-OVC First Team. ^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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

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.^[5]

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/game was voted the 2024-25 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. ^[6]

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.^[6]

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.^[7][8]

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. "We're going to be dancing all night, and we're going to be dancing into next week," coach Barone declared. ^{[9][10][11][12]}

Graduate student guard Player of the Year Ray'Sean Taylor was named the OVC Tournament MVP and was joined on the OVC All-Tournament Team by junior swing man Ring Malith and junior forward Myles Thompson.^[12]

Source ^[3]

2023–24 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Ring Malith 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Barton CC/Rocky Bayou Christian HS Twic, South Sudan G 1 Jordan Pickett 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Belleville East HS Belleville, IL G 2 Desmond Polk 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Link Year Prep/La Lumiere School Milwaukee, WI G 3 Ray'Sean Taylor (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Collinsville HS Collinsville, IL F 4 Darrion Baker  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Fr Akron/Hillcrest HS Chicago, IL G 5 Declan Dillon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Winona State/Peoria Noitre Dame Peoria, IL G 10 Jordan Hamilton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Southern Idaho Memphis, TN G 11 Brian Taylor II 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Milwaukee/De Smet HS St. Louis, MO G 15 Raynard Horry 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Southeastern Illinois/Fort Zumwalt West O'Fallon, MO F 21 Myles Thompson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Barton CC/Hutchinson HS Hutchinson, KS G 23 Cham Okey 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Phoenix Prep/Austin HS Minneapolis, MN F 24 Kyle Thomas 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Bradley/Benet Academy Bolingbrook, IL F 33 Jo Valrie  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Point Park Houston, TX C 34 Arnas Sakenis 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Andrew HS Tinley Park, IL G 40 Eddiean Tirado 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Indian Hills CC/Calusa Prep Miami, FL	Head coach Brian Barone (Marquette) Assistant coach(es) Colin Schneider (Green Bay) Ryan Hellenthal (UIC) Angres Thorpe (Saint Leo College) Mike Waldo (SIUE) Jay Bradley (Barclay College) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Source^[13]