Basketball Game Preview: Cairo Pilots vs. Murphysboro Red Devils

Cairo hasn't had much luck against Murphysboro recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Cairo Pilots will venture away from home to square off against the Murphysboro Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. Cairo knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Murphysboro likes a good challenge.

While Cairo didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They ended the year with a bang, routing Johnston City 76-54 on Saturday. The Pilots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 22 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Murphysboro posted their closest win since January 19, 2024 on Monday. They had just enough and edged Meridian out 53-50. Given the Red Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Bobcats are ranked 199th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cairo is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.6 points per game. As for Murphysboro, their record is now 10-2.

Cairo took a serious blow against Murphysboro in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 72-43. Can Cairo avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.