Rivalry Game

SIU has had a number of different rivals over the years. In the present landscape of college basketball the Billikens of St. Louis University are our number one competition in the area.

What makes a rivalry in college hoops?

Geographic proximity is a factor but you would not call University of Illinois and Northwestern a huge rivalry, would you? Of course not, so it must go deeper then that. The two teams must be equal in status. Two years ago SIU hung a lopsided victory on St. Louis U and last year the Billikens returned the favor in STL.

Another factor is recruiting. Both of these schools are fighting for the same recruits. SIU and St. Louis U can give local players a chance to play big time DI ball and stay close to home. A win in this series gives Chris Lowery or Brad Soderberg bragging rights for the year when they speak with potential players. How important is the Illinois/Missouri battle ground? 9 of the 10 starters in Saturday’s game are from one of the two states. The only exception- 6-10 Center Ian Vouyoukas who hails from Athens, Greece.

Last but not least the fans play a major factor. Many SIU fans make the trip to St. Louis when SIU plays there and I’m sure many SLU fans will make the trip tomorrow. When your fan base spends time, money, and emotional energy cheering for you on the road you really want to reward them with a win.

The good folks in Las Vegas are calling SIU a nine point favorite. That seems a little optimistic for my taste. SIU has not been able to put big points on the board yet this year prompting the ESPN commentator at the Old Spice Classic to call SIU “A Sweet 16 team on defense and an NIT team on offense”.

The Billikens have a nice guard combo of Kevin Lisch (Belleville Althoff) and Tommie Liddell (East St. Louis). Those two have combined to average 32 points a game so far, albeit playing against teams with inferior defense. NBA prospect Ian Vouyoukas has averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds a game so far helping SLU to a 5-1 record. Falker and Shaw have gone up against big men of this caliber before and came out on top. I expect them to do the same tomorrow.

The official Salukihoops prediction- SIU over SLU 57-51. Check back after the game for a full recap and your Salukihoops player of the game.