Indiana State returns

It was one year ago but it seems like yesterday. I found myself in an empty SIU Arena in the middle of the day watching the Indiana State Sycamores go through their game day walk through. As I watched the coaches give instructions and the players run their sets I remember thinking "These guys dont have a chance tonight". I was wrong.


The Sycamores beat the Salukis that night 63-54. ISU's weapon of choice was the three point shot and they hit 50% from downtown to give the Salukis a RARE home loss.

Wednesday nights game at the Arena reminds me a lot of last years game for two big reasons. 1. The Salukis have to be considered a favorite again this year. They are red-hot and playing at home. 2. ISU will use the same weapon to try to steal this game- the three point shot.

The Sycamores have home wins over Prudue, Creighton, Wichita State and #11 Butler this year. Road games have proven a bit more difficult for ISU. They are a paltry 2-6 on the road this year.

Senior guard Gabe Moore leads the team in scoring with 13.5 a game. 6-8 Sophomore Jay Tunnell averages 10 points and 6 boards a night. Tunnell will probably be the winner of the "who defends Falker contest". If Tunnell needs help on defense Falker has shown he can make you pay for using a double team, so this matchup figures to be key. Also, look for Tony Young, Jamaal Tatum, and Josh Bone to give Indiana St a taste of their own medicine hitting shots from downtown.

Will it be deja-vu all over again for Southern? I think it will be more like the twilight zone for Indiana State with SIU reversing last years final score and winning 63-54.

Credit Saluki Talk for the image at the top. If you want to talk SIU basketball check it out. Also, you can buy a tshirt with that photo on the back. I ordered mine today.

Sunday Sports Review

If you're in the Carbondale area make sure and tune into the Sunday Sports Review on WDBX 91.1 on Sunday mornings. If you're outside of the area but are interested in Carbondale/STL/SIU sports you can tune in at www.wdbx.org and click to listen. The show is at 10 AM on Sunday morning and is hosted by Mark Bausch of www.stlsports.com.

Mark was kind enough to have me on the show again this morning for the second week in a row. We chatted about the ISU Game, the Bracket Buster, and about what's going on here at Salukihoops.

Click on the link below and listen for yourself.








Mark Bausch


Don Ford

A Tale of Two Halves

It was the best of times it was the worst of times. Chris Lowery watched his team play an uninspired first half then gave them a very short lecture during the break. It was a totally different game in the second half and SIU dismantled the Redbirds for an 11 point win.

One word to describe the first half- sloppy. The SIU motion offense was stagnant, standing around, waiting, waiting, waiting.... waiting. Errant passes and missed shots prevented the Salukis from gaining any ground after falling behind early. Illinois state had a chance to push the halftime lead to eight but missed a putback at the buzzer.

Whatever Lowery said at half time did not take long, his troops were back on the floor and cutting into the lead before you could blink. Jamaal Tatum came out firing, leading the comeback from the three point arc, shooting 5 of 8 from downtown, en route to a 22 point performance.

Randal Falker got in on the action in the second half stepping up on defense, blocking shots, and on the other end he was turning double teams into open three point opportunities. Falker tied the game at 41-41 with a lay-in that gave SIU all the momentum. They didn't look back. The Southern defense was on overdrive trapping the Redbirds at every turn. The Redbirds were visibly shaken as they watched the win slip away.

Give Southern credit. They did not panic when faced with a deficit. Backed by senior leadership from Tatum and Tony Young, SIU came out in the second half and played some of their best basketball of the season. Indiana State is next and if today's game was any indication- the Salukis will be ready.

Slugging out a Win

The men’s basketball team comes into Saturdays game vs Illinois State on a roll. Big time wins against Creighton and Northern Iowa have the Salukis looking like prize fighters in the MVC. One thing SIU has yet to prove is the ability to deliver an early knockout to a lesser opponent. The Redbirds will come into SIU Arena looking play the role of Buster Douglas after already putting UNI and Wichita State on the canvas this season.

Illinois State (11-10, 3-7) could pretty much lock down a NIT bid if they win at the Arena and stay above .500. They feature Greg Dilligard, a 6-8 Senior making his 100th career start for ISU and he comes in shooting 63.9% from the floor. Boo Richardson (his real name is Keith) leads the balanced ISU attack with 10 points and 5 assists per game. Brian Mullins shut him down in the first meeting of these two teams, and will look to do the same on Saturday.

Look for ISU to go eight or nine deep and try to put lots of pressure on Southern. Hopefully SIU can get a little bit more out of their bench in this game after the starters were again forced to carry the load in the win over UNI. A home game against a lesser opponent is a perfect chance for Wesley Clemmons to snap out of his shooting slump. Tony Boyle needs to step up as well, because Matt Shaw can’t continue to play 39 minutes every night. It seems like just a few weeks ago these were the only bench players we could trust. This says two things- 1) the other bench players smell opportunity and have stepped up. 2) Clemmons and Boyle have already shown they can contribute and should be able to reemerge as key players.

SIU (as always) is a favorite at home, but ISU has a punchers chance. Official Salukihoops prediction- SIU over ISU, 65-54.

WITH TOOTH AND CLAW

If you heard a colossal smashing noise from Carbondale about 8 p.m. Tuesday night, it was the sound of SIU and Northern Iowa slamming head-on into one another. The Dawgs clawed out a 56-54 win to square accounts with the Panthers on the year.

With the needle on the intensity meter twitching between "crazed" and "combat", and the Arena partisans whipped into a frenzy that occasionally approached bedlam, it was a showplace game of Valleyball in January. The Dawgs win was hugely entertaining, but settled nothing. Southern took a half game lead in the conference race, but there is way more action coming soon to a campus near you. If you live within, say, a few hundred miles, find a way into an MVC gym. Consider earplugs.

Northern racked up 33 points on threes, and Travis Brown led the way with 4-5. The Cats hit 82% from the line. They outboarded the Dawgs 27-24, led by 6-8 Grant Stout who snared 13. Brooks McKowen topped all scorers with 17. If this sounds like the anatomy of a win, it almost was. A last instant shot , which actually went down, and would have tied the game, was reviewed and waved off, leaving the panting Dawgs the victors.

Southern seized the Valley lead with hard nosed play all night. The Salukis romped to 29 turnover points as NIU lost the ball 24 times. Bryan Mullins stood strong. In his finest performance to date, he scored 16 and was fantastic on defense. Matt Shaw grabbed 11 boards.

Reserve players played a limited role. They appeared as stunned as people who go to a picnic, only to end up in a free-fire zone. Suitably impressed, they exited the hardwood with alacrity and seldom returned. NIU had a paltry 5 bench points and SIU just 2. Only the main men could handle the unrelenting, physical pace. Every starter on both teams went over 30 minutes, with Matt Shaw sweating his way through 39.

Chris Lowery got sputtering mad, and up in his troops' faces. He smashed a clipboard in the huddle. Northern's Ben Jacobsen got a T and went down raving.

Southern will be home for six of the next nine contests. Illinois State calls next, on Saturday, and will be seeking revenge for a 68-49 trashing at Normal. The chase is on and tickets for
Arch Madness in St. Louis are going at a blistering rate.

THAT'S TONIGHT'S VIEW FROM ROW TWO.

First Place On the Line

Tomorrow night, the Panthers of Northern Iowa (15-4, 6-2) will arrive in Carbondale carrying a half game lead over the Salukis (15-5, 6-3) in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Coach Lowery and the boys will have their work cut out for them, but they will also have the opportunity to reel in these front-runners, personally.

This is definitely a must-win for the Dawgs, who are riding high after knocking off Creighton in Omaha this passed weekend. A victory would keep the momentum rolling into the second half of conference play and split the series with the Panthers. Also, as far as intangibles go, this could lead to trouble for an NIU squad heading into a stretch of 4-of-5 Valley contests on the road, where anything can happen.

Here are some keys to victory tomorrow night...

- Bench Play - In the first match-up, Saluki reserves were outscored 20-4 and all five Southern starters played 30-plus minutes. The Panthers pulled away down the stretch and fatigue had to play a factor in that. The recent emergence of Josh Bone as a scoring option and the trend towards more minutes for Clemmons, Boyle, Foster, and Green will prove large this time around.

- Free Throws - When you go to the line and fail to take points away it is essentially a turnover. SIU and NIU both love to limit possessions and play a physical brand of basketball, which usually results in quite a few trips to the charity stripe. The Dawgs have struggled lately in this facet of the game and it has been a recurring problem all year. The winner of this game won't give away free points and will capitalize when given the opportunity to notch a few of their own. First place is "on the line" and could be decided "at the line."

- Grant Stout - This guy is a real talent. Des Moines newspapers are reporting that he's been taking it easy in practice due to some kind of toe injury, but he'll be ready tomorrow without fail. He's a double-double waiting to happen and may be the most complete player in the Valley. He nailed 5 3-pointers against Indiana State on Saturday.

- Home Court Advantage - We all know the numbers. Every time the pep band cranks up "Go Southern Go" and the Salukis hustle onto Harry L. Crisp Court, a few things can be assumed with nearly absolute certainty. Several thousand fans will lose control of their good senses and leap to their feet, twelve student-athletes dressed in visiting jerseys will realize how far from home they really are, and the Dawgs will be ready for 40 minutes of whatever-it-takes intensity.

Bottom Line... The Salukis will need to get balanced production from the starters and a decent contribution from the bench. I see this one staying close for the duration. Northern Iowa is disciplined and composed on the court. The first meeting was decided by a late 17-5 run from the Panthers and I think that whichever team can put together a similiar surge this time around will celebrate during the postgame. Official Salukihoops prediction.... SIU 62 NIU 58.

Salukis beat the Jays

Just when you thought it could not happen. SIU goes on the road and knocks off (formerly) the best team in the league. Now that distinction goes to the Salukis of Southern Illinois who battled their way to a win in Omaha, Nebraska tonight.

Randal Falker would not let SIU lose this game. Ever had a moment where you were "Poster-ized"? Anthony Tolliver had one tonight, when Randal crushed a dunk over him. Knock his free throw shooting all you want, Falker kept SIU in this game when Creighton had everything going for them.

Josh Bone provided the necessary spark for the Salukis in the first half. The officials were calling fouls for players who stood too close to their opponent. Tony Young guards hard, every night, tonight that hard defense was interpreted by the refs as a rule violation and he played with foul trouble all night long. When he and JT had 2 fouls early on Josh Bone came in and picked up the slack. Bone's silky smooth three point stroke paid serious dividends when he was able to jump start the SIU offense.

Many "big plays" were made in this game. Nake Funk had a few dribble drives for hoops that sent the biggest crowd in MVC history into an uproar. Funk however was a non factor on the deciding play of the evening. Bryan Mullins was the star at the end, doing his best Tim Hardaway impression using the "killer crossover" to break down his defender, pull up and score off the glass giving SIU a 58-57 lead with 4.1 to play. Nate Funk tried to answer with a desperation three, but he was denied, and SIU continued their dominance over Creighton.

Now SIU looks to put the other MVC teams in their rear view mirror with a win over UNI on Tuesday. With nine games in the books the confernce season is half way home and SIU is in the drivers seat. A win over UNI on Tuesday will be the first step in sealing the deal and bringing a conference title to its rightful home- Southern Illinois.

Turning the corner- SIU at Creighton

After losing on the road to Evansville it would be hard to predict a victory for SIU tonight. One thing that this years team has shown- expect the unexpected. Things looked grim heading into the Missouri State game and the Salukis blew the Bears out of the water.

Today’s game will be played in Omaha where the Bluejays are 8-0 this season. Not only do they own an undefeated record at home they also average over 15,000 fans per game. Its going to be packed, loud, and rowdy in Nebraska tonight.

Creighton features their two usual suspects Anthony Tolliver and Nate Funk. These two guys are cruising towards all-conference first team selections. The X factor might be Senior guard Nick Porter who has averaged double figures in six of his last eight games and also averages over five boards a night. Tolliver and Funk will probably get theirs, but to pull off the win Southern needs to hold everyone else down and keep the Bluejays under 60 points.

Southern is averaging 63.8 points a game and they will need every last bit of that to have a chance to win. After losing to Evansville our conference mark fell to 5-3, but a win on the road against Creighton would allow SIU to turn the corner in the conference season. Creighton sits in first place at 6-2 coming into this game so pulling them back down to the pack would put SIU in the drivers seat for a conference title.

The Salukis have won an impressive six straight games in this series. Lets hope they can push it to seven. Look for Southern to again try to limit possessions and play a game in the 50’s. SIU needs to get offensive support for Jamaal Tatum, who has been great, but cannot do it all. Matt Shaw, Tony Young, and Randal Falker will need to get into double digits. If the bench can come through and provide a scoring spark while the starters are resting, the Salukis might able to turn the corner tonight in Omaha.

SIU vs Evansville Live Blog

SIU takes an early 5-2 lead on jumpers by JT and Tony Young. However, they are just settling for long jump shots. Not a good sign.

On cue SIU misses another jump shot and UE comes down and works the ball down low for a dunk and a 6-5 lead.

13:45 Tony Boyle catches the ball in the post and shows his nice touch hitting a mid range jumper. SIU leads 7-6

12:04 Evansville takes an 11-7 lead with two free throws from their big man. SIU continues to settle long jumpers vs the 1-3-1 zone.

Another 3 ball from Evansville gives them a 14-7 lead... ouch. Evansville has some nice three point shooters.

10:51 Here comes Josh Bone, hopefully he can provide a spark.

9:52 Matt Shaw does a good job drawing a charge. On the other end Jamaal Foster comes in a grabs a nice offensive board but the salukis cant capitalize. This is terrible.

7:50- Tony Young hits a three to cut the Evansville lead to 7. I cant believe we are down 17-10. Evansville is still in the 1-3-1 defense and they are taking away the skip/reverse pass on the perimeter. SIU must counter by getting the ball into the post and scoring on the baseline.

6:30 JT gets the ball kicked out to him for an open three pointer and he knocks it down. 19-13 Evansville.

At the other end Matt Webster muscles Jamaal Foster and get two foul shots- knocking down both of them. He has an unconventional shot that goes in every time.

5:34- Matt Shaw misses another three but Tony Young gets a HUGE steal after the rebound. He kicks to JT who hits a three in the corner. Its a 3 point shot or nothing for SIU tonight. Evansville has to like their chance with that.

4:21 Evansville's Matt Webster is killing us. He just caught the ball in the paint again and converted the basket. 25-17 UE.

Side Note- This Color Commentator for WSIU, CJ Smith, is the best color guy I have ever heard on local television. His comments are insightful and right on cue. He could be headed for bigger things.

2:17- Evansville is perfect at the free throw line tonght and they have increased their lead to 29-21. SIU is playing a 4 guard offense again with Tyrone Green playing Power Forward.

1:11 JT pushes the ball down the floor and is fouled. With SIU in the bonus JT hits 2 shots cutting the lead to 5.

43.5- Our best free throw shooter Tony Young misses TWO free throws. This is looking grim.

On the last possession of the half Evansville put three zone defenders to prevent a perimeter shot. JT wisely kicked to Tony Boyle who power dribbled and scored to cut the lead down to 5 points again.

SIU trails by 5 at the half and they played as flat as ever in the first half. Things have to improve in the second half.... right?

2nd Half

17:47- Finally SIU gets the ball into Falker down low, but he cant convert at the line.

17:11- Following an ugly Brian Mullins turnover Evansville gets the hoop and a hack.

I am going to quit live blogging until something good happens.

15:18- 42-28 Evansville.... looks like I wount be back until the game is over...

I'm back... and so is SIU with a surge lead by JT. 2 point game with one minute to go.

39:4- 3 SIU big men have fouled out... Green back in at the PF. Two free throws for Evansville.

The first is good, 3 point lead... the second is good 4 points.

JT pushes the ball and Falker is hammered. Hits the first 3 point game... misses the second.

Quick foul take EU back to the line, 68-64 Evansville with 30 seconds to play

Second is good also... JT answers with a bucket 69-66 Evansville with 26 seconds to play. Evansville can make free throws and put SIU away. Makes both...

Falker misses both free throws at the other end and thats ballgame.

Where is the team I just watched at SIU arena? Can SIU regroup for Creighton Saturday? Who knows... We'll be back later this week to preview the Creighton game.

Trumping Aces

The Salukis will head to Chris Lowery’s hometown of Evansville, Indiana looking for something they left behind last season… a win. Evansville ruined Lowery’s homecoming last year upsetting the young Saluki team 64-59.

This year the Purple Aces (9-9, 2-5) limp into the matchup losers of five straight games. Southern on the other hand could not be hotter and for the first time all year SIU looks like a “team”.

After sizing up this Evansville team I could only find two things they had working in their favor. 1) They have two extra days rest to prepare for SIU, not having played since Saturday. 2) They are 7-2 at home this year. Neither of these factors look to bother an SIU squad hungry for a road win.

The memory of last years loss will be plenty to motivate the players for this game. If that’s not enough to convince you there is one more motivating factor- the fight for playing time. In the last two games when Coach Lowery has seen a play not to his liking he stops, turns to his right and shouts for a replacement. Caught reaching in on defense? BUZZ. Your being handed a towel and longtime assistant coach Rodney Watson is tutoring you on your footwork.

Tony Young only played 24 minutes against Drake and he made the most of it. Young can feel the heat from Josh Bone behind him. Wesley Clemmons and Tony Boyle have been temporarily surpassed by Jamaal Foster and Tyrone Greene. You can be certain all of these players want minutes and they are on notice to perform at the highest level.

The tip is at 7:05 and the game will be televised on WSIU for those of you in the Carbondale area. For those of you out of range we will be live bloging for the game so stop by. Also, you can interact with other SIU fans anytime at www.salukitalk.com.

Check back later this week for a preview of the big game at Creighton on Saturday and check us out on the radio this Sunday! I will be on the Sunday Sports Show with Mark Bausch at 10am on WDBX 91.1. Tune in on the radio in Carbondale or on the web at http://www.wdbx.org/

First Place Salukis

SIU grinded out a 72-62 victory to get back into a first place tie in the MVC standings. Southern’s win and Creighton’s loss creates a three was tie at 5-2 with SIU, Creighton and Missouri State.

The bench players have arrived. The supporting cast came up huge to give the Salukis the boost that they needed in this game. Josh Bone and Tyrone Green both had the best game of their young college careers. Bone scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting and Tyrone Green kicked in 4 points and 3 boards while playing ten strong minutes. Coach Lowery ran a four guard offense for much of the second half and Tyrone Green was forced to defend Drakes best player Ajay Calvin. Green kept Calvin away from the basket and threw his body into Calvin to keep him off the glass when a shot went up.

Not to be forgotten is the play of Jamaal Foster. Foster came in and played 12 minutes and threw down yet another monster dunk. Clemmons and Boyle played a small role completing Southern’s new 10 man rotation.

All five starters played good basketball tonight. Tony Young lead all scorers with 16 points including 6 of 6 from the foul line. Matt Shaw chipped in 10 points including a three pointer and a monster dunk that sent the crowd into frenzy.

It was a fun game to watch and the Salukis proved they are the better team. With tonight’s win SIU improves to an astounding 47-1 at home in conference games since 2001. Now it’s off to Evansville to avenge last year’s loss on the road against the Purple Aces.

Trap Game?

SIU is coming off arguably their biggest and most impressive win of the year. The offense was going full throttle and the bench play was huge. Freshman Josh Bone provided a much need spark with two silky smooth three pointers and eight points overall. Bone did not appear to miss one three in warm-ups, it was just release-rotation-splash. He was poised and did the job when called upon. Jamaal Foster came in and threw down a monster dunk. Foster does not need to play a huge roll but he does need to have a few more games like this. Overall, the Salukis played near perfect basketball and methodically dismantled a deep and talented Missouri State team.

The Drake Bulldogs will roll into town on Monday fresh off their first win of the year in the valley. Drake topped Illinois State 70-66 in an MVC bottom feeder game that both teams could not lose. Drake, Illinois State, and Evansville are the three teams that can ruin your season if they beat you. To win the conference you must accumulate six combined wins (road and home) against these three squads.

Last time we saw Drake it was on the road and they gave us a good challenge. Eventually the Salukis broke away to win but it wasn’t easy. That experience might keep this from being a trap game for SIU. Even though we are a better team and have home court advantage the Bulldogs are not just going to lay down. Southern will look to improve their performance in a few key areas.

-Beat the press. Drakes press was effective the first time around and we will need to beat it for a few easy transition baskets.

-Hit the three. It seams like everyone has been playing us in zone lately. If the Saluki guards can knock down threes it will be hard for Drake to counter.

-Keep the big guys in check. Klayton Korver was shutout last time and SIU will have a great chance if they can keep him down again. Ajay Calvin played very well last game and keeping him off the glass will be a key to victory.

Overall the Bulldogs are well coached and prepared to give us a challenge. However, this SIU team looked almost unbeatable on Saturday and if that same Saluki squad comes to play on Monday night they will win their 11^th straight game against Drake at SIU Arena.

SALUKIS FLOOR BEARS 76-56

Fresh from leaving Evansville smouldering with a mega-ton 106-54 blast, the Missouri State Bears blew into Carbondale Saturday itching to mangle the Salukis. Because Southern had just come wobbling back to campus after nasty debacles in Cedar Falls and Peoria, Barry Hinson had designs on dealing the Dawgs a rare setback at the Arena.

Smart guys were saying "Bears all the way." Instead, the "Saluki Seven" rounded up their game in a hurry. Randal Falker ripped the Ozark Bruins for 23 and Jamaal Tatum netted 19 including 4-4 threes. Matt Shaw added 9 and speared 8 rebounds. Tony Young chased MSU's ace gunner Blake Ahearn over miles of Illinois hardwood. Though Ahearn put up a creditable 18, not another Bear reached double figures. Mullins, Clemmons and Boyle were in there mixing it up with gusto. The Saluki defense reached new and previously unattained levels of effectiveness. Southern's defenders sprinted from point to point with maniacal intensity, spinning their arms like the blades of exhaust fans.

The ocean of Maroon in the stands ROARED continuously. The athleticism of that kind of defending is truly a wonder. It's like slalom skiiing side by side at 90 mph. Foster, Falker and Shaw all blocked shots. Meanwhile the Bears had to sweat to get that 56. They were so hassled trying to hoist three pointers as to manage just 4-19 for .211. The formerly AWOL bench Dawgs seemed to be enjoying their PT for once. They outscored the Bears reserves 16-11. Josh Bone had eight and looked quick and decisive. Jamaal Foster rammed home a dunk and converted for an old time 3. The slam really wigged out announcer Mike Reis who yelled in the mike " FOSTER DUNKED IT !!!" with unbridled glee at least six times.

Coach Lowery spent the necessary time tutoring his men on how to attack zones in the last couple of practices. Missouri State alternated zone and man but the Dawgs passing was crisp and dribble penetration much more fruitful than noted lately. Missouri St is one of the best coached and formidable teams to battle the Dawgs in many years. I doubt there was a more hard-fought game in the nation on this day. The customary rematch in Springfield awaits. Finally, the gladdened audience rolled out the Arena doors into the chill and misty murk of a January dusk. Merchants of Carbondale would proper for hours to come. The Valley Rocks .
THAT'S TODAY'S VIEW FROM ROW TWO

Game #6 Mo State at SIU

Today is a new day and the question now becomes “where do we go from here?” Wednesday night’s loss against Bradley was a tough one to swallow. The Saluki’s awoke this morning to a 12-4 record sitting alone in 5^th place (3-2) one game back of the four conference leaders. Among the group in first place is Saturday’s opponent the Missouri State Bears.

For those who haven’t already heard Missouri State scored 106 points against Evansville on Tuesday night. Combine that with their recent 95-87 victory over Wichita State and you have a team that is averaging over 100 points a game in their past two contests.

Saturdays game should be an interesting spectacle for many reasons. One reason is the Salukis dire need for a victory combined with their superb home record over the last five seasons (71-3). Another reason being that Missouri State is almost an exact opposite of SIU. Let’s compare the two teams.

Offense- Missouri State runs a shoot em up offense and prefers to play high scoring games while SIU has struggled to get consistent scoring. The dawgs will work the shot clock and try to limit possessions.

Defense- SIU plays a rough and rugged man to man defense. If you can’t play tough man to man D you can’t play for Chris Lowery. Missouri State plays a zone and has given up some big time points this season. However, SIU has had documented struggles against the zone this year so this will be a key point to watch.

Bench play- Southern basically goes 7 deep. Wesley Clemmons has given solid if not spectacular minutes off the bench and Tony Boyle has shown some flashes of effectiveness. Beyond those two guys the starters are responsible for carrying the load, averaging over 30 minutes each. The Bears take a different approach giving regular minutes to nine players and not one player averages 30 minutes, not even all conference guard Blake Ahearn who leads the team with 29.9 minutes a game.

Blake Ahearn will be the key for Missouri State and he is one of the top shooters in the nation. Beyond Ahearn, 6-5 senior Tyler Chaney can shoot the three (31 of 64, 48%) and leads the team in rebounding with 5.1 per game. Junior guard Spencer Laurie is a Springfield, Missouri native and a stabilizing force for the Bears averaging 7 points a 5 assists. Spencer’s brother Shane Laurie is in the nine man rotation as well.

SIU must attack the zone if they want to win this game. JT had an awful night shooting at Bradley (2 for 10) and will need to bounce back. Tony Young has played a bit better lately but where is last year’s all-conference guard? Time is running out for Young to leave his mark during his senior season.

Saturday’s game will take us in one of two directions- down to .500 in conference play or back towards the top of the conference. The question remains “where do we go from here?” Saturday at the Arena the Salukis will have an opportunity answer.

Beat on the Road

Lots of things went wrong for Southern tonight.

The offense never got into a flow, committing 20 turnovers. When SIU did get a good look their shots did not fall. The final possession for SIU told the story of the game. With the game tied at 46-46 and just under one minute remaining, the Salukis failed to get an entry pass and had to settle for a long range three pointer from JT. The shot did not fall leaving SIU fans to wonder why we did not take an earlier shot that would have given us a 2 for 1 opportunity.

Same old story from the bench- Wesley Clemmons and Tony Boyle combined for ZERO points in this game. The lack of contribution from the bench players is unacceptable for a conference championship caliber team.

SIU barley got to foul line and when they got there they did not capitalize only hitting 4 of 9 from the stripe.

Zone defense confused the dawgs once again tonight. Coach Lowerys troops only play man to man- even in practice. When game day rolls around this team has had trouble beating a good zone defense (see: Indiana). Guess who plays really good zone defense… Missouri State.

You can give Bradley a little credit, they hung around in this game but they did not do anything exceptional to win. The bottom line is SIU just laid an egg tonight, something that you can’t do on the road in this conference. Better days are ahead for the Salukis but I would not want to be on that bus heading down I-57 to Carbondale tonight.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow including a full preview of Saturdays game versus Conference leader Missouri State.

SIU vs Bradley Game Thread

Almost time for tip off in a big road game for the dawgs. Bradley's website confirmed that they are expecting to play without their leading scorer Jeremy Crouch.

http://www.bubraves.com/

Instead of a live blog tonight, if you interested in following the game with other SIU fans head over to www.salukitalk.com to talk about the game with other dawg fans.

Check back here about 30 minutes after the game for a full recap before you can get it anywhere else.

Game #5 --- SIU at Bradley

First off... an interesting piece of news- The MVC passes the ACC as the #2 RPI conference in the country. The Valley’s 10 teams begin the week with a 74-27 (.733) non-conference record. SIU moved up again this week after a road win at Drake and a road loss to UNI. Southern now sits at #8 in the RPI.

Wednesday night's opponent the Bradley Braves come into this match up at 11-6 (2-3 MVC) and #36 in the RPI. Don’t let their 6 losses fool you. Bradley has played the 8^th toughest schedule in the nation (SIU has played the 12th). After losing both of their big men Summerville and O’Bryant to pro ball Bradley has changed their style of play. Bradley uses the three point shot to beat teams. They have attempted over 100 more threes than any other Valley team with the exception of Illinois State.

The problem for the Braves is that they will likely be missing their leading scorer Jeremy Crouch who has a sprained knee. Crouch was shooting a sizzling 49.5% from three point range hitting 47 of 95 attempts. Even without Crouch going to the Bradley Center will not be an easy task. Bradley is 8-1 at home this year.

Picking up the slack will be teammate Will Franklin who is shooting 48% from downtown in 101 attempts. Danny Adams looks to come off the bench to help pitch in from three point land as well. Adams is shooting 44% in 71 attempts this season.

Bradley's 6-8 Senior Zach Andrews will fill the lane with his 10 point and 8 rebound average.

Randal Falker on the other hand should be able to contain Andrews on defense. Recently the offense has been running through Falker as well. The game plan has been to get Randal touches and let him use the baby hook when he feels comfortable. If the defense doubles down on him he has effectively hit the open man, creating dunks for Shaw and open jump shots for the guards.

Bradley is a quality foe but they're probably not good enough to top SIU if Jemery Crouch misses this game. Look for Bradley to hoist the three ball any time they get a chance and also look for Bryan Mullins and company to be stepping on the toes of Bradley’s sharp shooters. Official Saluki Hoops prediction- SIU over Bradley 70 to 64.

SIU at UNI Live Blog

Early on both teams are having trouble getting in a grove, but Randle Falker is getting the ball and making things happen for SIU with 4 early points to give SIU a 7-6 lead early on.

With 13:01 remaining on the first half UNI puts together a 4-0 run with a basket by their 7 footer and a tear drop lay in by a freshman guard. JT answers with a running bucket of his own.

10:45- JT again with a HUGE killer crossover with the shot slock winding down. JT deaked the defender out of his shoes and the nailed the long range jump shot. sweet.

7:55- Matt Shaw gets his first bucket. Again SIU had nothing going on offensively and Shaw posted up, called for the ball, spun around and scored cutting the UNI lead to 15-13.

Southerns three point baskets are not falling, and we cant get anyting going on the offensive boards as well.

Shots are not falling for either team now. First team to 50 points will probably win this game.

2:58 SIU is shooting 38% to UNI's 53% and the game is still tied 18-18. A VERY good sign for SIU.

After another missed SIU three point shot UNI gets a runout and Matt Shaw sends Grant Stout into the first row on the foul. After Stout hits both free throws UNI opens up a 25-20 lead. A 5 point lead seams like much more in this game.

On SIU's last possesion of the half JT saves us again with a 3 pointer from his favorite spot- the top of the key.

After one last furious defensive stand UNI takes a 25-23 lead into the break.

Considering SIU is 3 for 11 from the 3 point line and only got 3 points off our bench (a Clemmons three pointer) we have to feel like we have a great chance to win this game heading into the second half.

17:02- Matt Shaw nails a three to end a three minute SIU drought. UNI leads 27-26

15:50- This entire game our guards have not went to the rack. Finally on two consecutive possesions Mullins takes it to the hole and gets the foul and the JT goes into the lane and gets the hoop and the hack.

14:49- JT breaks down low and catches the inbound to score again from the low block. It seems as if Lowery has told his troups that the long range shot is not working so lets shoot from 10 foot and in.

12:29- UNI guard Deet hits a big time three from the corner and this sleepy UNI crowd finall comes alive. After an SIU turnover UNI hits a quick bucket down low and SIU's five point lead is gone, along with all momentum. This game is tied 34-34. The UNI bench is killing us and our bench just cant put the ball in the hoop.

9:01- After UNI gets a wide open dunk, Shaw rattles out a three point try UNI gives it right back with a travel. This game is being pleyed at a slow and "measured" pace. 40-37 UNI

6:11- This game is slipping away from SIU. A defesive lapse followed by Shaws 4th foul and the lead is 7 points for UNI.

5:53- Falker keeps us in the game with a layup.

4:16- SIU trails by 8 now after a missed Tony Young three. Young forced up a shot with pleaty of time remaining, he wasn't even squared to the hoop. SIU's margin for error is zero.

2:58- SIU finally gets a stop on defense but UNI used all 35 seconds of the shot clock. Mullins gets the ball and races down the floor and draws a foul. He has a chance to cut the lead to 6 if he hits both.

1:24- After a long UNI possesion JT gets the ball and streaks down the court, he got ahead of himself and traveled. UNI throws the ball full court and dunks, this game is almost over.

48.7- JT goes to the line with a chance to cut the lead to 5. Hits one.

37.1- Falker gets a quick two, 59-53 UNI. Quick foul, Stout hits one.

27.8 Mullins passes up a three, while we are yelling at him he goes down low and hits a two.

19.7- SIU GETS A STEAL!!! Tatum passes to Young who clanks the three that would have cut the lead to two. He was wide open and missed....

13.8- After two free throws the lead is 7, and this time Young hits a three. The immeadite foul results in two more UNI free throws and gives them a 64-58 lead.

Tatum hit a meainingless three pointer at the end, but it was too little too late for SIU. Unfortunately we could not hit shots until we were behind the 8 ball, and UNI made enough free throws to hold us off. The bench play for SIU was dreadful and that was a key to our game today.

This loss is not a heartbreaker, SIU is still in fine position to win the conference and it is still very early. When UNI come to Carbondale they will have a huge target on their back. The Saluki's will be motivated to hang an "L" on the Panthers January 23rd when they visit SIU Arena.

SIU vs Drake Live Blog

All JT Early, Two 3 pointers and two free throws to give siu an 8-6 lead six minutes into this game. The pace has been quick and Drake has been able to stay in the game by pressing and trapping on defense.

Falker has done a nice job on the boards and he looks like he is headed for double digit rebounds again. 12:46- Falker pulls down the board and dishes to Young for a 10 footer from the baseline.

Drake is shooting the three every chance they get. They look like they are going to live or die by the three ball. Thats a good strategy when your overmatched.

Drake leads 16-14 at the 10 Minute mark.

Ajay Calvin makes a great play down the baseline for a layup and the foul. He looks strong.

Falker answers with a put back off a Matt Shaw miss. Drake still leads 19-16

The Drake press is giving SIU some trouble now. SIU just turned the ball over but got bailed out by a Klayton Korver travel. SIU needs to get some easy transition buckets by beating the pressure.

Drake's Grant knocks down two free throws for a 6 point lead with 6 minutes to play but Matt Shaw answers with a slam dunk at the other end to cut it to 4.

Southern just cant get a groove on offense and you get the feeling Drake is just one big three point basket away from busting a double digit lead.

Tony Young hits a three from the corner to save an SIU possession that was not going anywhere. Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings. Every time Tony Young hits a three an announcer says "Mabee that'll get him going"

Tyrone Green is not a very good player. SIU had a chance to shave down a 6 point lead late in the first half and Green commits a blatant "drop the shoulder" charging foul. If thats not enough for you SIU got the ball back with about 5 seconds left and Green abruptly coughed it up for a turnover.

Drake leads 30-24 at the half. SIU had a chance to cut it down at the end, but things could be worse. Drake just rimmed out a few three balls that could have put SIU at a big disadvantage.

The second half starts out fast and furious. Matt Shaw slams home two dunks to get things started. Drakes not letting up with their press though and their zone defense.

15:35 remaing a Brian Mullins three followed by a fast break layup by Young off a Matt Shaw steal and assist cuts the lead to one.

SIU has to push the ball when the get a turnover. The Drake press has been very good off of a made basket and our half court offense is stale. Drakes strategy has worked well.

JT nails a another three point shot and exposed the soft spot of the Drake zone, guarding the three point shot.

14:30 Another steal and another fast break layup for Southern. SIU leads 41-37

Southern has gone cold from the floor missing 7 straight shots, even JT has lost his three point touch. Drake takes back the lead 43-42.

Finally, SIU has some momentum. Led by Scoring, Rebounding, and a blocked shot by Falker SIU takes a 6 point lead with 6 minutes to play.

More Randal Falker, pulling down a rebound and fouling out Klayton Korver. Korvers line- 5 fouls, Zero Points. It's incredible that Drake has played us this close without solid contributions from Korver. Credit the Drake big fellas and the guard Grant, they have played huge.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! A HUGE Three pointer by Jamall Tatum and he was fouled! The shot clock was winding down and JT had to jack up thre three. He hits the free throw for a 4 point play and pushes the SIU lead to 5.

Drake will not go away and cuts the lead to 54-53. Being on the road in the valley is just no fun.

After a Drake free throw knots the game at 54 SIU gets the ball in what looks to be the games definitive possesion.

Jamall Tatum holds the ball as the shot clock ticks down to 10, drives the lane and kicks out wide to Tony Young as the zone defense collapses. Young had a look at a three but the remaining baseline defender made a hard charge towards him and Young made the composed senior play, kicking to the wide open Shaw down low. Shaw beats the shot clock with a lay up and the foul.

After the Shaw free throw SIU leads by three and Drake had one last chance. The Bulldogs looked nervious for the first time all night and never even got off a three point shot. After a missed 10 footer the long rebound is kicked to Falker who slams it home for a 5 point victory.

The Bulldogs fought hard but SIU holds on for a 59-54 win.

Game #3 SIU at Drake

Lets get right to the point, SIU is the favorite to win this game. Now before we just give SIU this victory lets establish that Drake is a competent foe and can not be overlooked. Drake is a Top 100 RPI team (98) who blew out Iowa at home 75-58. The Bulldogs also beat an average Iowa State team on the road.

Can Drake hang around with the red hot Salukis? Probably not. Drake is 0-2 in conference play losing to Evansville and Indiana State. Klayton Korver and Ajay Calvin will have to have big games for the Bulldogs to have a chance. Korver could be the most dynamic player on this team, but he is only shades of his big brother.

Keys for Southern

-Shoot the three. Drake’s MVC opponents are averaging 14 three pointers a game.

-Double team Korver when he catches the ball. Lets make someone else beat us.

-Play with the lead. Get ahead early and don’t let Drake back in the game.

SIU comes into this game as #11 in the RPI and has won 14 straight games against Drake. If SIU wins this game they will improve to 3-0 in the conference and move into a first place tie with Northern Iowa.

Official Salukihoops prediction- SIU over Drake 64-51. If your in the Carbondale area you can watch the game on MediaCom or listen on Magic 95.1. If you have access to a computer you can visit saluki hoops for a LIVE game blog. Ask questions or post comments during the game or visit us after the game to get the story here before you can find it anywhere else on the net! We’ll see you here for the tip at 7:05 Thursday night.

DAWGS ROCK SHOCKERS 73-68

Southern's practices this week featured bruised knees, busted lips, wrenched ankles , and three near fist fights. Another guy got bashed on the head. This was among partners. By Monday night Chris Lowery's growlers were after fresh meat. Wichita came to town on the wrong night. Zap. Southern opens with an 8-0 run. 8500 people in maroon are loving it. Falker is absorbing entry passes and working the pin and spin to perfection. He's got the baby hook with either hand going on. The Saluki defense is hurling itself about, facing up to the ball with dizzying effieciency. Drives are cut off. passes anticipated, baseline moves countered. and the ball keeps getting rerouted east and west. It's the Dawgs by 38-23 at the break.

In the crowd there is a congenial, nearly party atmosphere. But there are grizzled old-time observers on hand who grumble..this is Wichita. They won't panic. They'll be back.

We now fast-forward you to the second half. The officials, who nearly let the game get away from them in the first half, come out scowling and begin calling fouls for bad breath or casting shadows on people. The Shockers hitch it up and begin chewing into the lead. There's Falker on the bench in foul trouble. Here are the SIU reserves, running sets, but mainly bouncing it and staring a lot. Lowery paces and looks less than pleased.

Down to the wire Falker gets back in there and absolutely smashes a Wichita shot out of midair. Tony Young drills a clutch trey, and Bryan Mullins recaptures a potentially catastrophic backcourt turnover. The Shockers go down blazing, with some late threes, but Southern keeps burying free throws (19 of 22) and holds on for the ninth straight time in this series.

Southern nearly placed all five starters in double figures. Falker led with 20 and Shaw had 18 and Young 10. Mullins chipped in 13 and played a brilliant floor game. He's begun to develop the drive as opposed to the dish and has defenders guessing wrong. Lowery pointed out in the post game that when the Dawgs shoot 20 or more times from the line they are 9-0 this year. Wichita State actually dealt with the road-crowd frenzy pretty well tonight. P.J. Couisnard rang up 20 including four threes. Head coach Mark Turgeon did seem a tad irate and got T-ed up once.

Asked what the victory meant Lowery cracked , "It means we're 2-0 in the conference. " There will be other battles on other nights in other gyms, but if Southern learns to put together two halves like tonight's first one, even the stalwart efforts of capable opponents like Wichita won't hold them back. Now if the Dawgs can manage to survive those practices.......... that's tonight's VIEW FROM ROW TWO.

Game #2 --- Wichita State at SIU

I'm excited about this one. Tonight at 7:05 the Salukis play host to the 16th ranked Shockers of Wichita State University. Dawgs fans could not ask for more out of a Valley home opener. The arena will be packed to the rafters adding a 6th man to a potent Southern Illinois line-up.

The Salukis are a 5 point favorite and SIU has won 8 straight at home against the Shockers. Also, Wichita State started the season 9-0, but has since lost three straight games to unranked opponents, while dropping from 8th to 16th in the national rankings. Of course these numbers are slightly misleading, except for the point spread, which I think is the most telling. The three losses were by a total of 11 points. The Shockers were not at full strength in the first two contests and in the Valley opener against Northern Iowa, WSU held the Panthers to 29% shooting in the first half and took a commanding lead to the break.

These guys run a three guard line-up out there and try to keep the tempo quick. They have considerable depth in the front-court, but lack size down low. Kyle Wilson and Sean Ogirri are the scorers to shut down. P.J. Couisnard is the guts of the team, leading in assists and blocked shots. With wins over LSU and Syracuse, this team will come to play tonight.

In order to win, the Salukis will have to slow it down and grind it out. If this game is played in the 60's, SIU will struggle to keep up. If this game is played in the 50's, I think everyone would agree that the Dawgs have a much better chance of winning. Even though the Shockers have pulled off some big wins, this is still the same team from last year, minus the MVC Player of the Year. As I peer into the ether, I see a Salukis "W," but it's going to be close ... 57-54.

Now I've got to get in the car and drive from St. Louis to C-Dale. If I hustle, I might be able to hit Buffalo Wild Wings. There are worse ways to start the year off. As always, check back after the game for the View From Row Two and if you're watching through the "refresh" button on your browser, head on over to Salukitalk.com to mingle with other likewise rabid Dawgs fans.