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.