With one starter going down the other four stepped up. Jamaal Tatum was unstoppable hitting 6 of 9 from three point range and pouring in a game high 21 points. The entire team was hot from behind the arc combining to hit 12 of 21 (57%) from downtown.
Tony Young and Brian Mullins played their usual stout defense and succeeded against the Va Tech pressure- where the Illini guards failed. In the exact spot where the Illini coughed up their huge lead SIU played it cool and collected, milking the shot clock, getting offensive rebounds, and never letting the Hokies pressure become a factor.
It was a turbulent start for SIU with Jamaal Tatum only hitting 1 of his first 5 shots from the floor. Even with the slow start, SIU's defense was good enough to hold Va Tech to a 15-15 tie with 6 minutes remaining in the first half. After Mullins hit a running layup JT caught fire and nailed three straight 3's to give SIU a 28-20 lead at the break. For a team that controls the tempo as well as SIU does an 8 point lead felt more like 16.
Randal Falker showed why he is the defensive player of the year in the MVC. Falker had some dynamic blocked shots in the second half and never allowed Va Tech to get established down low. The Hokies had to settle for jumpers and aside from a few great plays from Deron Washington they were never able to get into a groove against the smothering SIU defense.
Many have questioned Chris Lowery's "slow down" offense over the last 3 years but good luck finding one such critic today. The idea is to wear teams out on both ends of the floor and shorten the game. This strategy is especially effective for closing teams out late in the game when you have the lead. Many teams get a lead and become passive trying to protect it but SIU is accustomed to using the entire shot clock so it's just business as usual for the Salukis as they quietly put their opponents to sleep.
A perfect example of Chris Lowery's slow down offense came at the 10 minute mark in the second half of today's game. With a 12 point lead SIU burned a full minute off the clock by drawing 2 fouls, collecting an offensive rebound, and eventually scoring from the free throw line in the possession.
The Salukis are headed to the sweet 16! The major media has ignored SIU so far this tournament but they can't ignore them any longer. The Salukis will travel to San Jose, California to play the winner of today's Kansas/Kentucky matchup. The media will undoubtedly favor SIU's opponent but that won't deter this group of players. Give this team another challenge so they can overcome it- they wouldn't want it any other way.
