Aces sink Salukis 60-54

The Salukis missed opportunities for easy points at the foul line and had a hard time getting anything going on offense. The defense was probably good enough to pull off a road win, but the Salukis went cold from the field, and were especially cold from 3 point land.

Booker played big time minutes and flashed some of the raw skills that made him such a highly touted recruit. Booker's development will be key for this team going down the stretch.

Carlton Fay played only 13 minutes in this game. Lowery mentioned that he didn't like Fay's defense, but SIU needs his offense to win, especially with Dillard and Hare mired in a mini-slump.

Tony Boyle gets high marks in this game putting up 11 points and 9 boards in 31 minutes. The only blemish was his foul shooting where he only hit 5 of 10 from the stripe.

How good is Shy Ely? He ripped the Salukis apart in the second half and is a serious contender for player of the year in the MVC. The Aces have established themselves as an upper echelon team in the MVC and they're now a favorite to avoid a Thursday night game in Arch Madness.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Info. Dept

Mullins sets new record on 'play hard chart' in win over Missouri St.

Bryan Mullins was everywhere in this game, and his efforts registered a school record 22 on the 'play hard chart.' Mullins topped his previous record of 20, in a game where he also became the 2nd player in MVC history to reach 500 assists and 250 steals.

Mullins play was key because Ryan Hare and Kevin Dillard both had off-nights, combining for only 8 points. Hare in particular looked to be out of sorts, and only played 5 minutes in the second half.

Chris Lowery was pleased that his senior guard was willing to step up when the game was on the line. "Bryan has so much equity in this program, he has to take the big-time shots" noted Lowery. It wasn't just big shots though, Mullins played one of his best all around games with 13 points, 10 assists, and 5 steals... and only one turnover.

Carlton Fay got going early, running the floor and beating his man for some easy buckets. The Saluki big men as a whole were able to consistently get easy baskets down low, and racked up 34 points in the paint. Mo. State head coach Cuonzo Martin said he wanted to limit the guards in this game, but because of the play of Mullins, something had to give, and the big men for SIU had success as a result.

Showdown for the '6 spot'

The Salukis head to Evansville on Saturday to take on the Aces, and the winner will have the inside track on a top-6 spot in the MVC.

The Salukis have a quick turnaround after their game was pushed back due to inclement weather, and now have less than 48 hours 'til tipoff. Evansville doesn't have things any easier though. The Aces also had their game at Drake pushed back to Thursday night and pulled off a thrilling 65-62 win in Des Moines. There's no doubt it's a big win for Evansville, but now they've got a long trip back home before the crucial match-up with SIU.

Photo Credit- SIU sports info dept.

Salukis fail to close the gap at Illinois State

Tony Boyle and Carlton Fay put the Salukis up 5-0 early in this game, but cold shooting and defensive breakdowns allowed Illinois State to take control from there.

The Redbirds responded to the early Saluki run by running the screen and roll over and over again, and it was extremely successful. ISU shot 70% in the first half, which gives a good indication of what kind of looks they were getting.

Kevin Dillard got off to a slow start, but tried to help SIU make a run by hitting a three, making a nice dish to Boyle for a layup, then knocking down a long '2' in transition. The lead was cut to six at that moment, but then after playing airtight defense for 35 seconds, a bank shot 3 ball from ISU pushed the lead back to nine as the shot clock buzzer sounded.

The rebounding in the first half was atrocious for SIU. The 18-8 rebounding deficit was a big reason the Salukis trailed by 11 points going into the break.

In the second half Illinois State came out hot and stretched their lead to 18 right out of the gate.

Staging a comeback on the road is no easy task, but the Salukis certainly gave it their best effort. After a long stretch of solid defense, the Salukis began to creep back into the game. Bryan Mullins knocked down back-to-back '3's to make it a 59-50 game. Ryan Hare followed with a jumper that cut the lead to 7 points.

Justin Bocot also got into the action by hitting two foul shots, that cut the lead all the way down to 5 with 5:37 remaining. Bocot went off for 12 points in the second half, en route to a career high 14 point performance.

Unfortunately for the Salukis, that's where the comeback stalled.

There were too many traveling violations that killed the momentum at key times for the Dawgs to climb all the way back into the game. In the final minutes, the Salukis had multiple chances to get the game within two possessions but again went cold, this time sealing their fate in a 70-63 road loss.

Quick hits - SIU vs Indiana State

First and foremost the Salukis played that old school 'Floorburn U' style defense tonight. Playing a rugged style on 'D' allowed them to overcome turnovers and win a game in which they didn't play particularly well.

-Props to Dillard and Hare who went for 17 points each. These two players are no longer playing like Freshman.

-Ryan Hare is still going to the hole without fear. He's getting called for a few charges because of his aggressiveness, but that's 100% acceptable.

-Bryan Mullins has to take some heat for not stepping up and shooting the ball more in this game. However, this is one player who always finds a way to contribute. B Mull ran down 8 rebounds in a game where the Salukis had to have production on the boards from their guards. Another example of how Mullins always finds a way to get things done.

-Nick Evans looked awkward, and never got into a rhythm. Boyle and Fay couldn't stay out of foul trouble, and Booker is still showing lingering effects from a knee injury. Overall, it was a night to forget for the SIU post players.

-Does anyone else feel much more confident in Justin Bocot lately? Bocot showed off his hops in the first half, taking the ball to the rim and leaping above a defender to bank in a layup. Then a few possessions later he came flying down the floor and swatted away the basketball, preventing Indiana St. from getting a runout. The coaching staff agrees, saying that Bocot responds well to criticism and works hard in areas of his game that need improvement.

-Illinois State is up next, and it's a game where the Salukis will have an opportunity to re-establish themselves as a force in the MVC. In order to win at Redbird arena the Salukis will need to cut down on turnovers, and get better play from their big men. If the Salukis can get those two things, then their talented guards will lead them to a watershed victory this weekend.

Game Notes - SIU v. Bradley

- In the stands... The announced attendance figure for tonight's game was only 6500, but this was the rowdiest crowd of the year. I was sitting in Section PP and the folks around me were generating the same kind of localized field of electricity that you feel just before a street fight breaks out.

- On the court... It was a physical contest, but I don't feel that the Braves were playing all that dirty. I think the refs missed a couple of calls in the second half and the game kind of came unraveled at times as a result, but calling for a whistle on every infraction in this kind of game would be like barking for a flag on every hold in a high school football game. It looked like there was a foul on nearly every possession tonight and the Salukis were getting to the line more than the Braves before the final 90 seconds of desperation fouls exaggerated the free-throw figures.

- Speaking of free-throw statistics... excluding the California (Penn) and UMass games to start the year, the Salukis have won every game in which they have outscored their opponent from the stripe and lost every game in which they have been outscored from the stripe. Tonight, the Salukis won the game by 6, were +14 at the free throw line for the night and were +5 before the final 90 seconds. The trend continues.

- SIU closed the first half on a 20-5 run to open up a 32-17 lead at the break. The 17 pts. scored by Bradley in the first half was the second lowest point total allowed by the Salukis in a half this season.

- On defense... the Salukis forced 20 turnovers, including 12 steals.

- All five starters ended up in double figures for SIU. Tony Boyle was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field. Bryan Mullins had 7 assists and 0 turnovers.

- Carlton Fay (back), Bryan Mullins (ankle), and Nick Evans (torso?) all had play stopped while they shook off injuries.

- Anthony Booker had a couple of early career highlights, a screen-roll dunk and an acrobatic blocked shot, before leaving the game with an apparent knee injury.

- After Bryan Mullins hit a jumper from the head of the key to put SIU up 57-43 with 2:00 left, I turned to the perfect stranger next to me and told her that it would take an act of God to stop the Salukis from winning this one. She didn't believe me. To her credit, things did get a little closer.

MVC Standings at the 1/3 mark

The Salukis are in the #7 spot (2-4) with 6 games in the books, and 12 left to play. Usually, this would be a good reason to panic, but a sharp improvement over the last two weeks is a reason for optimism.

So here's how the standings shape up-

Bradley and UNI are tied at the top with 5-1 marks. The Salukis are already 3 games behind these teams, so it looks like a #1 or #2 seed in the MVC Tourney is probably out of the question.

Illinois State, Creighton, and Drake are all one game back at 4-2. Not much separates these teams from each other in my opinion.

Any of these top 5 clubs could win the Valley and I wouldn't be surprised. The league has incredible balance this season, and we're seeing that reflected in the standings.

Evansville sits alone in 6th place, one game better than the Salukis at 3-3. This is the spot where the Salukis need to be. Circle Jan 31st on your calendar as the Salukis head to Evansville with a chance to sweep the season series against the Aces. If the Dawgs win that game, they'll just have to match Evansville's win total during the remainder of the season to earn the #6 seed and avoid playing a Thursday night game.

Sure, earning a 1 or 2 seed makes your path to the semi-finals much easier, but there is hardly any difference between 3, 4, 5, or 6 seed in the Valley this year.

Regardless of their seeding, the Salukis will have to have to beat at least 3 of the top 5 teams in the current standings to get an NCAA Tournament bid. The only way that can happen is if the team continues to get better. There's no better measuring stick for that improvement than Sunday's game against a Bradley team that throttled the Salukis in a 16 point beat down just 3 weeks ago.

Sunday's match up vs Bradley- 6:05 pm ESPNU- (Dan McLaughlin and Mac McCausland)

Bradley (11-6, RPI #61) has been going to a 4-guard set at times year despite losing junior guard Andrew Warren (broken foot) for the season. While the Braves have 6 newcomers in their lineup, they're young players are not nearly as talented as Southern's freshman class. 5-11 guard Eddren McCain (6.1ppg, 3.6apg) is the only freshman that has the potential to make an impact, and the Braves will rely mostly on Theron Wilson and Sam Maniscalco to carry the load.

For very short stretches the Salukis could counter the Braves with a 4-guard lineup of their own. Unless the big men get into early foul trouble I wouldn't expect a 4-guard set for long though, because Evans and Booker are both earning increased playing time.

One key improvement since the last time these teams met, is the movement and spacing of the Salukis in their motion offense. Better spacing has allowed for more open looks, and the results have shown in the stat sheet. Look for more of the same on Sunday.

SalukiHoops Prediction- the Salukis even the score against the Braves with a 72-64 victory at SIU Arena.

Quick hits - SIU vs Creighton

First off, I'd like to say that was the most intense SIU game that I've watched on television since the Sweet 16 game vs KU. The Dawgs played the game at their pace and the loss was certainly not for lack of effort.

-The starting 5 for SIU continued to click. Lowery has pushed the right buttons getting these 5 players on the floor at the same time. It took some time for this group to come together, but the team is playing better now that roles have been established.

-The Creighton bench got lots of pub heading into this game, but the Saluki bench was better. Justin Bocot showed off his shooting range with some clutch 3's. Meanwhile, Booker and Evans did a nice job of holding down the fort while Boyle and Fay were on the bench. High marks go to the big men in this contest.

-Creighton was a double digit favorite in this game but the Salukis didn't let the game get away from them when the Jays went on an early run. This is an encouraging sign from a team that looked lost on the road just a few weeks ago.

-I seriously question the foul called against Dillard at the end of regulation. It looked like he got all ball on the play, which resulted in 3 foul shots for Creighton. Still, I don't blame the officials for the loss. There are lots of other things the Salukis could have done to win, including fouling earlier in the possession, forcing Creighton to take 2 foul shots when they were trailing by 3.

-Any way you slice it this was a difficult loss for SIU, but is anyone else feeling better about the Salukis' chances in Arch Madness after this game?

-You might have noticed a few minor changes at salukihoops.com this week. One is the display of the stat counter which we've been keeping for some time now, and with the support of the massive readership at Salukitalk we're nearing the 50,000 hit mark. So thank you to all the readers we've had since this site started in 2006, we appreciate your support. Also, we've opened up the comment section so feel free to drop in a comment, and chat about Saluki hoops anytime.

Dawgs Moving Up

Southern tripped up Evansville 70-63 at the Arena Saturday night. The win moved SIU closer to the thick of the MVC race.

After the excitement of playing against Duke and UCLA in New York, it's been a rough stretch for the Salukis of late. Kicking along dead last in the Valley chase as of last week, Southern, however, is now rapidly rounding into form.

The Evansville win was hard earned. The Aces entered the contest at 11-3 and conceded nothing all night long. In the first half coach Marty Simmons' club romped to a nine point lead, causing bewildered SIU fans to mutter to themselves- as has frequently been the case this season.

The Salukis, however, looked stern. The good kind of stern. Nine men on a mission kind of stern.

Suddenly the Dawgs close the half with a Wesley Clemmons buzzer beater from the left baseline for a 39-35 lead..and...nobody's muttering....

The nine men trod back onto the court, and they all score. Tony Boyle's jamming the ball. He racks up a double double with 14 and 10. Kevin Dillard nets 13 and guts out 34 minutes with severe leg cramping. He's on the court at the finish. Bryan Mullins gets his nose bashed bloody but logs 36 minutes, dishes out 7 more assists while adding 8 pts. Most of us see lights and hardwood. He sees blueprints of the stadium. Vectors...angles..........

Justin Bocot executes a 270 to make a highlight layup. Anthony Booker gets two and wants more. Fire in the eye. Good sign. Nick Evans and Carlton Fay battle to a draw with platoons of Aces in the low post. Advantage: Dawgs.

Wes Clemmons and Ryan Hare nail up 9 pts. apiece mainly by driving the lane. Hare manages it grinning ear to ear. More effective Dawgs. Cue: Band, crowd noise. Across the way Coach Chris Lowery peers through his wire rim spectacles and nods approvingly.

Whoops.... Here comes Evansville. They close to 64-61 until a Dillard layup makes the crowd breathe easier.

Post game show: Pesky Indiana State has derailed Illinois State in O.T. The MVC race is tightening...........

Next stop for Southern : Creighton, and 3 of the next 4 games on the road.

More tests and adventures for.......... Nine Men on a Mission.

THAT'S TONIGHT'S VIEW FROM ROW TWO

Game Notes and Summary - SIU v. Wichita State

The Salukis put all five starters in double figures for the first time this season and defeated Wichita State, 74-62. This was an impressive victory in a must-win situation.

The big men set the tone early (Fay and Boyle scored 16 of the first 18 points) and the backcourt sealed the victory with clutch long-range shooting down the stretch. This looked like a completely different team than we've seen this season, especially on the offensive end of the court where the rotation was crisp, players were moving with purpose, shots were taken in rhythm early in the possession, the post players converted and the guards slashed to the basket.

Individually, Ryan Hare led the way with 18 points and 8 rebounds. He shot 4 of 6 from the field and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the line. Carlton Fay finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Kevin Dillard got into foul trouble, mostly due to some shaky officiating, but still piled up 14 points and handed out 5 assists. Bryan Mullins had 13 points, 7 assists, and 0 turnovers. Tony Boyle got to the rack tonight... and FINISHED around the bucket en route to 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting.

As a team, the Salukis outrebounded the Shockers 31-17, which is an accomplishment considering the game was on the road and the Shockers entered with a +9 rebounding margin on the season. Also, the Salukis got to the line more than the Shockers and converted a higher percentage, resulting in a +7 margin on the night from the stripe.

The shot of the night... with the Salukis up by just one at 56-55, the crowd roaring, the Shockers on a run, and the shot clock winding down, Mullins knocked down a '3' that sucked the wind out of the gym and sent the momentum swinging back in Southern's direction.

The finishing touches... Dillard sent 10,000 Kansans scrambling for the exits with a pair of triples that put the game out of reach at 70-61.

Closing thoughts... The starters logged a lot of minutes tonight and the roles on this team are established. The reserves played well, but it didn't show up in the stat sheet. This team is starting to develop chemistry and cohesion. We might have to cancel those Thursday night reservations for Arch Madness because it looks like this team might be poised to take a big step forward.

Up next... Sat. 7:05 v. Evansville (3-1)

Where do the Salukis go from here?

The Salukis have an uphill battle on their hands if they want to avoid playing a Thursday night game in the MVC tournament.

Over the last three seasons the #6 seed in the MVC has gone 8-10 once, and 9-9 twice. That means the Salukis will probably have to go 8-7 or 9-6 the rest of the way to stay out of the Valley cellar.

Joining the Salukis at the bottom of the league after 3 games are Missouri State (0-3), Wichita State (0-3), and Indiana State (1-2). Northern Iowa, Drake, and Evansville are all three a notch above at 2-1. The Salukis would have to rise above their current spot and knock off one of the latter three clubs in order to secure a top 6 spot.

Northern Iowa and Drake have already won games at SIU Arena, so they have an early edge on the Dawgs. The Salukis best chance at getting out of the bottom tier will be unseating an improved Evansville club, a task that's not going to be as easy as it was in years past.

In order for the Salukis to have any chance at a top 6 seed, they simply must win road games. They need at least 8 more wins and they have only 7 home games remaining, so picking up a road victory vs the Shockers is a necessity. Let's put it this way- if the Salukis don't win against Wichita State on Wednesday, then SIU fans will need to make Thursday night hotel reservations for Arch Madness.

3 open scholarships for next season

When Joshua Bone left the team earlier this season, the Salukis gained the flexibility of an additional scholarship for '09. Now the number of available scholarships is up to three, and the Salukis have a glaring need for another big man to complement Fay, Booker, and Evans next season.

Earlier this week Lowery said the Salukis are "without a doubt" looking to add a JUCO big man, and have a need to add two big men and a guard. While it's difficult to find a truly skilled "big man" in the JUCO ranks, it's very possible to get a forward who has more skill than size.

If Booker and Evans can combine for 40 minutes a game next season the Salukis will basically be looking for a forward to come in when Carlton Fay needs a rest, so a 6-foot-6 JUCO with some athletic ability would fit the bill. Adding at least one JUCO would also make sense in regard to class balance, as Carlton Fay is the only Sophomore on the team this season.

Cornelius left team due to health reasons

Christian Cornelius clarified the circumstances of his departure today, in response to an email that I sent him yesterday. Here are the main points that Christian elaborated on.

-His reason for leaving is because of his health and a belief that it takes more than he can provide to consistently play at this level.

-He wishes that he could continue playing but that sometimes the pain in his knee would become unbearable when it came to playing in 2.5 to 3 hour practices that emphasize playing hard with great intensity.

-His departure is totally unrelated to Torres, and he has no idea why Torres left the team or what his reasoning was.

-He says he had nothing against the coaches or players and only wishes them the best of luck as they continue to get better and improve.

-Christian says he understands that when players leave a program it can never be viewed as a good thing, but he says he honestly believes that the defections can help the team by allowing other players to show more of their natural ability on the court.

In my observations Christian always played hard and kept a good attitude during his time at SIU. He was also able to earn a college degree during his time here which should be the main goal for all student-athletes. When a player feels that he's not able to compete at a certain level, it's usually best to move on, and I think this is case for Christian Cornelius and the Salukis.

Roundtree and Cornelius quit team via voicemail

Torres Roundree and Christian Cornelius both left voicemails for Lowery to let him know they were leaving the team.

Torres told Lowery that he felt that he didn't fit into the program. Lowery called him "a kid who's talented but isn't used to working hard and not used to following the discipline side of life on and off the court. We wanted to save his life, and help him become a better person. Unfortunately, he left before we got a chance to do that. "

The voicemail Cornelius left said he didn't feel he could play at this high of level, but Lowery said he felt that Christian could. He was playing the best basketball since he had been at SIU. Lowery is not sure if Cornelius is going to continue his career elsewhere.

I asked Lowery if he was disappointed that the players quit via voicemail, he responded saying, "They're young kids. I tried to help them and counsel them in the right ways and understand how you have to be in any program where discipline and academics are stressed. Am I disappointed? Yes. But I also understand that these are kids too."

Roundtree's high school teammate, Anthony Booker, was not made available for comment but when asked if he thought Booker would stay Lowery answered, "He's here. Booker's parents are very instrumental in his life, so obviously he's in a different situation."

Lowery admitted that the two additional open scholarships for next season increase the need to add a JUCO player. He said they "without a doubt" have to add a JUCO big, and went on to say they will need to add two bigs and a guard for next year.

He said they have never stopped recruiting and have been recruiting players as if they would have open scholarships for next year. "It's the dark side of any program, you don't want people to leave, but you still have to recruit at a high level."

According to Lowery, walk-on Brandon Allen will be out of action for the foreseeable future. Allen needs to have his knee scoped and his status remains up in air.

Lowery seems to think the departures help with the rotation and team chemistry. With the two additional departures the team is down to 9 active scholarship players, plus redshirt Tony Freeman. It's great that Freeman gets more practice time now, but if anyone else goes down with injury the team won't be able to have 5 on 5 practices... unless they give Tony Young a jersey.

According to Lowery the team's response to these players leaving is a private matter. Lowery told reporters that Bryan Mullins said the team does not need to address it, and if the players want to leave then that's up to them. However, the coach says there is an extreme level of disappointment, because the players had grown close to each other and when one of them jumps ship, doesn't give anybody a reason, and leaves in the middle of the night, that's something they don't understand.

Roundtree and Cornelius quit team

Two more players have left the Salukis after their home loss to UNI. Torres Roundtree left the team saying that he didn't fit in with the offense. While it is true that he wasn't producing big numbers offensively, it's difficult to believe that was his only reason for leaving.

Roundtree was suspended for the St. Mary's game for "violating team rules." However there was wide speculation that the reason for his suspension was because of a threat to quit the team. Now it appears that he's followed through on that and will no longer be a Saluki. The loss of Roundtree is unfortunate, but the presence of Dillard, Hare, and Bocot soften the blow of his departure.

Christian Cornelius didn't play vs UNI, but his departure is still unexpected. From my observations Cornelius always had a good attitude, and Lowery had previously expressed a desire for Christian to stay with the team. After working through a serious knee injury CC had played in all 12 of the Salukis previous games this season.