The stars align for the Salukis

In a season that was far from perfect, everything happened perfectly over the last week for the Salukis.

Even the kool-aid drinking Saluki fans thought SIU would lose at Drake. At that point a top-6 seed was a long shot. Fast forward to this weekend... SIU wins a thrilling game against Wichita State, while Evansville and Drake both lose, giving the Salukis the #5 seed in the MVC.

The win over the Shockers was one of the more exciting games at SIU Arena this year. It appeared there was a bounty on Kevin Dillard's head, as he took elbows and shoves from the opposing guards early and often.

Dillard didn't budge though, and found Tony Boyle for some looks early and Boyle kept the momentum going with arguably his second best game in a Saluki uniform (the NCAA Tournament performance vs Holy Cross is still #1).

It was clear early on that the Salukis planned to get the ball to Boyle in the post. Lowery said after the game that he feels like Boyle can post up anybody in the league. Boyle was extremely active, pulling down rebounds and pumping in 14 of 15 free throws for a tidy 20-10 double double on senior night.

MVC Tournament #5 seed

Earning the 5th seed in the MVC is much better than the 6th seed considering the Salukis will go against Bradley, a team they beat 68-62 on Jan 18th, instead of facing #3 seed Illinois State who knocked off the Salukis twice.

The even better news is, if they can beat Bradley they would likely face #1 seed UNI (who has lost 3 of their last 5) in the semis instead of the current buzzsaw of the MVC, #2 seed Creighton.

The Salukis will still need to bring their absolute "A" game to have a chance to win even one game in St. Louis. However, Saluki fans have reason to be excited after a team that looked dead in the water just one week ago will head into the Gateway City with a chance to do some serious damage.

SIU vs Drake Audio Wrap Up

JUCO forward John Freeman to SIU

The Salukis have added much needed depth to their 09-10 squad by getting a verbal commitment from Vincennes forward John Freeman.

Freeman (6-5, 200lb) is averaging 14 points, 4 assists, and 2.4 blocked shots a game this season. He's a two time city player of the year runner-up in Indianapolis, and now figures to be a key addition off the bench for the Salukis.

Long and lean, Freeman is also a cross county athlete who'll have no problems getting up and down the floor. His combo of height and speed makes him an ideal candidate to come off the bench for Carlton Fay. Fay often has a difficult time guarding quicker forwards on the perimeter and Freeman seems to be custom made for such assignments.

The Salukis will probably still add one more big man to round out next years roster. Adding another 6-8 or 6-9 guy would give the dawgs much more depth than they have this season, fill some the minutes of departing senior Tony Boyle, and give them the option of redshirting incoming freshman Jordan Meyers (6-8, 230lb).

To fill that spot the Salukis might look no further than Freeman's JUCO teammate DeAntre Jefferson. Jefferson (6-9, 230lb) is a strong rebounder and shot blocker who has shown the ability to score, putting up a career high 26 points in a game earlier this season.

SIU vs Drake Preview

SIU had absolutely owned Drake before last season and have won 18 of the last 20 games against the Bulldogs. Wednesday night in Des Moines, Drake will try to turn the tables, and if they pull it off they'll have won 3 of the last 4 against the Salukis.

It'll be Senior night for the home team (televised on Fox Sports Midwest), and they've got 5 seniors that have seen the Drake basketball program do a 180, winning an MVC title during their run.

This is a down year for both teams. Drake is 7-9 in a 3-way tie for 5th in the conference. SIU is one game back at 6-10 and can create a complete logjam in the middle of the conference if they're able to win.

Can the Salukis get up off the canvas and pull out a road win against Drake?

The Bulldogs are on a 2 game winning streak that included a win at UNI and an impressive 3 point barrage in their bracketbuster game. Jonathon Cox will look to go from former walk-on to senior night star and I doubt he goes for anything less than a double double against SIU. Cox leads the MVC in double double's with 7.

Drake leads the MVC in free throw shooting and they've actually made more foul shots (436) than their opponets have attempted (415). They are also 2nd in the MVC in defense, only allowing 62ppg.

My prediction- Drake pulls out a close game on Senior night and wins 67-63

The wheels fall off at UIC

Coming into this season, it would have been disappointing to see SIU in a non-televised BracketBuster game, but for them to lose in that game is much worse.

Josh Mayo, UIC's 5-11 point guard, dropped 25 points on the Salukis. This performance highlights the decline of SIU's defense since Bryan Mullins' injuy. With Mullins in the game does anyone think a Horizon League point guard puts up 25 points? Not to take anything away from Mayo's performance, but I doubt it.

The problem for SIU in this game wasn't the offense. Dillard, Fay, and Hare went for double figures. The problem was defense, specifically from the perimeter where UIC hit 11 threes. At one point it appeared that the Salukis slipped into a (gasp) zone defense. I've been quietly calling for the Salukis to move forward with the zone since they've been playing with a short bench, so I'm glad to see this compromise by the coaching staff even if it didn't really work. In future seasons it would be nice to see SIU have a zone defense ready if they want to give opponents a different look.

Elsewhere around the Valley it was a near perfect day for the MVC in the BracketBuster. The only other team to lose on Saturday was the UNI Panthers, who are now reeling after losing 3 straight games and 4 out of 5 overall. Illinois State also lost on Friday, leaving the Valley with a solid 7-3 mark in the BracketBuster this season.

Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative

At times, I've cracked jokes about which looks worse, the Economy or the Salukis, but that is highly unfair. It's definitely the Economy. The Salukis are still showing occasional positives and greener pastures are much closer for the Dawgs than for the Dollar.

For example, last night the Salukis lost to Indiana State 78-72 at the Arena. The loss virtually locks up a Thursday night spot in the MVC tourney and removes nearly all chances of a post-season tournament for this year's club. In addition, this will be the first sub-.500 conference mark for the Salukis since the 1998 season and possibly the first sub-.500 overall mark since that same campaign.

However, Anthony Booker had a great game. He notched his first career double-double and it appears that he has supplanted Tony Boyle as the #1 big-man on Chris Lowery's depth chart. In addition, this year's freshman class (including Bocot) has been the most prolific freshman class in the program's history, in terms of offensive contributions.

In contrast, close to 600,000 jobs were cut in January, there is no end in sight for the monetary bloodletting on Wall Street, and we as Americans got collectively poorer by $877 billion with a few strokes of the pen earlier this week.

Personally, I think my investment in this program is a much safer bet. Let's finish the season strong.

It's time to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

Creighton Fallout

A lot of attention has been focused on the fact that SIU has a very young team. However, at this stage of the season, the age of the players should no longer be used as an excuse.

Two things lacked in the SIU vs Creighton game that have absolutely nothing to do with experience- lack of effort, and poor transition defense.

After watching the debacle against Creighton it's abundantly clear that the absence of Bryan Mullins devastates the team from not only a talent standpoint, but also leaves the Salukis with a glaring lack of leadership on the floor.

Lets take a look at the fallout from the lopsided Creighton loss:

Over at the Southern Les Winkler says the Salukis have hit a wall

Todd Hefferman notes it was a Valentines Day Massacre

The DE quotes Ryan Hare saying, "I just want to apologize to the fans because we didn't compete in the first half."

The Omaha World Herold notes that it's a rare win in Carbondale for the Bluejays

At Salukitalk fans ask if the team has quit, and vent frustrations in the post-game thread.

SIU vs UNI audio webcast

Dawgs Win at MSU

NCAA hoops fans not thoroughly familiar with the Salukis must have been puzzled Saturday night. In a nationally televised contest, there was this guy, wearing 23 in maroon, who was canning shots from all over the floor.

Justin Bocot, making just his second start for Southern, exploded for 28 points to pace the Dawgs to a 72-64 road win and a sweep of the season's series with Missouri State. Bocot nailed six treys and was perfect at the stripe.

The Bears had every reason to gnash their teeth. Just when it seemed like the extra-lean Salukis - minus the incomparable Bryan Mullins -would be easy pickings, along came Bocot. Guarding him was like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands.

SIU's 44-33 second half profit scrubbed a 31-28 halftime shortfall. Wesley Clemmons was busy punching up 11 pts. and snaring 6 boards. Having another productive night, Anthony Booker tracked down 9 rebounds and added 6 points.

MSU got solid scoring as Chris Cooks and Kyle Weems had 14 each and Cardell McFarland finished with 12. What's more, the Bears earned a solid 40-32 edge off the window and actually got 19 bounds on the offensive end.

Overall, however, State did not shoot very well from anywhere in this game and SIU managed to sizzle, hitting 19 for 21 ( 90.5) at the line, 9-15 (.600) from three, and 22-49 (.449) from the field.

ESPN-2's announcers commented repeatedly about how "physical" the game was, but MSU coach Cuonzo Martin said he felt Southern was quicker than he'd seen them before.

Vigilant SIU coach Chris Lowery spent the evening warily eyeing the foul totals to keep all his men in the game.

A squinting glance at the SIU bench appeared to reveal about 27 people in coats and ties and only a couple in basketball suits, but it must have been a mirage.

Eight men can't win in the Valley, can they? Maybe.

Solution to Saluki Manpower Shortage

What's the solution to the Saluki basketball squad's manpower shortage? Suit up a player already on scholarship.

Instructions:

1. Scan coach Dale Lennon's football roster with attention to tight ends, defensive linemen.
2. Rustle up some chalupas.... truck in a case of Rock Star....crushed ice...........
3. Hold meeting. CLo: "OK , guys, the reason I've asked you here today... is to see who's played a little basketball. Could I have a show of hands?" etc. etc. (ad lib).
4. Run'em up and down the gym. (Note who is panting excessively.)
5. Couple of shooting drills.
6. Issue spare uniform to winner.
7. Call press conference for introduction of newest Dawg hoopster. (photo op)

RESULTS:
A. Campus and fanbase embrace the "everyman" concept of walk-on hero. (Even if the new guy goes 6-5, 280).
B. Media scurries in with revitalized interest due to new angle.
C. "Everyman" catapults Bluejays and Bulldogs around like beerhall enforcer.
D. The occasional minutes "Everyman" plays spell vital rest for Saluki "Bigs."
E. Reinforced Dawgs win key game(s).
F. Fans roar. Replica team gear disappears off shelves at phenomenal rate.
G. Alumni Association racks up 3200 new memberships in 10 days.
H. Administration chortles. Rubs hands with glee.

HEADS:
NY Times - Hoops Revival at Southern Illinois
Arizona Republic - Gigantic Dawg Rejuvenates SIU
Minneapolis Herald Tribune - Valley Race Does a "280"
Cleveland Plain Dealer - SIU's Lowery Hailed as Genius
Djkarta Daily Indonesian - American Athlete a Phenomenon
Memphis Commercial Appeal - Big Dude Whups'em All
People Magazine - Heartland Hoopster Seeing Anne Hathaway
National Enquirer -....and Lindsay....and Kate Hudson... and...
Daily Egyptian - ...a sophomore girl from Lockport...
Saluki Talk boobirds- This guy sucks.

OVER THE AIR:
Mike Reis: "Wing right...down low...dribble drive...HE FLUSHED IT! aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr
Larry King: "Son, you've created quite a stir in the Midwest....."
Vitale: Dipsydunkababyroo !! Aiiiiiiiiieeeeeee (?)
Costas: "I'm not sure you realize the ramifications of your own selfless act of volunteerism."

THUS....... a problem solved. We return you now to your standard media outlets.

Salukis lose lead, and fall in OT vs Illinois State

The Salukis and Redbirds both had shooting woes in the first half but SIU took better care of the basketball and bounced back from a slow start to take a 25-17 lead into the break

With Bryan Mullins on the sideline there was a danger that the young guards would turn the ball over. That wasn't the case in the first frame as the Salukis won the turnover battle 14-9.

Wesley Clemmons gets props for coming out early and giving the Dawgs a boost off the bench in the absence of his fellow senior guard Mullins.

Champ Oguchi, who lit up SIU for 17 points in their first meeting, picked up 2 early fouls and was held scoreless in the first half. But after the break he put up 15 points, leading his team in scoring. Oguchi's size and ability creates a mismatch for opponents. SIU couldn't stop him the first time they played and had the same problem again in this game's second half.

Osiris Eldridge quickly picked up his 3rd foul after the break, but that didn't stop Illinois state from bursting out of the gates with a 12-4 run, tying the game at 29-29.

Anthony Booker then came through with a huge follow up slam to get the lead and the momentum back for SIU. Kevin Dillard followed suit with back-to-back 3's, elevating his game at the most crucial juncture.

Illinois State later made it a 2 point game at 49-47 with a three point play with just over a minute remaining, bookending consecutive charging fouls by Dillard. Moments later Dillard was called with a tic-tac reach-in foul, then after Illinois State tied the game with the ensuing foul shots, SIU was forced to play the final moments without their leading scorer.

Playing solid 'D', the Salukis were able to play to a draw for the rest of regulation, and went to overtime with the 6 players they had remaining.

Losing a late lead and going to overtime was deflating for the Salukis, and even though they put up a valiant effort in overtime it wasn't enough to beat the Redbirds who finished the night a perfect 19 of 19 from the foul line. Everyone will be watching these Salukis to see how they respond, and regardless of the "age" of these players, how they bounce back will be a true test of their character.

Saluki Hoops recruiting update- Threloff, Heldring, and Brust

According to their AAU coach Mike Weinstein the Salukis have offers out to three teammates from the Rising Stars. Jordan Threloff, Fred Heldring and Ben Brust, all from the class of '10, are considering offers from the Salukis.

Jordan Threloff is a 6-10 center from De Kalb high school and is described as a true '5' man who is a big time force under the basket. Weinstein said Threloff has already visited SIU, and said he really enjoyed his time in Carbondale. Northern Illinois, Illinois, and Iowa also have interest, among others.

Fred Heldring is a 6-9 big man out of New Trier high school. Heldring is starting to get attention as one of the top players in the loaded '10 class in Illinois. He has the ability to play in the post, as well as step out and hit a jump shot, and is now starting to move up in the prospect rankings. While Heldring is said to be considering his offer from SIU, there is also interest heavy interest from other schools including Northwestern, Ball State, and Davidson.

Ben Brust is a 6-2 combo guard out of Mundelein, IL and is described by Weinstein as "an absolute scoring machine." Brust averaged 17 ppg as a sophomore last season and has exploded for some huge games this year including dropping 45 points vs Libertyville earlier this season. The list of schools that are interested in Brust is too long to type but Notre Dame, Bradley, Butler, and Davidson join SIU on the list.

All three players were said to be very impressed by the way Lowery, Lance Irvin, and Brad Korn have recruited them. Brust was especially impressed by handwritten letters from Korn. The class of '10 in Illinois is stocked with talent and SIU is looking in the right direction targeting these three 'Rising Stars'.