Saluki Hoops

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2010-10-28T22:15:00.002-05:00

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Notes from SIU Media Day

2010-10-13T17:26:00.005-05:00

Chris Lowery addressed the media on Wednesday and had the following things to say:

- Lowery is confident that the team will get back to playing the way they want to play.

- The team is much more committed in the weight room, and everyone's commitment level is higher this year.

- He'd like to get back to a ball control style of offense.

- The new facilities have helped in recruiting, and it feels more like a home court.

- Working out with the football team was impressive to the basketball players because the football team was not just talking about winning a conference championship but a national championship.

- The current players want to do what's right and this group of players has not complained about the work they've done so far.

- Lowery says the biggest area of improvement will be defense and he says that during the last two years he watched other teams do the tough things while his team just complained, and that it's not going to be that way this year.

- The biggest adjustment that the coaching staff has made is to talk about Saluki 'culture' as much as possible. He went on to say that they have been ashamed of the 'culture' that was created during the past two seasons because they didn't have the personnel to play the way they wanted to play.

- He said it's very difficult to convince players who don't think that what you're doing can win games, which is crazy to him because that's why those players came to SIU in the first place. Lowery says he has no hard feelings towards the people who are not here any longer, that he's moved on and has guys who want to wear the SIU jersey and in the past when he's had guys who want to wear the jersey they've been successful.

- There is not an obvious vocal leader on this team, but the team has seen a lot of players leading by example in practice.

- The biggest on-court question is who will play in certain situations. The team has a lot of utility guys, like Seck and Freeman, who can do a lot of different things, but the #1 thing is that the players will play defense and that is what will ultimately determine playing time.

- Lowery expects to rotate 9 or 10 guys, so they can play the style of basketball they want to play. He said the team will not just be picking up defensively at half court anymore.

- The coaching staff has challenged Teague to show improvement physically and he has embraced that challenge. His mile time is down almost 4 minutes from last year and he weighed in at 288 a few days ago, which is down from 310 at this time last year.

- The team will not run a lot of sets this year and will focus on running the motion offense. There will be lineups where Fay plays as a 5 and Seck plays as a 4, because Seck's defense will make that possible.

- Lowery is not sure if he will redshirt Devonte Drinkard or not. Drinkard is still 17 years old and will not be 18 until April. However, his body is very mature and he is making Teague work in the paint.

(EDITORS NOTE- Drinkard is listed as being born on April 11, 1992 which would make him 18 years old. I'm not sure why Lowery is saying that he's 17 unless there is an error on his listed date of birth)

2011 PF Dantiel Daniels verbals to SIU

2010-08-29T22:40:00.011-05:00

Dantiel Daniels, a 6'5" 225lb forward out of the St. Louis area (Wentzville Holt High School), has given a verbal to SIU for the 2011 class.

Daniels has been dominating bigger players on the AAU circuit this summer, and may end up being closer to 6'6" or 6'7" once he gets on campus.

Honestly, Saluki fans should be glad that he's not two inches taller right now because he probably wouldn't have given a verbal to SIU this early if the high major schools didn't consider him a touch undersized.

It's impossible to project how Daniels' college career will unfold, but at first glance this appears be a low risk recruit who will at the very least be able to play the post and rebound against good forwards in the MVC. Check out the quick video of Daniels below.

This is the second verbal of the 2011 class for Lowery. The first commitment came from Treg Setty, a 6'8" PF that is considered one of the top players in the state of Kentucky. I have to say it's refreshing to see SIU get back to recruiting more high school players and less JUCO quick-fixes.

One more 2011 roster spot remains for Lowery and he has some flexibility, but I would recommend grabbing the best available guard. Will Sullivan is a SG out of York (Elmhurst) and is rumored be a target, but he visited Miami-Ohio last week and may wait 'til Spring to decide. I think he's hoping for an offer from Wisconsin or other Big Ten schools, but he'd fit SIU like a glove.

In the meantime Derrick Marks, a strong 6'2" shooter from Plainfield Central (IL), is planning an official visit to Carbondale on September 17th. Marks also has visits scheduled with Boise State and Colorado State among others, but if Lowery can get him to cancel those trips and give an early verbal then it would be clutch. Things could always change, but for a team coming off a 15-15 season, I'd have to say that the 2011 recruiting class is shaping up much better than I expected.

CHN ranks Salukis #127 in nation and #6 in MVC

2010-08-25T14:50:00.019-05:00

Joel Welser at College Hoops Net has his list of top 144 teams out and SIU comes in at #127.

CHN also ranks the Salukis #6 in the MVC which I think is a pretty fair guess. However, it's much more difficult to predict the Salukis this year because of the sheer volume of newcomers.

Key Losses are identified as Booker, Dillard, Evans, and Tony Freeman. However, he's quick to point out that this may be a case of addition by subtraction. (I would like to note that Tony Freeman was a team-first player and I would love to add a player just like him any time)

In his final CHN projection Welser thinks that the Salukis can exceed expectations if they improve their team defense and ultimately predicts a post-season invite to the CBI/CIT. While Kool-aid drinkers and boobirds may think this prediction is too optimistic or too pessimistic, I think it's right in line with what we all should expect to see this season.

In my view I think the Salukis will be leaning heavily on Mykel Cleveland at the PG spot and he'll need to play 20+ minutes of quality basketball if the Salukis want to beat this projection. If Mamadou Seck becomes an impact player then 18+ wins and an NIT bid is the new projection.

I also predict that John Freeman will be a starter and play at a high level, but the Salukis will need Jack Crowder to re-discover his scoring stroke to complement Freeman's strong defensive play.

Bench points can be hard to come by but if Crowder, Long, Watson, and Seck can all pitch-in off the bench the Salukis will be deep enough to finish in the top half of the conference or better. If this team gets hit by injuries or a few of these JUCO's flake out, then it might not be pretty.

Saluki Hoops Starting Lineup Predictions (minutes per game)
PG- Mykel Cleavland, Jr (22)
SG- Justin Bocot, Jr (26)
SF- John Freeman, Sr (18)
PF- Carlton Fay, Sr (27)
C- Gene Teague- So (24)

Bench Predictions-
PG- Kendal Brown-Surles, SO (21)
SG- Troy Long, Jr (9)
SF- Jack Crowder, Sr (11)
F- Ernest Watson, Jr (12)
F- Mamadou Seck, Jr (20)
PF- Nate Mitchell, Sr (6)
C- Jordan Myers, Fr (4)

Diamond Taylor**
Davante Drinkard***

**-DT will be sitting out 1st semester due to transfer rules, but he should be ready to play double digit minutes right away once he's eligible
***-I'm predicting a redshirt year for Drinkard

These are just pre-season predictions so obviously these minutes can, and probably will change. We'll be talking in more detail about all the newcomers, and all topics surrounding Saluki basketball more as the season draws near. In the meantime follow the Saluki Hoops Twitter Feed for instant updates.

Saluki Hoops Podcast 8/16

2010-08-16T23:09:00.004-05:00

Here's a 12 minute podcast about the Salukis out of conference schedule, the first home game vs Northeastern, and more.

If there is something you'd like to hear on a future podcast or if you'd like to call in and join a future show, just leave a comment below or email salukihoops@gmail.com

Click here to listen!

Competitive scheduling from an MVC prospective

2010-08-05T14:26:00.005-05:00

The Salukis constantly face challenges putting together a quality schedule. The idea is to ticket up with NCAA tournament caliber teams that you have a chance to beat, and also get a few of those premium match-ups on your home floor. However, getting both of those tasks done can be difficult for any MVC team.

Mid-major teams have to get their RPI up if they want a chance at an at large bid. There are a few ways to do that. The most conventional way to do that is to schedule games against other quality mid-major teams; the Salukis have done that in the past with games vs Western Kentucky, St. Louis, Saint Mary's and others.

The bracketbuster can also help if you are playing well enough to get a good opponent. The Salukis scored a game vs nationally ranked Butler a few years back and got a return game at SIU Arena for the next season. On the flipside if you aren't playing well then you'll get a poor bracketbuster matchup and most likely an undesirable return game the next season.

Another route is taking a "one and done" vs a major conference opponent, playing an away game without getting a return visit. The upside is that major conference teams will often pay schools like SIU for these "one and dones". The Salukis will get $80,000 for their visit to University of Illinois this season.

Paul Suellenthrop of The Wichita Eagle asked RPI guru Jerry Palm about the subject of mid-major scheduling and Palms says to be careful about scheduling road games with no return matchup. "Teams don't grab one of the 34 (now 37) at-large spots by playing the role of road loser."

Later in the article Sullenthrop gets MVC commish Doug Elgin's take who says- "We can't lose sight as a league of the importance of getting NCAA-caliber teams to play in our arenas".

Then in a related blog post, he digs a bit deeper looking at scheduling from a WSU prospepective. Check out the blog for yourself, but here are some interesting notes that also apply to SIU.

-Most of those at-large teams play in tournaments, play high-profile teams at neutral sites, play home-and-homes with BCS schools when possible and play other mid-level opponents.

-When thinking about scheduling, repeat this over and over: Coaches want to win. Road teams lose.

-Bradley coach Jim Les said the MVC-MWC challenge is good deal. However, he said the BCS conferences in challenge series cuts down on the number of those schools willing to go on the road. If Auburn is forced to go to Rutgers, it often isn’t looking for another difficult game.

The Salukis staff did a nice job getting a neutral site game vs Prudue this year. It's a game in which SIU will be a huge underdog but it's hard to complain about getting a high profile game at a neutral site. In addition they'll also get Wright State or Richmond in the same tournament. If the Salukis can go at least 1-1 in these games they'll get media exposure, a higher strength of schedule and an RPI boost.

It's never going to be easy for SIU to put together an at-large bid caliber schedule but I think I would have rather seen the Salukis take a 2 for 1 deal with U of I so they could get the Illini on their home court at least once. Another home and home series with Butler would be nice, but may not be a possibility now with the recent success of the Bulldogs.

Moral of the story- getting quality home games has to be the top priority for Lowery and his staff. Getting more good teams like Butler, WKU, and an occasional major conference team like Indiana to the revamped Arena will be critical for this team to return to a level of prominence.

Summer Saluki Roundup

2010-07-30T10:42:00.009-05:00

As the Salukiway project continues to progress, lets take a look around the web at recent Saluki news.

Jason Maholy of the Reporter Online says that Fay, Bocot, and Teague form an impressive trio and predicts that the Valley could be a two or even a three bid league this year.

Big Gene Teague has shed 20 pounds this offseason, and indicates that team chemistry will be improved this season in this WSIL TV video.

Diamond Taylor tells the Bolingbrook Sun that he's ready to make the most of his second chance. He also adds that he's added 12-13 pounds of muscle after redshirting last season (thats the good "freshman 15"). The article doesn't mention this, but due to his transfer date from Wisconsin, I don't think DT will be eligible to play until the first semester is over.

Over at the Southern, Todd Hefferman gives updates on the pro careers of Falker, Shaw, and Mullins.

Last but not least, the folks at salukitalk.com have redesigned their message board. Looks good!

Saluki Hoops coverage for 2010-2011

2010-07-29T13:57:00.006-05:00

Welcome back to the Saluki Hoops blog! It's been quite a while since I've posted here but I'm thinking of giving it another shot this season.

Last season, I shipped tidbits of information directly to the twitter feed (which you can still view right here on the blog) but this year I may get things back in full swing with thoughts on the team, interviews, links and other odds and ends.

Everyone knows that the Salukis have extremely passionate and knowledgeable fans. With Carbondale being in a smaller media market sometimes it feels like the Salukis don't get enough exposure to satisfy the rampant fanbase. The basic goal of this blog is to give the Salukis a little bit more coverage and allow fans to ask questions and get Saluki fans the coverage they want.

I realize its been a year and a half since there has been new content here so site traffic is light right now but we've had over 90,000 page views since the site began so I'd like to open it up for suggestions from any readers who subscribe to these posts via the RSS feed, follow on twitter, saw this post on the news feed at salukitalk.com, or otherwise stumbled back across this site.

The question is this- what would you like to see covered on salukihoops.com this year?

The comments section is open, and as I have in the past I'll always answer any reader mail at salukihoops@gmail.com. Let me know what you'd like to see!

Follow Saluki Hoops on Twitter

2009-06-04T17:46:00.003-05:00

You can now stay up to date on Saluki Hoops by following our twitter feed. Or for those of you who haven't caught the "twitter mania", thats ok too. Just log onto salukihoops.com and check the update bar at the right hand side of the screen.

Saluki Hoops updates from the MVC Tournament

2009-03-05T08:31:00.005-06:00

You can catch all the up to the second updates from the MVC tournament via the salukihoops feed at Twitter.

There's two ways to follow the action, you can follow the salukihoops twitter feed or just visit salukihoops.com and check out the new twitter sidebar that will post all the updates.

Also, don't forget to tune into the post game show on 103.5 FM ESPN radio after every Saluki game. I'll be chatting with host Phil Oskilanec live from the Scottrade center after the SIU/Bradley matchup.

The stars align for the Salukis

2009-02-28T22:15:00.013-06:00

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

2009-02-25T22:47:00.002-06:00

JUCO forward John Freeman to SIU

2009-02-25T13:03:00.012-06:00

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

2009-02-24T10:46:00.005-06:00

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

2009-02-21T22:47:00.004-06:00

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

2009-02-19T11:59:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-15T06:38:00.008-06:00

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

2009-02-11T23:30:00.001-06:00

Dawgs Win at MSU

2009-02-07T23:10:00.010-06:00

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

2009-02-05T17:50:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-04T20:00:00.015-06:00

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

2009-02-03T15:09:00.017-06:00

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'.

Aces sink Salukis 60-54

2009-01-31T21:34:00.005-06:00

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.

2009-01-30T00:18:00.013-06:00

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

2009-01-24T18:33:00.011-06:00

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

2009-01-21T20:56:00.005-06:00

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

2009-01-18T23:17:00.004-06:00

- 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

2009-01-15T22:04:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-14T23:35:00.005-06:00

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

2009-01-11T00:00:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-07T21:24:00.004-06:00

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?

2009-01-05T20:53:00.005-06:00

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

2009-01-03T18:34:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-02T17:07:00.009-06:00

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

2009-01-01T23:24:00.006-06:00

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.

There's no such thing as magic

2008-12-31T22:53:00.005-06:00

Over the past few seasons I've often mentioned "arena magic" on this blog. Tonight vs UNI, I realized there's no such thing as magic.

The truth is the Saluki teams over the past few seasons won home games because they played outstanding defense and finished off opponents with authority. This Saluki squad hasn't shown the ability to consistently accomplish either of those tasks, and that's why they're losing games.

Here are some notes as the Salukis fall to 0-2 in MVC play.

-Kevin Dillard was the lone bright spot vs UNI. 16 points, and 5 assists. The kid can flat out play.

-Carlton Fay had 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting. That's not a bad night, but I'd still like to see Fay take a bigger role in the offense. He has the potential to be a scoring machine.

-The Salukis beat the Panthers into bonus in the second half, then failed to get to the foul line and capitalize. Taking the ball to the basket and getting to the foul line would have given the team a great chance to win.

-UNI is not a great team, and they shot 48% vs the Salukis. This was a direct result of the Salukis not closing out the shooters on defense. The defensive rotations were slow and the Panthers got lots of good looks as a result.

-This was a game that the Salukis should have won. Improvements must be made if the Dawgs are to avoid playing a Thursday night game in the MVC Tournament.

MVC game #1- Salukis lose another road game

2008-12-28T16:27:00.003-06:00

After losing to Bradley, the Salukis are now 1-6 away from SIU Arena. It's always difficult to win on the road, but this team isn't showing any signs of life away from SIU Arena.

Often times this year we've heard the word "patience" in reference to the youth movement on this Saluki team. However, the older players must help to bridge the gap by showing the young guys how to win. That didn't happen today.

The bright spots in this game were Bryan Mullins and Kevin Dillard. Those two guards combined to score 32 points, accouting for over 50% of the teams offense. That alone is great production from the guard spot but the Dawgs need the big guys to get into the act as well.

Carlton Fay has to fill that void by becoming a #1 type scoring option for SIU. Fay had his 3rd straight lackluster performance vs Bradley, scoring only 7 points in 19 minutes. We know he's capable of more, he started the season on a scoring spree, showing off a lighting quick trigger and range from deep.

The Salukis have won only one game (vs NIU) this season when Fay has failed to score double digits. Carlton has to be more involved in the offense if the Salukis are going to finish above .500 in the Valley.

Notes from SIU/Western Michigan

2008-12-22T23:04:00.004-06:00

Kevin Dillard, Wesley Clemmons, and Bryan Mullins all got into a groove at the same time against Western Michigan, as the trio of guards were able to help the Salukis avoid another second half slump.

With the game tied at 29-29 in the second half, Wes hit back-to-back 3's (and just missed a 3rd one) then Dillard knocked down back-to-back 3's of his own on assists from Mullins.

Justin Bocot stepped up as well, playing 16 minutes and hitting 3 of 6 for 6 points while showing good progress on 'D'.

The increased faith in Bocot and Dillard allowed Lowery to play a lineup of all first year players during a stretch late in the second half.

Dillard, Bocot, Roundtree, Booker, and Evans composed the "first year five" that provided quality minutes while Mullins, Clemmons, and Boyle got a quick rest before returning for the stretch run.

So that wraps up the non-conference season (with the exception of bracket buster later this year) and the Salukis are 5-6 heading into conference play.

Somehow I think I'd feel much better if the team was 6-5, with the only difference being the home loss to Charlotte. Those are the types of games the Salukis will have to win at home to finish towards the top of the MVC. On the road in this conference, nothing comes easy. The Dawgs will face their first MVC road test vs Bradley on Sunday, in a game that will be a good indication of whether or not SIU can be a contender in the Valley.

Salukis Smacked Around By Gaels

2008-12-20T19:07:00.013-06:00

The first twenty minutes of tonight's game were uniformly positive for the Salukis and it appeared that the heavily favored St. Mary's Gaels would be put to the test. SIU led by as many as 9 in the first half and carried a 31-27 lead into the intermission.

However, the second twenty minutes was an absolute mess. The Salukis came out flat and St. Mary's hit on all cylinders. The final deficit was thirteen points, 65-52, but the issue was never in doubt. The Gaels were up by as many as 22 in the second half.

As bad as that sounds, there were still some bright spots for the Salukis. Ryan Hare finished with 14 points and Kevin Dillard was en route to a big game until foul trouble landed him on the bench late in the first half.

The rest was middling at best. St. Mary's struggled from the field (39%), but they managed to rack up 22 points from the line. Patrick Mills was limited to 5 pts in the first half, but picked it up and finished with 16.

After an implosion of this magnitude, fingers could be pointed, but this was a team loss. Collectively, there was a 10 minute scoring drought in the second half and the Salukis shot just 27% from the floor. On the glass, SIU was outrebounded by 15 tonight.

The bottom line... St. Mary's was a superior basketball team and this was a comprehensive defeat. This team has got to play 40 minutes of basketball. Plenty of potential remains for this season and I am optimistic, but tonight was a very tough loss.

Notes from the SIU/NIU matchup

2008-12-17T23:35:00.011-06:00

It was nice for Dillard, Hare, and Mullins to get to play a "home game" in the Chicago area.

For Bryan Mullins' family and friends it was just a short trip west on I-88 to see the senior from Downers Grove put on a ball handling clinic in DeKalb.

SIU has such a strong Alumni base in the northern part of the state, it only makes sense for the Dawgs to take their show on the road for the upstate fans at least once each year. While NIU isn't the best of opponents, the Salukis were in desperate need of any road win they could get.

In future seasons a matchup with DePaul might prove to be more beneficial, but for this year a game against less than stellar competition was just what the doctor ordered.

NIU Head Coach Ricardo Patton would like to get another crack at the Salukis even though he acknowledges that the two programs aren't on the same level competitively. "We saw where each of the programs stands at this point. My only wish is that we continue the series (against SIU)."

The Salukis were able to get out in transition against the Huskies, and for the first time in weeks, Kevin Dillard seemed to find his MoJo.

Pushing the ball and keeping the intensity was not a problem for Lowery, who shuffled all 11 guys into the rotation. Each time the Huskies tried to get back into the game someone stepped up and threw water on the fire by knocking down a jumper.

The Salukis were given easy looks at the basket all night and ended up shooing nearly 60% from the floor. While it's a positive sign that these young Dawgs are capable of lighting up the scoreboard its also important to remember that their Huskie counterparts just weren't very good.

photo credit- SIU sports information dept.

Nevada Knockout- Salukis fall out West

2008-12-14T22:15:00.007-06:00

While it wasn't exactly a prize fight the Salukis were able to trade punches with the Wolfpack until a scoreless drought in the last 4+ minutes of the game left them on the canvas for good.

Offensive identity is now a serious concern for the Dawgs, who never got over the hump after a 9 minute scoreless stretch early in the second half.

Mullins, Fay, and Boyle all pitched in on offense with double digit output, but Clemmons, Hare, Dillard, and Roundtree combined to score only 5 points in 77 minutes of play. Finding a way to fix these offensive woes will be Lowery's biggest challenge of this season, and quite possibly of his career.

Northern Illinois is next and while it is a road game, it's still a game the team needs to win if they're going to turn this season around.

Where are they now? Shaw, Falker, and Tatum

2008-12-09T13:48:00.013-06:00

With the current Saluki squad out of action this week for final exams, it's a good time to check in on three recent Salukis who are now playing for a paycheck.

Matt Shaw- U.B. La Palma (Spain)

Shaw is playing in the Spanish League, averaging 7.2 points per game for U.B. La Palma. He posted season high 16 points, hitting 3 of 3 from downtown on November 14th.

Unfortunately, he's been sidelined due to injury since November 22nd. The La Palma team blog indicates that it's a back injury and that he has received an MRI, but it's unclear exactly how long he'll be out. The good news is that Shaw has established himself as a valuable player for La Palma so he should be able to continue a pro career if he chooses to do so.

Randal Falker- Cholet (France)

First off Randal writes a personal blog that you've gotta check out. In his blog posts he talks about his trip to France (and getting lost when he got there), cultural differences, and the day he realized that basketball had become a "job". Those who had a chance to meet Randal know he's an entertaining and happy go lucky guy, which shows through in his blog.

Falker's team Cholet Basket, is currently in 14th place (out of 16 teams), but he's been able to contribute with an average of 7 points and 7 boards. Falker was voted team MVP for the month of October.

Jamaal Tatum- Idaho Stampede

Tatum, who also has his own website, signed a non-guaranteed NBA contract with Portland back in August but didn't make the final cut. Now Tatum is playing in the NBA Developmental league with the Blazers affiliated team, the Idaho Stampede.

JT is coming off the bench for the Stampede but he's still playing 30 minutes a game and averaging 16 points. After missing all of last season with an ankle injury, he will continue to develop his point guard skills and hope for a shot on an NBA roster.

Dawgs Kayoed Late

2008-12-06T20:48:00.004-06:00

Two free throws by An'Juan Wilderness, plus six second half threes by Ian Andersen vaulted the Charlotte 49ers over SIU 66-64 on Saturday at the Arena.

The game was similar to a dock brawl throughout. Them most furious combat took place around the blocks with Tony Boyle, and wingman Carlton Fay taking on all comers. The 49ers Charlie Coley III and sidekicks Lamont Mack, Wilderness and others waded in with gusto.

Boyle closed for the Dawgs with a double double, (13 pts. and 12 rebs.) and Fay piled up 12 and 6. Meanwhile, Bryan Mullins added 13 pts. and Wes Clemmons sizzled home 12 on four threes. All nine Dawgs who played scored.

Charlotte was smarting from six consecutive reverses and so arrived revved up for action. The Niners were able to shoulder their way past Saluki perimeter defenders and push short passes into the lane for 5 footers.

Although the Salukis stalled LaMont Mack with just 2 pts, Ian Anderen bounded off the bench to get 18 on 6 threes, as Wilderness added 17.

The contest was knotted 11 times and there were eight lead changes.

Bryan Mullins was everywhere at once. A camera isolated on him in real time would have looked like it was jammed on fast forward. Regretably, when Mullins was in foul trouble or getting a breather, the Dawgs struggled against multiple Niners defenses.

Southern led 32-31 at half, and had a 62-58 lead with just over 2 minutes remaining. Charlotte soon drew even on Andersen's final three. With 23 sec. left the Niners again took possession.
A whistle screamed and Wilderness cooly plopped the winning free throws through the cords.

Still...... the clock glared 0:04. The crowd stood.......

Unfortunately, the Dawgs botched the inbound play as time evaporated.

Next up for the Salukis (3-4) is a Sun. Dec. 14 road game at Nevada at 5:05 CST.

Photo Credit- SIU sports information dept

Carolina Storm Warning

2008-12-06T08:21:00.002-06:00

If the SIU Arena has any windows, somebody better board em up quick.

The Charlotte 49ers blow into town this afternoon. They're hungry to break a six game skid, and have a 6-1 record, all time against the Salukis.

The 49'ers (1-6) opened with a win over UNC Greensboro. Since then they've lost one game by 1, two by 2 and one in overtime. Coach Bobby Lutz has a 3-1 career mark against Southern including a rare win at the Arena on Jan. 2, 2004. That's only one of five SIU home defeats in the last 101 contests.

Last year Charlotte smacked the Dawgs around 71-56, including a 20-0 mid-game run.

This year's 49ers figure to get back on track pretty soon. They aim to start today.

Charlotte features a pair of 6-7 senior forwards, Charlie Coley III and Lamont Mack. Mack's the team's leading scorer (12.4) and Coley is the top rebounder (6.6) . He nabbed 11 against both Clemson and Arizona State. Rim punishing dunks are CC's specialty. 6-6 Soph. forward An'Jaun Wilderness (9.9, 3.7 boards) will also be a factor below the blocks.

The Niner attack is balanced. Seven different men have already posted double figures on offense and six have lead the squad in scoring.

Charlotte's reserves contribute over 20 points a game and posted 33 vs. Clemson. Sixth man Ian Anderson, a 6-4 Jr. guard, leads with 10.4

The 49ers have averaged over eight steals a game. Chief culprit: 5-9 Jr. guard DiJuan Harris.

Coach Chris Lowery's team showed marked effectiveness on the defensive end vs. SLU. SIU will look to play with control and keep the game in the 60's. The Salukis have the personnel to match Charlotte. Big versus big will be the difference.

When Duke had 40 made free throws Southern sagged. SIU's 27-31 at the line sank St. Louis. So we'll go with the stat line for free throws as the determiner today in a close one.

SIU 69 Charlotte 67.

Game time is 1:05.

SOUTHERN SENDS BILLS PACKING

2008-12-03T01:15:00.005-06:00

St. Louis University coach Rick Majerus had heard all about SIU's trademark defensive intensity. He'd heard about the hustle, the sound positioning and layers of coverage. He heard it was all a memory.

But he heard wrong.

Southern pounced on SLU and dished out a 64-48 setback on Tuesday night. The win, which squared the SIU record at 3-3 , was proof the Dawgs are starting to comprehend the "Lowery Doctrine" of 40 minutes of manic defense.

So thoroughly bewildered were the visiting Billikens by the speeding Salukis that they were stuck on 2 on the scoreboard after more than nine minutes into the contest.

While the Southern defense was holding sway, Lowery craftily used his reserves to good advantage. SIU's subs outscored SLU's 30-9 on the night. In fact, senior guard Brian Mullins commented that it really didn't make much difference which five men SIU had out there at any one time.

Carlton Fay led the Dawgs with 17, including a perfect 12 for 12 at the line. Kevin Dillard had nine off the bench, followed by Christian Cornelius (7) and Wes Clemmons (6).

Southern led 24-16 at intermission, but the Bills crept to within 24-20 in the early going of the second half. From there on out it was all Salukis. Southern led by 23 at one point partially propelled by a 27 for 31 (.871) performance from the free throw line.

Senior guards Kevin Lisch (13) and Tommie Liddell III (12) paced the Billikens who dropped to 2-4 on the year.

SIU posted a 30-24 edge on the boards. Fay had 6 for Southern while Liddell III led SLU with 5.

Snapshot highlights of the night: 1.) Wesley Clemmons buzzer beater to end the first half. 2). Kevin Dillard's laser pass for an assist 3) Christian Cornelius' slick drive for a left handed lay-up 4.) Three Dawg pileup at midcourt pursuing loose ball.

Next up for the Salukis: Charlotte comes calling at the Arena on Saturday for a 1:05 game.

That's tonight's VIEW FROM ROW TWO.

Photo Credit- SIU sports information dept

Salukis lose first true road game, 79-70

2008-11-26T21:23:00.006-06:00

The Salukis looked sleepy at times in a lackluster performance, falling behind by 17 points, and they were never able to get all the way back in this game.

The big men did not play well at all. Boyle was limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble (I'm thinking of copying that phrase to my clipboard so I don't have to re-type it in every post). Booker looked completely lost on offense, which is puzzling considering his level of ability.

Carlton Fay went quiet in the second half, scoring just one field goal, and that came when the contest was already out of reach. Fay could get away with tentative play last season, but this year the Salukis are actually running plays for him, and he has to be willing to shoot the ball at all times.

Speaking of disappearing acts, where was Wesley Clemmons in this game? Ryan Hare could very well take his spot in the starting lineup when the Salukis play St. Louis next Tuesday.

Still, the Saluki put up 70 points behind Ryan Hare's career and team high 16. Outside of Hare, there was not a lot of bright spots in the guard play, either. Western Kentucky basically got whatever kind of shot they wanted, shooting nearly 50% from the field.

Bottom line - the Salukis are way too talented to fall behind by 17 at any point vs. a rebuilding Western Ky squad. Defensive breakdowns are the reason for the loss. Scoring 70 points should be enough to get a win, but that was not the case tonight.

This will probably not be the last tough road loss these young Salukis suffer, but they have to understand that playing a fairly close game against Duke and UCLA doesn't mean you're going to automatically dominate less talented teams.

Key Facts - SIU vs Western Kentucky

2008-11-25T20:33:00.009-06:00

- The Hilltoppers graduated three seniors that accounted for 60% of their scoring a year ago, including Courtney Lee, the 22nd pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

- Western Kentucky is fresh off of a 28-point loss to Murray State.

- Southern Illinois has won each of the last 3 meetings against WKU and 6 of the last 7, overall.

- Head coach Ken McDonald is in his first year, after former head coach Darrin Horn took the 2007-2008 squad to the Sweet 16 and then left for South Carolina.

- A.J. Slaughter leads the Hilltoppers in scoring at 15.0 ppg. Last year, he tallied 16 against the Salukis at the Arena.

The Hilltoppers are one of the top mid-major programs in the Midwest, partially because they have the facilities and fan base to be successful. Renovated in 2003, E.A. Diddle Arena has seating for 7,500 including 16 luxury suites. Toss in brand new locker rooms, two practice courts, an academic advisement center, and state of the art video replay screens and you can see how they can attract top level talent to their program. While this may be a down year for the Hilltoppers, they'll still be hyped for the Salukis, so don't expect anything to come easy for the Dawgs.

You can catch the action from Carbondale on the MediaCom broadcast, Wednesday night at 7pm.

Nick Evans out 4-6 weeks with broken wrist

2008-11-24T15:13:00.004-06:00

Saluki center Nick Evans will likely miss the rest of the non-conference season with a broken wrist suffered in Friday's loss to UCLA.

Evans, who was a bit of a question mark coming into the season, has played well so far and his inside presence will be missed. The 6'11'' big man from Carbondale was pulling down lots of rebounds and showed some basic scoring ability in his short tenure with the Dawgs.

Tony Boyle could see increased minutes, except his playing time will still be dictated by his ability to stay out of foul trouble. As a result, Anthony Booker and Christian Cornelius will have to take on an increased role in the post until Evans can return.

Taking a look at the calendar, it would be nice to have Evans back when conference play begins on the road vs Bradley on Dec 28th. While the loss of Evans is disappointing, it's encouraging to see that he's played so well, that the Salukis will actually miss him while he out.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Notes on the Saluki loss to UCLA

2008-11-21T23:13:00.005-06:00

For the second day in a row the Salukis stayed close with their opponent until late in the second half when the game got out of hand. UCLA had too much talent and an inexperienced SIU club couldn't stop the bleeding during a 20-2 run that sealed the deal for the Bruins.

This 0-2 outcome in NYC doesn't really hurt the Salukis in the RPI, but it does show the Dawgs have a long way to go to be considered a top 25 caliber team.

Post play will need to improve for the Salukis. Tony Boyle didn't have a good trip and Nick Evans fouled out in just 14 minutes against the Bruins. These two players will have to step up against teams with really good big men.

This team has loads of talent, but the 6 newcomers have to grow up quick. Kevin Dillard had 6 turnovers and only 2 assists. His creativity is impressive, but the Bruins had loads of points off turnovers... so valuing the ball will continue to be a point of emphasis.

On a brighter note Ryan Hare showed some good things in this game and he'll continue to get big playing time (25 mins vs UCLA) as long as he is giving the team a boost the way he did vs the Bruins.

After watching the Duke/Michigan game it's clear that the Salukis would have matched up much better against the Wolverines. Unfortunately the Salukis didn't get a chance to prove it and ended up leaving New York with two lopsided losses. There's no shame in losing to Duke and UCLA especially away from home, but they'll need to shake the hangover quick and get a win at Western Kentucky in order to get their season back on track.

Losing to Duke is like a 40 degree day

2008-11-21T11:35:00.001-06:00

Sure they're ranked #5 in the country, and yes it was a good game for 32 minutes. That's good... That's like a 40 degree day.

Nobody has anything good to say about a 40 degree day. Fifty? Fifty will bring a smile to your face. Sixty? It's time to break out the barbecue grill. Go down to 20? Everyone's complaining. But 40, nobody cares about 4o, nobody remembers 40. Losing to Duke by 25 is like a 40 degree day.

The Salukis shot a lackluster 12 of 19 (63%) from the line in this game but they were outscored at the stripe by 28 points which was the difference in this game. The Blue Devils hit 40 of 47 (85%) from the line. It would not be accurate to say that the Blue Devils shot more foul shots because of the officiating either. The Devils took the ball to the hoop and drew fouls, that's why they got to the line, and that's why they won the game.

The Salukis lack of experience in these types of games was evident in the second half. Once the battle tested Duke squad took control with 8 minutes remaining, they never looked back.

The Salukis can still come home happy with a win on Friday. Tony Boyle will need to regroup and pull down some rebounds on Friday. Clemmons and the rest of the guards will need to make a bigger contribution.

Before the UMass game Chris Lowery said his team had to get better in less than 24 hours and they were up to the task. Friday in New York we'll see if the Salukis can do it again.

Mullins interview and Sagarin based expectations

2008-11-20T09:40:00.012-06:00

Bryan Mullins talks about motivating the team in the locker room, the transition game, valuing the basketball, and determining defensive assignments.

Jeff Sagarin has Duke No. 3 and SIU No. 35 in his ratings.

Our staff has put together the following probabilities and projections based on those ratings, among other things.

Duke wins in rout: 25 % (85-63)

Duke wins by 7-10: 45% ( 81-72)

Duke by a whisker: 15% (69-66)

SIU squeaks one out: 13% (68-66)

SIU wins big: 2% (70-61)

This is the first true test away from SIU Arena for the Saluki newcomers. Not exactly an easy environment to get your feet wet. If the Salukis expect to win they'll have to play at the level they played at in the second half against UMass for a full 40 minutes.

Coach K and Chris Lowery talk SIU/Duke

2008-11-19T08:41:00.004-06:00

Coach K and Chris Lowery answered questions about their teams during a teleconference on Tuesday. Below are my notes.

Coach K

Paulus will play, but his right arm is injured and they hope he'll be getting close to 100% by Thursday.

Praise for Mullins - "One of the most effective players in the country"

When asked if playing at the Garden is like a home game - "I love New York and the Garden, it's still to me the Mecca of college basketball. We have a lot of Duke fans up there, we'd love for them to help us in whatever way good fans can help a team."

"We've tried to build our team around Singler, Shyer, and Henderson. Those are our best players. Lance Thomas is having a fabulous year coming off the bench, but we think he's a starter."

Remember Chris Lowery from 1993? - "He was a really good player, but we had a very good team." Coach K went on to say, "Coach Lowery is like an old school coach, fundamentals, his kids play really well together. Each year they grow together."

Coach Lowery

What does it mean to be in the national spotlight? - "We feel we're continuously building our program on a national level, and it's a very important recruiting tool that we hope to build on."

When asked about SIU being 1-0 all time at MSG vs Duke - "It was a great moment for our program, but of course we had one of the top 50 players of all time [Walt Frazier] on our team back then."

What do you remember about the Duke game in 1993? - "I remember being in Grant Hill's poster. It was our first time in the NCAA's in 20 years and they were coming off back-to-back National Championships. Feeling like, what can we do to stop what they are doing? So that's what we are working on in our practices, and hopefully we can do some of that."

"Duke is a measuring stick for everybody, but we have to let our kids know it's not the super bowl. If you have success against them it's not the end of your season, or if you don't have success against them it's not the end of your season."

MVC Notebook, Valley Highlights, and Duke Video

2008-11-18T13:12:00.007-06:00

The following are links to stories and videos that I found interesting on this Tuesday afternoon:

Drake v. Butler - Recap
Butler cruised in this one and Drake will need a lot from Josh Young to stay in the upper division of the MVC this year.

Creighton v. New Mexico - Video
Booker Woodfox and P'Allen Stinnett combined for 56 points as Creighton overcame a 17-point second half deficit. This video is just over 3 minutes long and gives an extended look at the CU home opener.

Bradley v. UIC - Video
The Braves kicked off their season with a win over Illinois-Chicago.

Illinois State v. Wright State - Video
Newcomer Champ Oguchi had a big night in his Redbird debut.

Duke v. URI - Video
These highlights illustrate how fortunate Duke was to end up with a "W" in this one. A close game and an even closer finish.

MVC Notebook
This is a detailed look at the first week of action from over at the official MVC website.

Kendal Brown ready to sign letter of intent

2008-11-17T11:18:00.006-06:00

Kendal Brown of Harrison high school in Evansville, Indiana will sign with the Salukis today at 3pm. Brown is a 5-10 point guard who was named to the Courier & Press All-Metro first team as a junior last season.

Brown joins 6-8 center Jordan Meyers and 6-6 shooting guard Drew Barham, who both signed with SIU last week.

Duke edges Rhode Island 82-79

2008-11-16T20:39:00.005-06:00

The Blue Devils squeaked out a home court victory in their first game against some real competition before heading to NYC to face the Salukis.

Kyle Singler dropped 21 points in 38 minutes, including three 3 balls. He also iced 2 foul shots in the final seconds to give Duke the lead, and eventually the victory. The 6-8 Singler poses some matchup problems for the Salukis (and just about everyone else) because of his size, ability to take the ball coast to coast, and perimeter jump shot.

Southern will probably throw some combination of Carlton Fay and Anthony Booker on Singler, saving Tony Boyle and Nick Evans for 6-8 Lance Thomas and 7-1 Brian Zoubek. Fay has GOT to stay out of foul trouble because the Salukis need his scoring punch to spring the upset.

The Salukis would have played this weekend also, but their game against Cal (Pa.) was moved into the 2k sports tournament leaving them one game short. As it turns out this may be advantageous for the Dawgs since they were able to watch Duke's game today and can also take advantage of additional practice time before leaving for NYC on Tuesday.

The Duke-Rhode Island game has to give the Salukis confidence. Rhode Island had Duke on the ropes for most of this contest and the Blue Devils needed some end game heroics to get the win. Things won't be as easy for the Dukies away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor but the Salukis will still need to play the way they did in the second half vs UMass for 40 minutes to have a chance to win at the Garden.

Scouting Report - Jeremy Felton

2008-11-15T19:00:00.006-06:00

I was able to get a look at Mineral Area College forward Jeremy Felton on Saturday at Kaskaskia College in Centralia, IL. Felton put up 21 points and double digit boards as his Cardinals (4-2) hung a 72-67 loss on the Blue Devils (1-4).

Felton had a huge first half scoring 14 points, and displayed his leaping ability with 2 monster blocks. He showed the ability to knock down 15 foot jumpers and also cashed in on a few big dunks when the Kaskaskia big men forgot about him under the basket.

This was the type of game that showed the potential for success at the D1 level. Unfortunately, Felton has not been able to consistently put together these types of games this season. He was held scoreless in a loss to SWIC last week; something that shouldn't happen to a player of his caliber.

Defensively, Felton went up against the post players for Kaskaskia and was able to hold his own. However, he wasn't particularly active and was slow to jump out and guard on the perimeter a few times. Those are the areas he'll need to improve on to make the jump to the next level of college ball.

As reported on Thursday, it's clear that Felton will not be signing with the Salukis during the early period, and I did not notice anyone from the Saluki staff at this game which is probably an indication that the Dawgs will look in another direction altogether. However, If Felton can improve his effort and defense while putting up double-doubles every night he should draw a good deal of interest from schools in the Spring.

Duke Blue Devils: At First Glance

2008-11-14T12:34:00.006-06:00

For fans that need a quick primer on the Duke Blue Devils, the following information should quickly bring you up to speed.

The major national polls have ranked the Blue Devils at #5 (ESPN/USA Today) and #8 (AP). In addition, the ACC Coaches Poll projects Duke at #2 behind North Carolina.

Duke returns three starters from a year ago, but only one scholarship senior, Greg Paulus, who has been replaced at point guard by underclassman Nolan Smith after starting 95 of 103 games over his first three seasons as a Blue Devil.

The bulk of the scoring responsibilities will be handled by sophomore Kyle Singler, a 6'8" point-forward type, and junior Gerald Henderson, a 6'4" swingman. Both were double digit scorers a year ago and Singler has led the Blue Devils in each of the two contests thus far.

For more information... take a look at a team preview at CollegeHoopsNet or head directly to the official Duke Men's Basketball website.

For a closer look... the Blue Devils will tip-off against Rhode Island this Sunday at 3:30 CST on ESPNU.

Here at Salukihoops... next week we will put Duke-SIU under the microscope. Check back for daily posts leading up to Thursday night.

Jeremy Felton not signing with SIU during early period

2008-11-13T20:30:00.001-06:00

According to sources I spoke with at Mineral Area College, Jeremy Felton does not currently have a scholarship offer from SIU, but the Salukis will continue to evaluate Felton and have left the door open for an offer in the Spring. Felton had previously given a verbal commitment to the Salukis.

Felton, a 6'7' sophomore forward, remains highly regarded for his raw physical abilities. However, his attitude and defensive presence is questionable at this point. The SIU coaching staff will need to see more evidence that Felton can develop into a complete player before they commit to him for the next two seasons.

Sources describe Felton's current play as not being anywhere near the level the Salukis are looking for. So while Southern has left the door open for a spring signing, unless Felton improves by then, it's unlikely that he's heading to Carbondale.

Photo Credit- StlToday.com

Mullins takes control, leads Salukis to victory

2008-11-13T08:20:00.002-06:00

Stats and box scores are often used to judge a player's performance, but Mullins' performance against UMass can't be measured with numbers.

Sure, you can look at the statistics and see that Mullins had 16 points and 13 assists, but it was his relentless pressure on defense and leadership under fire that led the Salukis to victory.

The UMass offense relies on driving to the basket to make things happen. The Minutemen took advantage of slow defensive rotations by the Salukis to "skip" the ball out and get open 3's in the first half, resulting in an 11 point lead at the break, but Bryan refused to let his team lose.

Mullins fingerprint was on everything Southern did during their comeback, stealing the ball, dishing out assists, and draining clutch 3's to bring the Salukis back from the dead.

Evan after all the second half Saluki heroics, Southern trailed by 2 with 3:30 remaining in the game. Mullins then tied the score with a layup, and after a UMass turnover, hit Carlton Fay for an open three to give the Salukis a 70-67 lead that sent the Minutemen into desperation mode. Moments later it was checkmate.

Huge props go to Fay, who's going to be the #1 scorer for the Salukis this year. As great as Fay and Kevin Dillard performed in this game, it would have never been possible without the efforts of Bryan Mullins.

The SIU vs UMass game had the feel of a late season battle, in November. While attendance at SIU Arena didn't top 6k, the fans who were there were going nuts. Now the Salukis get a chance to play a top five program in the nation on a neutral floor, a rare opportunity. Check back all week for more Saluki discussion, an update on Jeremy Felton, and a look ahead to the 2k Sports Championship at Madison Square Garden.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Salukis face Attack Attack Skip Attack offense

2008-11-11T23:55:00.013-06:00

UMass head coach Derek Kellogg is in his first year at the helm after serving as an assistant at Memphis during their Final Four run last season.... and he brought the Tigers offensive scheme with him. But Kellogg didn't just bring the AASAA offense to UMass, he also brought the man who created it, Vance Walberg.

How does the Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack offense work?

The AASAA offense attempts to eliminate the old school "mid-range jumper." The emphasis on offense is to attack the rim, and if that doesn't work "skip" the ball back out to another wing player and he'll also attempt to penetrate.

Eventually the idea is to either get a clear path to the bucket or draw the defense, then hit someone on the perimeter for an open 3 or dump it to a big man.

Here's how Walberg describes his offense, "Shoot, shoot and shoot some more. It's really very simple. What we do is spread you out and attack the different gaps."

How can the Salukis stop it?

The Salukis can shut down UMass by stopping the dribble. Everything is created off the dribble in the AASAA, so Mullins and Co. will need to shut things down on the perimeter before the Minutemen can get started. The key will be to pressure Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris into making mistakes early on in a possession. You know Mullins will be up to the task, and if the other guards flank him defensively, the Salukis will move on to MSG.

You can discuss the AASAA offense or join in on the UMass vs SIU game thread at Salukitalk.

Fay drops double double, Salukis prep for UMass

2008-11-11T22:50:00.013-06:00

Carlton Fay dropped 16 points and 11 boards in just 25 minutes of action to help the Salukis advance to face UMass for a trip to MSG. Fay could easily lead the team in scoring this season if he stays out of foul trouble (he only had 3 fouls tonight).

Kevin Dillard lived up to his reputation of dishing the basketball with a nifty assist to Tony Boyle followed by a behind the back pass to Nick Evans for an easy bucket. When asked about his fast break highlight pass to Evans, Dillard responded, "He (Evans) trailed the play, and when a big man runs the floor you gotta reward him."

Preparing for UMASS

Lowery knows this young Saluki team will see their first true test on Wednesday. "All I know is my guys better get better in the next 24 hours," said Lowery after the game.

UMass has the best athletes the Salukis have seen so far, which makes fundamental defense and ball handing even more important. Lowery addressed what the Salukis need to do to get better. "We're talking about following our game plan defensively... then taking better care of the ball at the other end," said Lowery.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Examining the role of Wesley Clemmons

2008-11-07T17:15:00.012-06:00

Wesley Clemmons entered last season with huge expectations. Coming off a Sweet 16 run the Salukis looked to Clemmons to help fill the void at guard left by then departing seniors Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young. While Clemmons did have some bright spots, including a 24 point performance against Western Kentucky, his overall average of 6 points and 3 rebounds left the Salukis lacking production at the guard spot.

What will his role be for this year’s team? The Salukis won't need as much offensive support because of their influx of depth and talent at the guard spot. Now with those additional options, Wesley can focus on taking what the defense gives him, without feeling pressure to carry the load.

After his rock solid performance against Southwest Baptist, I asked him how his role was developing. "I'm still trying to figure it out," said Clemmons. "I'm just trying to see where I stand with the year’s team. Show the (younger players) what to do and be a leader. Listen to the scouting report, listen to what coach says, and if they follow right behind me then everything will be fine."

So while Clemmons might not have a role as a premier scorer he can still be a major factor leading by example on defense. "Some nights people are going to have bad offensive games,” he said, “but you should never have a bad defensive game.”

Playing lock down defense, crashing the boards, and leading by example will be exactly what this team needs from Wesley Clemmons. If he can do all those things, not only will he set the tone for the younger players, but he’ll provide the team with the type of consistency that they’ll need to be successful.

Photo credit- SIU Sports Information Department

Can a DII program spring an upset on the Salukis?

2008-11-06T08:52:00.011-06:00

Is it possible for a for a DII program to beat the Salukis? Of course it's possible. Is it likely to happen? Not with the level of talent that the Salukis have this year, and certainly not on the hallowed grounds of SIU Arena.

However, the current parity in college basketball has trickled down all the way to the DII ranks. Look no further than the slick shooting Southern Missouri guard (#12) Skyler Bowlin, who dropped 18 points against the Salukis on Monday night. Bowlin has serious game, and he's just a sophomore.

The Southwest Baptist team that the Salukis will face tonight will bring in considerably more talent than Missouri Southern did. While Monday night was a nice "practice game" for the Dawgs, on Thursday they will face a team poised to make a run at the DII National Championship.

Got your attention yet? If not, Bearcats center Matt Rodgers might. He's 6-11 and averaged 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, while leading his conference in blocked shots as a sophomore last season.

Another reason Southwest Baptist will be dangerous is because they have a roster chock full of seniors. D’Ante Harris (6-3, 15 ppg) and Nick Kovacevich (6-5 11 ppg) will join 6-10 forward John Tiemeyer in the starting lineup against Southern. This team might not have the talent level to compete with the Salukis, but they have plenty of veterans and they sure won't be giving up any size.

Southwest Baptist also benefits from netting 3 Division I transfers. Tomas Brock will run the point for the Bearcats. Brock was the backup PG for Missoui State last season. He'll share time at PG with senior, Wendell Madris, who transferred in from Alabama State. Also from the DI ranks 6-8 senior Johnnie Harris from New Mexico.

The local media in Bolivar, Missouri certainly didn't give the Salukis much props, calling them "a team moving to the NCAA Division I." (They've apparently mistaken SIU-C for SIU-E).

So is there really a possibility for an upset here? For the answer to that question you could just go ask Bryan Mullins. Flashback to Mullins' freshman year when Division II Alaska-Anchorage beat the Salukis 72-64 in the land of the midnight sun.

But this game is a home so an upset could never happen here, right? Ask Michigan State about it. It was just one year ago that Grand Valley State (ranked two spots below Southwest Baptist in this year's preseason poll) pulled off an 85-82 double overtime upset of the #8 ranked Spartans AT the Breslin Center.

All this being said, is an upset really likely to happen? Probably not. The Salukis will be running 11 deep tonight, on their homecourt, with superior talent. The Salukis simply need to cut down on the turnovers and they'll be lighting up the scoreboard all night long.

Salukis v. Southwest Baptist

2008-11-05T08:10:00.011-06:00

The Salukis are set to take on the Southwest Baptist Bearcats Thursday night in the second and final game of the exhibition season. While the game will likely have all of the competitive zeal of a Harlem Globetrotters - Washington Generals match up, fans of SIU basketball will still have plenty to get excited about.

This game will feature our first extended look at Ryan Hare, who will be making his college basketball debut after sitting out Monday night's game for reasons unspecified by Chris Lowery.

In addition to the newcomers, the returning Salukis will be tuning up for the regular season, which begins next week. Senior point guard Bryan Mullins will look to keep the rest of the squad under control and in the process, cut down on the 34 turnovers recorded against Missouri Southern.

- Opponent Info -

Southwest Baptist is highly regarded among D-II aficionados. Preseason polls have ranked the Bearcats at #6 (Sporting News) and #12 in the nation (NABC). They return four starters and have some players with D-I experience. Matt Rogers is 6'11" and a preseason All-American.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Salukis 'run' 10 deep

2008-11-04T08:08:00.002-06:00

The Salukis had 10 guys play double digit minutes and put 82 points on the board vs Missouri Southern. It was an up-tempo pace that Saluki fans aren't used to seeing, but with the guard depth that this team has, a fast break style will play to their strengths.

Carlton Fay came out shooting, scoring 17 points in only 11 minutes of action, but tallied just one rebound. This team will need Fay to hit the boards hard when they start playing against some talented big guys. Overall, the Dawgs won the battle of the boards 57-23, but it won't be so easy when teams like UMASS come to town. Nick Evans had some awkward moments but ended up with 11 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Anthony Booker played calm and collected, for the most part, shooting 4 for 9 with 9 points and 4 rebounds. However he did commit 4 fouls in 15 minutes, something he'll have to improve on if he's going to see big time action.

Kevin Dillard looked slick in his debut. After the game he indicated that he didn't feel nervous because of the hard work that he and his teammates have put into each practice. The talent level of this freshman is through the roof, but he'll have to limit his turnovers (he had 8 tonight) and be careful not to carry the ball. The refs let him get away with at least one carry, but called him on it when he did it a second time.

Christian Cornelius looked comfortable and went for 8 points and 9 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. After the game he said he feels healthy for the first time since his knee injury.

Clemmons had a rough game and didn't seem to get into a groove at any point in the night. Ryan Hare didn't play, and Lowery did not give a reason why, but did say that Hare will play on Thursday.

This year's team looks quite a bit different than those of years past, but the talent is undoubtedly there. We'll get another chance to evaluate that new talent on Thursday night when the Dawgs play their second exhibition game of the season.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Saluki basketball kicks off with tune up #1

2008-11-03T09:06:00.003-06:00

Monday night against Missouri Southern, six new Salukis will look to get their first taste of action in a game environment at SIU Arena.

Kevin Dillard, Justin Bocot, Ryan Hare, Torres Roundtree, Nick Evans, and Anthony Booker aren't just looking for a few cleanup minutes in an exhibition game. All six of these players will be attempting to be impact players right away.

You can expect to see 11 guys get some playing time in this game, which will probably look like some form of organized chaos over 40 minutes.

Elsewhere around the net-

Jim Henry of the Joplin Globe looks back on Lowery's years as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern

At the DE, Louis Medina notes Bryan Mullins task will be to distribute the ball equally in the motion offense as well as being a defensive stopper.

At the Southern, Todd Hefferman examines Kevin Dillard's role as the point guard of the future.

MVC/MWC Challenge

2008-10-29T20:19:00.008-05:00

The Missouri Valley and the Mountain West conference will matchup in a Big Ten/ACC challenge style showdown starting next year. This match up is basically a no-brainier for two leagues that have problems scheduling games against quality opponents.

Too bad it didn't start this year for the Salukis, who have an open spot on their schedule for the upcoming season. But what if it did start this season? What sort of games would we see? Using last seasons conference standings as a baseline here's what the match ups would have looked like this season, with last years RPI in parenthesis.

BYU (25) vs Drake (10)

UNLV (26) vs Illinois State (33)

New Mexico (59) vs SIU (62)

San Diego St (81) vs Creighton (46)

Air Force (173) vs Bradley (105)

Utah (96) vs Northern Iowa (131)

Texas Christian (198) vs Missouri State (123)

Wyoming (219) vs Indiana State (128)

Colorado St (265) vs Wichita State (199)

As you can see by looking at the RPI, these teams are pretty even at the top. Towards the bottom, the MVC shows more depth than the MWC, so I'd have to say the Missouri Valley will be the favorites.

Will the Valley dominate the way the ACC has owned the Big Ten? It's to soon to tell if that will happen, but for now the Salukis can add one more quality non-conference opponent to their slate for next season.

Saluki basketball tickets remain in high demand

2008-10-23T11:07:00.008-05:00

Saluki Athletics issued a press release this week saying that season tickets sales have reached and all-time high of 4,744 tickets.

This is good news for a program that is coming off an 18-15 campaign, which resulted in an NIT bid. Fans seem to be excited by the talented recruiting class and that's no doubt one of the reasons behind the increase. Also, "Big Dawg" seating, which offers two additional inches of space in the bleachers, has been a big draw.

The #1 complaint I hear about seating at SIU Arena is how uncomfortable the bleachers are. If the comfort level of the bleachers are improved when the Arena is renovated (padded bleachers w/seat backs) I could see season tickets sales crushing the current record.

SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia address this question in one of his past "Ask the AD" mailbags.

Will the bleacher seating in the renovated arena at least be padded and have back rests? Also, will we get the bleachers that have the "walk ways" to the seats enclosed, so we don't have to worry about children falling through the gaps as we do today?

We are not to the point to finalizing this yet. We are attempting to get as many seats into the arena as possible, and this is why the upper level will have some bleachers seats. Chairbacks reduce the seating capacity of the arena. We will try to make the bleacher seats as comfortable possible, and I know they will be much better than what currently exists. The upper level will be a continuous permanent seating area, so there will be no gaps for anyone to fall through. I know exactly what you are referring to, and it is a bit unnerving.

Here are some sketches of what the Arena would look like after the renovation. If these sketches are accurate, the old barn is in for quite an improvement.

Speaking of mailbags, if you have questions for the staff at salukihoops.com, send them in. Our email address is salukihoops@gmail.com.

Maroon Madness Dunk Contest Video

2008-10-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

Mullins, Dillard, and Roundtree talk Saluki Hoops

2008-10-15T21:25:00.005-05:00

Roundtree and Dillard

Bryan Mullins

Notes from Saluki interviews

2008-10-13T22:06:00.005-05:00

The Salukis talked with the media on Monday, answering questions about the upcoming season. Below are some notes from those conversations. Check back later this week to listen to audio interviews with Bryan Mullins, Torres Roundtree, and Kevin Dillard.

Justin Bocot- When I asked Bocot about why he chose SIU, he said the Saluki coaches were in on him early and that was a major factor in his decision. This was a common answer from first year players, and shows that Lowery and his staff are doing a great job of identifying talented players early.

Bocot said he worked on getting physically stronger over the last year. He's confident in his jump shot and ability to get to the hole; while listing defense and boxing out bigger players as areas that he is working to improve.

Ryan Hare- Decided to come to SIU because he felt the Salukis played the type of physical basketball that he wanted to play, and he also wanted to stay fairly close to home. Hare says he is comfortable playing anywhere on the court but sees himself playing mostly the "2" or "3" positions at SIU.

Wesley Clemmons- Admitted the Salukis were short on guard depth last season, but said that will not be an excuse this season. Clemmons says that if players are tired they'll come out of the game and there will be another talented player ready to come in and play hard. Clemmons feels that all everyone is getting along well, and that the team will be able to do a good job playing together early, even with all new additions.

Anthony Booker- When asked about why he chose SIU, Booker said he was a "late bloomer" but Lowery was in on him before he was recruited by others and that was a big reason why he became a Saluki. Booker admitted that other schools tried to coax him away from Southern, but he was already confident that he had made a good decision.

Booker was glad to have the experience of matching up with bigger players in Canada, and feels that the young players are all better prepared because of it.

Check back later this week to listen to Bryan Mullins talk about his new role on the team, and hear Kevin Dillard and Torres Roundtree talk about their first impressions of Saluki basketball.

The '08 Saluki schedule and the 2k Sports Classic

2008-10-02T16:39:00.001-05:00

Finally, the Coaches vs. Cancer 2k Sports Classic teams have been announced. Per Dawg Tracker SIU will play Division II California (Pa.) at home in the opening round on November 11th. After winning that game (yes, I'm already predicting a blowout) they'll play UMass with a trip to semi-finals at Madison Square Garden on the line. All games in New York will be televised on ESPN2.

Getting to play a home game against a quality program like UMass is a major benefit of playing in the 2K Sports Classic. The Minutemen come in at #57 on the college hoops net pre-season rankings.

On the flip side, the Salukis had previously scheduled California (Pa.) on Nov. 16th but apparently the 2k Sports people could not find another team to come play in Carbondale. So to accommodate the tournament organizers the game was changed to a first round tournament game. I get the feeling the 2k Sports folks ran into the same problem that the Salukis have every year- teams don't want to come to SIU Arena because they know they'll probably get beat.

Now the Salukis are a short a home game, and it's getting pretty late in the year to get something else setup. Maybe the coaching staff has a trick up their sleeve, but I'd be surprised if the Salukis can get a quality opponent to come to SIU Arena on this late of notice.

The process of creating a schedule in NCAA basketball is no easy task and is often misunderstood. Here are a few of the basic guidelines as I understand them.

NCAA rules allow teams to play up to 33 games, not including conference tournament or NCAA tournament games. Teams can schedule less than 33 games but it's obviously advantageous to play as many games as possible.

Teams can play two exhibition games. The Salukis will use these games as home game tune-ups against DII competition.

Teams can play up to 4 games in an exempt tournament. That's the 2k sports classic this year. As long as they make it to New York they'll play the max total of 4 games. Evan if they fall in the semis, there is a 3rd place game in this tournament.

That puts the number of remaining regular season games at 27.

18 of those 27 games are conference games leaving SIU with 9 non-conference games to play this season. It's important to get high quality teams in these games to build a high RPI but it's also important to get some home games to generate revenue.

Two of these remaining 9 games are the Bracket Buster, the Wooden Classic (vs St. Mary's).

That left SIU with the flexibility to schedule 7 more games against opponents of their choice. So far 6 of those spots are filled. There are 3 homes games against St. Louis, Charlotte, and Western Michigan; and 3 road games at Western Kentucky, Northern Illinois, and Nevada.

The California (Pa.) game was originally scheduled for Nov. 16th but is now an empty space. If this game isn't replaced and the dawgs were to (gasp) get beat by UMass on Nov. 12th they would have a two week stretch in the middle of November where they would not play a basketball game. So while this game doesn't have to be replaced it would be nice to give this young team another home game, as well as additional game experience before potentially taking on Duke, UCLA, or Michigan at MSG.

SIU Basketball Recuiting Spotlight- Phillip Jackson

2008-09-26T14:10:00.000-05:00

With the class of '09 squared away, Chris Lowery and co. can turn their full attention the recruiting class of 2010. The '10 class is widely regarded as a strong class for big men, and the Salukis will be in the market for at least one post player. Currently on the Saluki radar is 6'8' forward Phillip Jackson.

Jackson has already gained a reputation as a high energy player with loads of athleticism. Not only does he run the floor and rebound, but he's also shown the ability to knock down a jump shot. Jackson raised his stock this summer while playing AAU ball for the Mac Irvin Fire. He'll look to continue his development this season playing for Providence St. Mel high school in Chicago.

Jackson profiles as a bit of a late bloomer, so it could be a while before he makes his decision. He currently has offers from Southern Illinois and Indiana State, but he's also receiving interest from Illinois, Kentucky, and Depaul. If Jackson has a huge season for Providence St. Mel, some big name coaches could try to swoop in and attempt to land him.

It's too early to call the Salukis the favorite but they do have two major factors in their favor. The first being that Lowery has shown in the past that when he gets in on a recuit early he can keep them even after the major conference schools come calling (see Booker, Anthony). Another huge factor is new Saluki assistant coach Lance Irvin. Irvin has earned a reputaion as an outstanding recruiter and his father runs Jackson's AAU team, the Mac Irvin Fire.

Talking Saluki Hoops on 91.1FM

2008-09-21T21:33:00.002-05:00

Check out a clip from the Sunday Sports Review w/Mark Bausch of stlsports.com.

You can listen to the Sunday Sports Review at 10a.m. on 91.1 FM or listen online.

WDBX is listener supported so if you enjoy the Sunday Sports Review you can contribute by making a secure paypal donation online.

The '09 Saluki recruiting class and Jeremy Felton

2008-09-16T16:23:00.015-05:00

Saluki fans have been asking for a JUCO big man all year, and Chris Lowery has delivered just that with 6-foot-7 forward Jeremy Felton. So who is Jeremy Felton? I spoke with one of his former coaches this week to get a better feel for what kind of player the Salukis will be getting. Here are some thoughts.

-A very athletic kid, hops are described as "ridiculous"

-Outside jumper needs work, but the Salukis won't be asking him to shoot outside of his comfort zone anyway. However, his JUCO coach Corey Tate recently told bnd.com "he's sharpened up a lot of skills he had as far as shooting the ball and running the floor, being more than a dunker."

-He's been listed at various heights, but he's either 6-7 or a very solid 6-6

-Felton's defense in high school was not great, but he has the talent to be a plus defender if he buys in to Lowery's system.

-He transfered around all 3 Belleville area high schools (also played for Love-Joy as an 8th grader) so some might assume that he has attitude problems, this does not appear to be the case. Felton was described to me as a "yes sir, no sir" type kid.

It's difficult to recruit two strong classes in a row, because most kids don't want to come to SIU and sit on the bench or redshirt. After assembling a blue chip class in '08, recruiting the same caliber players two years in a row was going to be a challenge. That being said, Felton is exactly the type of player that Lowery needed to add to the '09 class. With Tony Boyle set to graduate, Felton has the talent and physical attributes to come in as a junior play a role off the bench.

The addition of Felton takes a lot of pressure off 6-8 recruit Jordan Meyers who profiles as a bit of a project. The Salukis should have the low post covered next season with senior Christian Cornelius, juniors Carlton Fay and Jeremy Felton, and sophomores Nick Evans and Anthony Booker.

To round out the '09 class the Salukis already have a verbal from PG Kendal Brown but could still use a pure 3 point shooter to replace Josh Bone. Drew Barham a 6-6 shooting guard from Memphis, TN could fill that need (click here to watch video of Barham repeatedly knocking down open 3's). Southern will once again be in a recruiting battle with Miami-OH along with Stanford, Davidson, Belmont, St. Josephs, and Butler also vying for Barham's services.

Update- Barham has given a verbal commitment to SIU.

Photo Credit- stltoday.com and rivals.com

Rumor Confirmed- Josh Bone leaves Salukis

2008-09-08T17:12:00.006-05:00

The rumor that Joshua Bone has left the team is now official.

Bone was one of the few Salukis that didn't fare well on the Canada trip. In the three games played he went 1-13 shooting for a combined total of 4 points. He fouled out in 18 minutes during the first game, and only played 11 minutes in the next two.

Bone probably should have been red shirted his freshman year, after missing the first 9 games of the season due to injury. However, the Salukis were in the midst of a Sweet 16 run and it's understandable that the coaches wanted to have some additional depth at the guard position in case they needed it.

As a sophomore Bone averaged 8.1 points in 27 minutes per game. It's likely that he would have seen a sharp decrease in playing time as a junior with the arrival of Kevin Dillard, Torres Roundtree, Justin Bocot, and Ryan Hare. There wouldn't have been much of an increased opening for playing time his senior season either, with Iowa transfer Tony Freeman waiting in the wings.

As far as career highlights go Bone hit 5 of 6 from three point range in a win over Miss St last season. He also scored a career high 19 points against Butler, and followed that with a 17 point performance helping SIU to a 79-71 win over Missouri St.

In his Saluki tenure Bone showed tremendous shooting potential as well as weakness defending against the dribble. Also, in my opinion he was a pretty nice kid. No word yet on where Bone will play next but he'll likely have to sit out two full semesters after transferring. In addition to SIU, Bone was recruited by UNC-Wilmington, Arkansas St., Bradley, George Mason, and Miami-OH.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept.

SIU Basketball talk on 91.1 FM

2008-09-07T20:44:00.003-05:00

Listen in on a clip from the Sunday Sports Review on 91.1 WDBX. Saluki Basketball is discussed.

Lowery talks about Canada trip

2008-09-04T19:14:00.012-05:00

Chris Lowery answered questions Thursday about the team's recent trip to Canada. Below are some of the topics that were covered along with some of my thoughts on this years team.

-The level of competition the Salukis went up against was strong, the team got to face 6-8 and 6-10 big guys and also gained experience defending against a disciplined Princeton offense.

- Dillard, Bocot, and Hare, all spent time at point guard during the trip and Lowery was happy with their play. Also, Bryan Mullins was extremely pleased that he didn't have to bring the ball up the court every time.

-After taking most of the summer off to rest his injured foot, Mullins was rusty on offense but Lowery described him as a "nightmare" for opponents defensively. The increased depth allowed Mullins to stay fresh, roam the floor, and he was able to get more steals as a result.

-The depth of this team looks to be a huge strength and Lowery sounds like he plans on staying with a deep rotation even when the regular season begins. If the Salukis are going to give 10 or more guys regular playing time I would expect to see an aggressive full court defense that will wear down the opposition. In my opinion the biggest challenge of playing so many guys will be establishing roles on offense and teaching the young players how to play hard without fouling. If those issues can be addressed other teams in the Valley will have their hands full.

-With 5 big men on the roster (Boyle, Fay, Booker, Evans, Cornelius) Lowery has no plans of playing a 4-guard lineup this season.

-Roundtree was cleared to play yesterday, and while he could have played in Canada the coaching staff decided to rest him and make sure that he was completely healthy. This was a good decision by the staff, but with a crowed backcourt it will be interesting to see if this will affect how much playing time Roundtree will be able to earn. Can Lowery really find playing time for 7 guards? edit 9/7 These things do have a way of working out, and I can easily see the Salukis playing a 6 guard lineup this season.

-Carlton Fay did some great things on the trip and Lowery feels that last season Fay did too much to try to "blend in" with Shaw and Falker and as a result didn't play up to his full potential. Fay stepped up big time in the final moments against Western Ontario hitting two 3's and grabbing two rebounds in the final minutes of a close win.

-Blocking out and rebounding is the area that needs the most improvement. Lowery feels that if this team can do a good job on the boards then they'll be able open things up in transition.

Photos- Credit SIU Sports Information Department

Kelly still an '09 option for Salukis

2008-08-13T16:00:00.006-05:00

Update- 9-1-2008, Kelly is heading to Miami, OH. This is a good pull for the RedHawks. Speaking of Miami, OH they may make sense as a future opponent for the Salukis. Last season the RedHawks finished with an RPI of 73, the Salukis finished with an RPI of 62.

How important is coaching continuity to recruiting? 6-7 forward Drew Kelly was on his way to Western Kentucky before their coach, Darrin Horn, departed for South Carolina. "I would have gone there for sure" said Kelly. As of right now Kelly doesn't have an offer from the new WKU staff and Horn doesn't have a scholarship open for him and South Carolina.

What does that mean for the Salukis? With Tony Boyle scheduled to graduate after this season, the Dawgs have a strong need for a big man to compliment Booker, Fay, and Evans. Unfortunately the '09 class for big men is not particularly deep. While it appears that Mike Broghammer is heading elsewhere Kelly could fill a need the Salukis while giving himself a good opportunity to play right away on a winning team.

A two sport athlete from Franklin, Tennessee; Kelly also has football offers from Louisville, Vanderbilt, and Memphis but says he would prefer to play on the hardwood at the college level.

Kelly has said he likes SIU, but Miami of Ohio, Notre Dame and Iowa are also in pursuit. It's too early to tell if he'll choose Southern Illinois, but when you combine Kelly's strength in defense and rebounding with the Floorburn U style of play there's no doubt he'd look good in the Maroon and White.

Going Pro- Matt Shaw signs with Spanish league

2008-07-27T22:30:00.006-05:00

Matt Shaw is headed to the Canary Islands to play professionally in the Spanish league. WSIL is reporting that it's a one year deal worth 40k.

Shaw's size combined with his ability to shoot the three is a big reason that he was given the opportunity to play at the next level. Once the Spanish league season starts I'll try post a few updates on how Shaw is doing. The next question is when will Randal Falker sign a pro deal?

Salukis get verbal from '09 PG Kendal Brown

2008-07-23T09:53:00.007-05:00

Chris Lowery landed his first '09 verbal on Tuesday. Kendal Brown, a PG from Lowery's old stomping grounds, Harrison High School in Evansville, Indiana. Brown wasn't heavily recruited by major schools but that doesn't mean he can't have a big impact for the Salukis. Averaging 15 points and 5 assists as a junior, Brown has shown the quickness and athleticism necessary to succeed at the next level.

Looking ahead to the '09 class, Kevin Dillard will be a sophomore and Tony Freeman will begin play as a 5th year senior. Unless there is an injury to Dillard or Freeman it would probably make sense to redshirt Brown, but that decision is still a long way off. For now it's good to see the '09 class shaping up and with the point guard position squared away, Lowery can now focus on landing a big man for '09. Mike Broghammer and Drew Kelly are two likely targets.

Tony Freeman to SIU

2008-05-20T23:08:00.003-05:00

Iowa's leading scorer and 3rd team All Big Ten guard Tony Freeman is heading to SIU. Freeman will have to sit out a season, but he will certainly help soften the blow of Bryan Mullins impending graduation after next year. Freeman will have one year of eligibility remaining for the Salukis. More to come...

Salukis add another guard for '08

2008-04-13T23:10:00.005-05:00

A team that was lacking in guard depth last season shouldn't have any problems in that department next season. Adding to an already deep '08 class the Salukis have apparently received a verbal commitment from all-state guard Ryan Hare.

Hare originally committed to Oregon State, but now intends to sign with SIU once the spring signing period begins.

Reports on Hare indicate that he is a strong defender who attacks the basket and features a college ready frame. If he's as strong as advertised he shouldn't need a redshirt and could conceivably compete for minutes right away.

The Coaching Carousel

2008-04-08T22:52:00.005-05:00

It's that time of the year again, when the final buzzer sounds and coaches from around the country put up "for sale" signs in their front yards and leave their respective jobs for greener pastures.

With the Salukis having so much success over the past few seasons it's only natural that Chris Lowery would be a target for other schools who are looking to pay top dollar for his services.

This year is no different- rumors have linked Lowery to Oklahoma State if the Cowboys can't land Bill Self. At this point it appears to be mostly speculation, but Saluki fans have been conditioned to major conference schools taking an interest in their head coach.

As long as the Salukis are successful there will always be a program on the prowl that can afford to offer more money to a head coach than SIU can afford to match. Such is life in Southern Illinois.

The Salukis have built a rock solid program despite falling victim to the coaching carousel, and have responded by signing Chris Lowery to a competitive long term contract. So should Saluki fans fret over rumors of Lowery's departure? A coaching change would certainly present a new set of challenges for the program, but life would go on.

Will Lowery actually leave? I doubt it, but no one really knows for sure. What I do know is that as long as SIU has a top 25 caliber team this conversation will be a yearly occurrence, and for Saluki fans thats a nice problem to have.

Was it a failure?

2008-03-25T16:58:00.003-05:00

The roar of the crowd is now a distant echo. The custodial staff has slicked up the Arena and only the hum of the exit signs drifts over the hardwood.

Meanwhile, national TV crews have long since flown to distant sites. In Southern Illinois hoops fans have turned to watching high school baseball or piloting bass boats around chilly lakes. Most fans, however, are back knocking out a 9 to 5 job, or hitting the books. Yes, here the season is over, but a question lingers.....

Was it a failure?

No, the 2008 Salukis 18-15 season was not a failure. In fact, it should not even be mentioned in the same sentence with the word. This year's Dawgs made us proud.

Certainly, we hoped for more. A berth in the NCAA and another sweet 16. Perhaps a conference title and three wins at ScottTrade.

The Salukis have accomplished so much in recent seasons as to create an unquenchable thirst for more distinctions among their legions of fans.

This time banners with colors other than maroon and white flew in victory.

Western Kentucky, Illinois State, and Drake and many more earned their success this season. That the Dawgs were fairly beaten down 15 times, by various opponents is the gift our foes have given us.

Defeat engenders the grim resolve to shoot another half hour after practice....to lift one more set in the steamy weight room, or to run more sprints when you think you're too tired.

This year's Salukis certainly lacked in certain ways, but their effort was never in doubt. Surely, they were discouraged at times, but they drew themselves up and ripped Oklahoma State when some teams would have given a half-hearted effort. They went down battling at Arizona State with two of their best men sidelined by injury. From seniors on down, they learned, and college is about learning.

Sometimes you learn you don't always win.

But these Salukis are winners. Coach Lowrey is a winner and a fine man, at that. He's also an exceptionally good teacher. With talented recruits on the way SIU's basketball future is bright.

Salukis fall in NIT second round

2008-03-21T15:45:00.003-05:00

Losing Bryan Mullins was a difficult blow but an additional injury to Tony Boyle left the Salukis short handed on the road, a combination that was too much to overcome.

Give Arizona St credit, they have a really solid club that probably should have made the NCAA Tournament. Southern might not of been able to beat them on their home court even at full strength.

The Salukis finish the season with 18 wins, which isn't too bad for a "down year". They didn't have much depth at guard this year, and it showed. Next year Chris Lowery should have plenty of options to choose from returning a solid group of players in addition to adding some key recruits for 08-09.

Salukis rout Cowboys in NIT opener

2008-03-18T23:00:00.005-05:00

After having played only two games in the last 17 days, the Salukis showed no signs of rust while routing a lethargic Oklahoma State squad 69-53 at the SIU Arena.

The Salukis looked loose and played with confidence. Matt Shaw and Randal Falker set the tone and combined for 36 points and 18 rebounds. Josh Bone hit some big 3's and along with Shaw, forced Oklahoma State to cover the perimeter, which left one-on-one matchups for Falker and Tony Boyle all night. Tyrone Green did an excellent job of running the point, handing out 8 assists, and not turning the ball over a single time.

The 5300 faithful fans that attended tonight's game seemed to feed off of the energy provided by the Salukis and vice-versa. When Christian Cornelius threw down a tip-dunk in the first half, the place was up for grabs. Hustle plays and contributions from role players received standing ovations. For 40 minutes, the Salukis seemed to come up with every loose ball and ended with a 39-21 advantage on the glass. The Saluki "D" had the Cowboys rattled from the opening tip and limited Oklahoma State to just 35% shooting, including 4 of 25 from beyond the arc.

This is not quite the storybook ending that was written back in November, but the Salukis played a great game tonight, the seniors got a final "W" at home and the March to the Garden continues on Thursday night at Arizona State.

Salukis to host Cowboys at SIU Arena

2008-03-18T09:25:00.004-05:00

The Salukis are set to take the floor against the Cowboys of Oklahoma State tonight at 8:00 in a first round NIT matchup. This will be SIU's first NIT appearance since 2000, when the Dawgs defeated Colorado and fell to BYU in the 2nd round, and the 9th overall appearance in program history.

Oklahoma State (17-15 , 7-9) is led by freshman guard James Anderson who is averaging just over 13 ppg. The Cowboys have a balanced attack, with four players averaging in double figures, but they tend to live and die by the three.

On the defensive end, Marcus Dove was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The Cowboys have seen some of the best individuals and teams in the nation this season and only yielded 65.5 ppg. Three players average over 1.5 steals per game. They also managed to defeat Kansas when they visited Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.

For the Salukis... the good news is that the Salukis are playing at home where they compiled a 12-3 record and knocked off two ranked opponents this season.

The bad news is that Bryan Mullins has been sidelined with a stress fracture and will not play in the postseason.

Josh Bone will likely get the start in his place. Expect Dion Coopwood to get some minutes, too. In order to win, Randal Falker and Matt Shaw will have to take control early and the Salukis will have to shoot well from the perimeter, which they have been able to at home this year.

Chris Lowery might want to consider using a lineup consisting of 3 big men to take some pressure off of Bone, Clemmons, and Green who will carry an increased burden with Mullins out.

A front line of Falker, Boyle, and Shaw would give SIU a chance to control the glass and limit Ok State's second chance opportunities. Carlton Fay should also be given 20+ minutes to provide an offensive spark off the bench.

The Salukis take the court for only their second time in the last 17 days so they should be well rested. Even with rest on their side it would take a sublime performance from the Salukis to defeat Oklahoma State without Bryan Mullins.

NIT home game for the Dawgs

2008-03-16T21:38:00.004-05:00

It's not the NCAA's but at least it's a home game. The Salukis will host Oklahoma St. on Tuesday at 8pm in the first round of the NIT. The game will be seen on ESPN2.

Ok State is a solid team coming off a 7 point loss to an outstanding Texas club in the Big 12 tournament.

Other teams in Southern's portion of the bracket are Arizona St, Florida, and Creighton. This might be the most difficult of the 4 regions leading to the NIT championship in New York.

The Salukis still have a lot to play for and a win against a Big 12 opponent would be huge. Unfortunately, the Salukis will be forced to play with out the services of PG Bryan Mullins. This is a huge blow to a team that already had issues at the guard position. Look for walk on senior Dion Coopwood to get some minutes at the PG spot. Southern can still win this game but they'll need huge performances from Shaw and Falker to make up for the absence of Mullins.

NIT-ology

2008-03-10T21:51:00.003-05:00

Well, this is different. Usually this time of year Saluki fans are waiting to see what kind of seed the Salukis will be getting in the big dance... but not this year. The good news is there will be postseason basketball for the Salukis, only this time it will be of the NIT variety.

One website, nitology.com has SIU in the NIT as a 4 seed. That would be good enough to get a first round home game. The question that comes to my mind is - would SIU Arena sell out for a home NIT game?

The potential opponent might have something to do with it. If Oklahoma State or Minnesota were to come to Carbondale I think fans would be more interested in the matchup.

What about the CBI you ask? While the CBI does intend to compete with the NIT for bids, it looks like most schools will view the NIT above the CBI, at least until it becomes more established. Also, the NCAA now runs the NIT so schools might feel a bit of pressure to go where the NCAA leads them.

It's too bad Illinois wasn't just a little better this year because it would have been fun to see these two teams meet in the postseason. For the second year in a row Illinois did not hold up their end of the bargain so it's not going to happen this season.

Whoever the Salukis play, they will have plenty of time to prepare. Since the MVC tournament is a week earlier than most tournaments the Salukis will get some much needed time off. Bryan Mullins and co. will benefit from nearly two weeks of rest before their next game.

Southern loses heartbreaker 54-49

2008-03-07T22:57:00.004-06:00

Southern had a chance to tie the game with 9.7 sec remaining but a Matt Shaw 3 point attempt rattled in and out and Southern took the loss.

Shaw was on fire in this game and scored 22 points total. He had a great look at the basket on his final shot, but it wasn't meant to be.

Randal Falker battled foul trouble in the second half and Eric Coleman took advantage of Southern down low with Falker on the bench. Falker's 4th and 5th fouls both came on questionable calls but give UNI credit for capitalizing when they had a mismatch.

Coleman finished with 22 points, hitting an impressive 14 of 19 from the foul line. Adam Viet got it done from downtown hitting 6 of 9 from deep, and finishing with 19 points total.

The loss knocks SIU completely out of NCAA Tournament contention and ends a run of 6 straight tourney bids. Southern will likely head to the NIT, which we will discuss in the coming days. For now it's a disappointing loss at the hands of UNI and the Salukis end the MVC Tournament with a 17-14 record overall.

Rough and Rugged First Half Favors SIU

2008-03-07T21:54:00.001-06:00

Elbows were flying and bodies were hitting the floor in the first half, just the type of game the Salukis are known for.

Southern was ice cold to start the game but they were able to grind out a 22-20 advantage at intermission.

UNI had a 7-0 lead to start the game when Matt Shaw nailed a ‘3’ to put the Salukis on the board with just 15 minutes remaining. Bone followed with a jumper to pull the dawgs within 2.

Moments later Matt Shaw nearly landed in my lap on press row, while barreling towards a loose ball. The Salukis still weren’t hitting shots but they kept the game close with solid defense and hustle plays.

Northern Iowa led most of the half until Josh Bone tied the game with a 3-ball that sent the smaller than usual Saluki following into a frenzy.

In the final moments of the half Southern forced a shot clock violation on UNI, earning the last possession of the half. Mullins milked the clock and hit Josh Bone with a pass on the baseline that Bone deposited in the basket to give SIU a 2 point lead at the break.

If Southern can step up their shooting percentage just a tick, they should be able to pull this one out in the second half.

SIU vs UNI game notes

2008-03-07T18:07:00.001-06:00

Southern did a great job against UNI the last time these teams met. They were shooting the ball extremely well and played terrific post defense. Tonight Southern will need to establish their offense early, playing in a building that they haven't traditionally shot well in.

UNI was playing shorthanded last time and that allowed Southern to key on Eric Coleman. Coleman just happens to be playing his best basketball of the year right now, averaging 2o points and 12 rebounds over his last 3 games. The Falker/Coleman match-up will once again be crucial to each team's success.

Win or lose SIU should be playing post-season basketball. SIU has a top 50 RPI and the #3 strength of schedule (out of 341 teams) in the country, which goes a long way towards explaining their 17-13 record.

Creighton tops Bradley, advances to semi-final

2008-03-07T16:48:00.004-06:00

Creighton held on for a 74-70 win over Bradley, but this game went down to the wire and Bradley actually came all the way back to take the lead with 2:36 remaining.

Fortunately for Creighton, Cavel Witter was able to close out Bradley by scoring the last 6 points of the game for the Jays. Whitter's two foul shots with 4 seconds remaining iced the game for CU.

Illinois State will take on Missouri State in the first game of the evening session. Rumors are swirling that Barry Hinson is on the hot seat at Mo State so this game goes a long way in dictating Hinson's future in Springfield.

The Bears and the Redbirds have just taken the floor for a shoot around. We'll be back in a few hours with live game action between the two teams. Then we'll start gearing up for the game we've all been waiting for, the Salukis vs the Panthers at 8:30 pm this evening.

Run 'n Gun

2008-03-07T15:30:00.001-06:00

Creighton and Bradley are at least trying to get to triple digits in this game. It's 40-27 Creighton at halftime and the Jays are red hot, shooting 53% in the first half and 7 of 15 from downtown.

Bradley's defense has not been very good. They are allowing Creighton to beat them on the dribble and it's opened up a lot of opportunities for CU.

Crouch and Ruffin are a combined 2-8, which is a really bad sign for the Braves. A game of this tempo favors the deeper team and Creighton played 10 guys in the first half. Look for more fireworks in the second. Barring a complete collapse by the Jays it'll be Creighton and Drake in tomorrow's first semifinal match-up.

Friday afternoon MVC action

2008-03-07T14:11:00.003-06:00

Well, the Drake Bulldogs showed why they’re the #1 seed, moving swiftly past Indiana State 68-46. Klayton Korver was impressive, hitting three from beyond the arc and moving closer to becoming Drake's all time leader in 3-pointers made.

Next up... Bradley and Creighton in what should be a fun game to watch. Really not much has changed since these teams played a 2-OT thriller last week. I do expect this to be a lower scoring game than last time with both teams in a fairly unfamiliar shooting environment.

This game will probably go down to the wire, but if I had to make a pick... I’d take Creighton because of their depth and the coaching of Dana Altman. It should be a good one.

Live from the MVC Tournament

2008-03-07T11:22:00.004-06:00

We're here at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis getting ready for all of today's action.

First up on the docket is Drake vs Indiana State. Drake comes in as the top seed but in years past that has not necessarily been a good thing in the MVC. The top seed has not won the tournament since Illinois State did it in 1998. Drake will attempt to break the trend this weekend.

Indiana State pulled to .500 (15-15) with their win over Wichita State last night. Indiana State has a decent amount of depth with 9 guys averaging over 12 minutes a game but Marico Stinson and Gabe Moore will have to come up huge for ISU to have a chance at an upset today.

We'll be checking in all weekend from the Scottrade Center so email in your questions and comments to salukihoops@gmail.com and check back for updates throughout the tournament.

Looking ahead to Arch Madness

2008-03-03T22:07:00.007-06:00

The Salukis will need to win the MVC Tourney to get a bid, that much we know. Bracketology has SIU on the bubble but on the wrong side of it. Drake (5 seed) and Illinois State (11 seed) look like they are going dancing, but if a third team claims the automatic bid, the MVC could be a 3-bid league in 2008.

The first round matchup against UNI is no gimmie, the Panthers beat SIU earlier this season, but Southern will be a strong favorite in this game after beating UNI by 20 just two weeks ago.

If the Salukis advance to the second round, they would probably get a rematch with Illinois State. The Redbirds have already beat the Salukis twice this year, but are they really that much better? Osiris Eldridge and his mohawk mojo give Illinois State the go-to guy that Southern seems to be lacking so he would no doubt be the x-factor once again in this match-up. It's too early to predict a winner since both teams still have to win a game to get there, but I think it would go down to the wire.

That's just one half of what could be a sensational Saturday in St. Louis. (Get your tickets early, it's gonna be a madhouse.) On the other side of the bracket, the winner of the Creighton/Bradley rematch would potentially play Drake in one of the best match-ups in the country. Drake has taken a few lumps lately but they do a great job of spreading the floor on offense and it allows them to consistently get good looks at the basket. While Drake is powered by Josh Young's 16ppg the Bulldogs are still a balanced team, and that balance will make them tough to beat.

Drake is the #1 seed for a reason and I think they have the best chance of winning the tournament. However, I think Creighton, Bradley, Illinois State, and SIU all have a shot at this thing. Creighton's depth would give them an advantage playing 3 games in 3 days but they also have an incredibly difficult draw. Bradley would be a sleeper pick but they could also be out in the first round. Overall I would give Drake a 40% chance of winning and give Creighton, Bradley, Illinois State, and SIU a 15% chance of cutting down the nets at the Scottrade Center.

Eldridge sinks Salukis

2008-03-01T22:49:00.005-06:00

Illinois State guard Osiris Eldridge dropped 27 points on the Salukis to lead the Redbirds to a 57-49 victory, clinching the #2 seed in the Valley tournament.

Eldridge was the only Illinois State player to score double figures, but he was all the Redbirds needed as the Salukis shot blanks most of the night. The Saluki defense failed to contain Eldridge, allowing him to work both sides of the baseline and fire open shots from the perimeter, and he made them pay.

When the dust settled on Senior Night at SIU Arena, the Saluki seniors were tagged with the second home MVC loss of their SIU careers. While it was a disappointing way to go out, a 30-2 career record at home in conference play is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Salukis (17-13, 11-7) will have the #3 seed in the Valley tournament and face UNI on Friday night. You can view the complete bracket here. Illinois State will take the #2 seed and will play the winner of the Missouri State/Evansville play-in game.

While this loss may be emotionally difficult for the Salukis, there is almost no difference between a #2 and #3 seed in the Valley Tournament. Missouri State is actually a hotter team than UNI right now, having won 4 of their last 5 including a win over Drake. Of course Mo State would have to beat Evansville to get to Illinois State and would also have to deal with fatigue from playing on back-to-back nights.

Both Illinois State and SIU may have dodged a bullet by avoiding Drake, Creighton, and Bradley on their half of the bracket. Drake is the #1 seed for a reason. Creighton and Bradley are both scorching hot and played a 111-110 double overtime game Saturday night that Creighton was able to win in order to secure the #4 seed. Their reward? ... A Friday night rematch with Bradley.

Check back later next week for a tournament preview and we'll be coming at you live from STL next weekend. In the meantime, tune into the Sunday Sports Review at 10am on 91.1 FM in Carbondale or listen online for more coverage of the Salukis' attempt to keep their NCAA Tournament streak alive.

Second half surge leads Salukis to victory

2008-02-26T20:37:00.010-06:00

With three minutes remaining in the first half Tyrone Green hit a layup to put the Salukis up 26-18 and things were looking good for the Dawgs. Then the Saluki road team of old showed up in Peoria. Southern didn't score again in the first half. Over the next 7 minutes they turned an 8 point lead into a 5 point disadvantage.

The Salukis have struggled on the road all season and this game was no different... as the Salukis... wait... what?... This game was different ... as the Salukis wore down a short-handed Bradley team and got whatever they wanted offensively down the stretch.

Bryan Mullins turned the tide when he hit Matt Shaw for a layup that cut the lead to 3 and then the rest of the crew got involved. Wes Clemmons stepped it up big time, scoring 7 points in the next 3 minutes and capped off the run by taking a pass from Mullins and dropping in a layup to put Southern on top 40-37.

Once the Dawgs got their groove back there was never any doubt that they would close out the victory. As Lowery said in the postgame (95.1FM), Floorburn U is back. The Saluki 'D' was able to contain Jeremy Crouch in the second half and while Crouch finished with 21 points, it took him 21 shots to get there.

The 'big 3' combo of Mullins, Shaw, and Falker came up huge, but also give credit to Joshua Bone. Bone seems to have broken out of his shooting slump and he looked confident, hitting 3 of 5 from the field, to chip in 10 points off the bench. Southern needs the 'big 3' to play well every night, but when they get good contributions from a fourth player they are really tough to beat.

That's 5 wins in a row for the Dawgs and more importantly 2 of those wins came away from SIU Arena. Even though Bradley was short-handed, the game still counts the same in the standings and now the Salukis have their sights set on second place in the Valley.