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.
