Believe the Hype

This week I have received personal requests, phone calls, and emails from about every SIU Basketball fan that I know. Everyone had the same question- "Got an extra ticket?".

This IS Rivalry Week. This IS College Basketball. SIU vs Creighton is the MVC's version of Yankees-Red Sox. Bitter rivals duking it out for the top spot. It doesn't get any better than this.

ESPN has begun to take notice. SIU is in the middle of a stretch where it plays on ESPN three weeks in a row. I don't have any official information on this but I would be willing to say that this is the first time it has ever happened.

Saturday's game will feature two teams who are presently locks for the NCAA Tournament. I'm also going to go out on a limb here and say the winner of this game will win the MVC title. If SIU wins they will have a 1 game lead with 3 games to play. The Salukis would also hold a tiebreaker advantage over Creighton if they finished with identical records. SIU still has to go on the road to Mo State and Indiana State (not easy) and they finish the MVC schedule at home against an Evansville squad that has already beat us this year. Nobody said it was going to be easy.

Creighton just about took one on the chin at home against Evansville on Wednesday night. They used a 25-4 run to overcome a 14 point halftime deficit to beat the Purple Aces. One thing that Creighton does is pass the ball well. They had 23 assists on 26 baskets on Wednesday night. It was the usual suspects getting it done for the Bluejays as Nate Funk put down 19 points and 7 dimes.

The Salukis are hot, winning 6 straight games and sitting at #20 in the poll. Creighton has won 5 in a row and can take a step towards a national ranking with a win on Saturday. Southern could push their ranking up around 15 and leapfrog over teams like Duke, USC, and Oklahoma State.

We all know that SIU does a great job at limiting possessions and making their possessions count on offense. As it turns out, Creighton is pretty good in that department as well. They are second in the Valley in points per possession as illustrated in this chart.

The number one key to this game for SIU will be the play of #3 Jamaal Tatum. JT left Wednesday's game against Bradley because of a touch of the flu combined with a deep thigh bruise. I dont have any inside information on JT's condition and I am not a medical professional but I will tell you one thing- Jamaal Tatum will play on Saturday. JT could have bird flu and still play in this game. Jamaal has had some serious ups and downs in his four years here but he has done a lot of growing up and is a better man because of all he has been through. Tatum is a senior, and playing through injury to lead us to victory could be the defining moment of his SIU career.

If you're going to the game WEAR MAROON. If you don't have a ticket tune into ESPN2 at 5pm CST. If you want to talk SIU basketball and interact with other fans head over to SalukiTalk.com for some lively discussion. Listen to the Sunday Sports Review on 91.1 FM at 10AM for a recap of the action. Official Salukihoops projection- SIU over Creighton 66-64.

A huge week ahead

SIU destroyed the first DI school they played this season with 62-46 win over Murray St. Southern played smothering defense throughout the game. Chris Lowery was vocal in the first half barking defensive orders to his players and they responded by holding Murray to 14 points in the first 14 minutes of the game. Murray never threatened Southern in this game.

He’s Back!

SIU Arena witnessed the return of Jamaal Tatum on Sunday and he did not disappoint. Tatum busted Murray State for 20 points including 4 of 5 from three point range in just 29 minutes. Obviously there was no rust for JT after missing the first three games. Jamaal is one of the most exciting players I have ever seen at SIU. Everyone did a good job in his absence but there is no substitute for a guy with his speed and shooting ability.

On to bigger things-

Next time we see SIU we’ll be eating turkey and watching them play their first of (at least) 5 nationally televised games this year. ESPN 2 will cover SIU v Arkansas at 11am on Turkey Day. This is a huge week for the program. Winning on national television really brings in the recruits and if we win this Tournament we’ll undoubtedly crack the top 25. More importantly, winning this tournament could lead many to believe that we are the best team in the STATE.

Hog Wild-

Before we can win the tourney we have to beat Arkansas. Not an easy task. Give thanks that super stud Ronnie Brewer left the razorbacks for the NBA, and Arkansas will probably not start any seniors in this game. However SEC teams don’t rebuild they reload. Head Coach Stan Heath will start four juniors and one freshman. It’s good that we are playing this team early in the season because this group hasn’t played together much giving us a great chance to beat them on a neutral court.

Arkansas will have a height advantage with 7 foot center Steven Hill and 6-10 forward Vincent Hunter. The scouting report on these guys is that their talent level does not quite meet there size so hopefully Shaw, Falker, and Co can keep them in check the same way they kept bigger players in check most of last season.

Official Salukihoops prediction- SIU over Arkansas 59-57.

Check back after the game on Turkey Day for a full recap and a preview of our Black Friday match up against Marist or Minnesota.