SIU wins a shootout 75-70

Welcome to the first live game blog at Saluki Hoops

SIU looks good early on offense. Early on Southern looks like the team that averages 80 points a game and not the other way around. Western KY is trapping on defense and they have forced the Salukis to take a few bad shots but we are also getting wide open looks generated from the double teams.

Brian Mullins got 2 quick fouls and had to go to the bench. Wesley Clemmons came in and immediately provided a spark. Clemmons got a quick steal and cashed in the layup at the other end. SIU cant do much wrong at this point, and if the bench guys continue to play at a high level this is going to be a blowout.

Tony Young appears to have awoken. He has 4 three pointers already in this game with 3 minutes to go in the first half. With Tony Young stepping up and scoring its going to be hard to beat SIU today.

WOW- Western Kentucky really put together a nice 10-0 run at the end of the first half to make this a game. This looks more like the sharp shooting team that we all heard about.

Early in the second half Tony Young knocks down another 3 ball to take back some of the momentum.

Courtney Lee is on fire now in the second half. He just about cut the lead to 2 points with a big three but it rattled out of the hoop. SIU dodged a bullet there.

SIU is stuck on 42 points. There is 11 minutes to go and Southern is not going to be able to rely on their defense forever.

Wesley Clemmons makes a nice athletic drive for bucket to put SIU up 44-38 with 10 minutes to go.

SIU looks helpless against the WKY press. Mullins made one nice pass for an easy basket but other than that the WKY pressure has been very effective.

Now this game is getting ugly and both teams are already in the bonus with 8:43 remaining. SIU really needs to hit free throws in order to win.

Courtney Lee has gone cold from the floor, but he is a pure scorer and I dont expect him to stop shooting. The kid has some serious talent. There he goes- a MONSTER dunk.

SIU big men are WIDE OPEN down low. Falker and Shaw are going to have a chance to win this thing for SIU if we can get the ball. SIU has a one point lead but WKY can put up points in a hurry.

Western Ky has tied this game at 53-53 this going to be a heck of a finish.

Its weird seeing SIU with a size advantage. We HAVE TO get the ball down low.

Both teams are now in double bonus with WKY taking their first lead of the game after trailing by 15 in the first half.

There we go! It looks like Lowery has instructed the guys to go get the ball down low, and Falker takes the lead back for SIU.

Tony Young hits a big three to put SIU up by 4. However, he probably should have passed with Shaw and Falker wide open.

Now its a free throw contest- Tony Young hits two free throws to push the lead to 6.

SIU hit 12 free throws in a row down the stretch. Thats a good way to hold a lead. WKY just would not go away at the end of this game and they put up a heck of a fight. SIU just outscored them. What a great win for SIU.

Western Kentucky deserves a lot of credit; they have a nice program and a nice gym. This is mid-major basketball at its best.

What a fun game to watch. Was this really SIU playing? 75 points? Wow. Tony Young is the Saluki Hoops player of the game with a 22 point effort. Good to have you back Tony.

Western Kentucky is for real

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are another them “off the beaten path” of NCAA cities but this is a top 10 mid-major program and WKY is not to be taken lightly.

Western Kentucky rolls into this game with SIU with a 7-1 record- their only loss coming to defending national champion Florida.

The Hilltoppers are in the same boat as SIU when it comes to scheduling- none of the big boys want to play. So the Hilltoppers went on the road to Georgia and hung a 70-67 loss on the Bulldogs.

One other thing about WKY- They LOVE to shoot the 3 ball. These guys can hit the three, and are very good on the free throw line as well. A dangerous combination.

Head Coach Darren Horn after WKY’s win against rival Eastern Kentucky-”You have a chance to play pretty well when you make 15 threes, but what I’m most proud of and pleased with is that we did it by following our game plan and staying in an attacking mentality, which is tough to do”

SIU has the second best defense in the nation allowing opponents only 49.1 points per game. On the other end of the spectrum, Western Kentucky is averaging 81.8 points per game at home this year. Something’s got to give. Southern should actually have a slight size advantage over WKY something that we're not used to having.

It should be a little higher scoring game than usual for Southern. This game could easily go right down to the wire. Hopefully I'm wrong but SIU might not have the firepower to win this one. Official Saluki Hoops prediction SIU 68 - WKY 72.

Saluki hoops will be live blogging during the game (Sat 7pm, MediaCom channel 22). Check back right after the game for the wrap up and your Saluki Hoops player of the game.

The Hazardous Road

The road to March takes many curious bends and twists. The Valley Highway, in particular, is a hazardous route, indeed. This nebulous cow-path, quite apart from the brightly lit highways in the Big East, et. al., leads past obscure and ominous places like Springfield, MO... an odious locale, home to a particulary angry species of Bears who sharpen their claws and feast on Badgers for amusement.

The map shows other dubious destinations... Peoria, Cedar Falls, Omaha, Wichita, Carbondale.......places no sane coach would lead a bus-load of callow, self-important youngsters without intense indoctrination in how to ignore leather-lunged partisans, crazed student cheering sections, ear-searing profane tirades, erratic officiating, dim shooting backgrounds, toxic truckstop tacos, cramped locker rooms, drizzling showers and damp, cold concrete floors . Sometimes IPODS even get misplaced (!) which could be the most unsettling fate of all.

Yes, it's easy to cruise in to these seemingly innocuous places , get off the bus, and get slapped silly in short order. Barry Hinson and his colleagues are not dallying away their time tutoring unskilled walk-ons. Nobody is suiting up student managers in the MVC. Talent trickles down here with amazing regularity. Perennial top-25 programs are finding themselves shoved aside by lantern-jawed mugs with bowling ball shoulders wearing MVC jerseys. Publicity and praise accrued in the early going of a D-I campaign can evaporate unless a team can slug it's way in and out of these and other ambuscades with dignity and RPI intact. Beware the bumpy road through The Valley.

Balanced attack leads SIU to 65-56 victory

SIU can beat you with defense but they also have a lot of weapons on offense and it showed in the game today. The salukis put four starters in double figures (Falker, Shaw, Tatum, and Mullins). Falker led the way with 17 points down low, including 5-6 from the free throw line earning him salukihoops player of the game honors. Falker’s free throw shooting has greatly improved from last season when he shot 55% from the stripe.

Shaw continues to stroke 3’s hitting 3 of 4 and letting his defender know about it, prompting his second technical foul of his college career. Tatum was quiet early but busted some big shots when it mattered and Brian Mullins must read this blog because he did a great job taking the ball to the hoop today.

Falker got in foul trouble early and was sent to the bench prompting a Jamaal Foster sighting. Foster did a very adequate job in his 6 minutes of play. He defended SLU big man Ian Vouyoukas, hit two free throws, and registered an assist. Good for him.

Tommie Liddell and Kevin Lisch both scored 14 points but combined to go 3-9 from the free throw stripe hurting SLU’s chances of making a second half comeback.

SIU (6-1) endured one first half run from SLU (5-2) and bounced back to take a 6 point lead into the locker room. Early second half baskets by Falker and Mullins stretched the lead to 10 and SIU never looked back in route to a 65-56 victory.

Random Notes-

• Tony Young has not played well lately and it’s begun to cost him minutes. Young started the game but only played 15 minutes and registered 4 personal fouls.

• Even with the loss today SLU still leads SIU 24-23 in the all-time series that started in 1920.

• SIU has held 14 straight opponents under 65 points dating back to last season

• Opponents are averaging just 49 points per game against SIU this season

• With the win today SIU improves to 69-3 at home since 2001

Rivalry Game

SIU has had a number of different rivals over the years. In the present landscape of college basketball the Billikens of St. Louis University are our number one competition in the area.

What makes a rivalry in college hoops?

Geographic proximity is a factor but you would not call University of Illinois and Northwestern a huge rivalry, would you? Of course not, so it must go deeper then that. The two teams must be equal in status. Two years ago SIU hung a lopsided victory on St. Louis U and last year the Billikens returned the favor in STL.

Another factor is recruiting. Both of these schools are fighting for the same recruits. SIU and St. Louis U can give local players a chance to play big time DI ball and stay close to home. A win in this series gives Chris Lowery or Brad Soderberg bragging rights for the year when they speak with potential players. How important is the Illinois/Missouri battle ground? 9 of the 10 starters in Saturday’s game are from one of the two states. The only exception- 6-10 Center Ian Vouyoukas who hails from Athens, Greece.

Last but not least the fans play a major factor. Many SIU fans make the trip to St. Louis when SIU plays there and I’m sure many SLU fans will make the trip tomorrow. When your fan base spends time, money, and emotional energy cheering for you on the road you really want to reward them with a win.

The good folks in Las Vegas are calling SIU a nine point favorite. That seems a little optimistic for my taste. SIU has not been able to put big points on the board yet this year prompting the ESPN commentator at the Old Spice Classic to call SIU “A Sweet 16 team on defense and an NIT team on offense”.

The Billikens have a nice guard combo of Kevin Lisch (Belleville Althoff) and Tommie Liddell (East St. Louis). Those two have combined to average 32 points a game so far, albeit playing against teams with inferior defense. NBA prospect Ian Vouyoukas has averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds a game so far helping SLU to a 5-1 record. Falker and Shaw have gone up against big men of this caliber before and came out on top. I expect them to do the same tomorrow.

The official Salukihoops prediction- SIU over SLU 57-51. Check back after the game for a full recap and your Salukihoops player of the game.