Ralph Willard, previously the head coach at Western Kentucky, hasn't faced SIU since Rich Herrin's years at the helm in Carbondale. Meanwhile, a lot has changed for the Dawgs and in the MVC. It's a safe bet, however, that the Holy Cross Crusaders' mentor has been doing his homework.
His squad, ranked sixth nationally in defense, (57.4) plays a lot like the Salukis. Look for a high pressure defensive struggle, topping out in the 60's.
Two seniors lead the Patriot League champs. 6-5 forward Keith Simmons (17.3) is a three time league all-star. He's hit for double figures 44 times in a row. An all-league defender, 5-11 guard Torey Thomas adds 13.6 and specializes in steals. Steals. Remember that word. To defeat Holy Cross you must take care of the ball........
Tim Clifford is a mountain in the middle. He's 6-10 and 270 and brings an 11.8 average into play.
HC has a road loss at Duke, and was stalled by Niagara by six on a neutral floor. 6-2 Junior guard Kyle Cruse and 6-8 Soph. Alex Vander Bann round out the starters. Pat Doherty is perhaps the most valuable of the reserves.
So what should we expect? In previous NCAA appearance the Crusaders have given solid performances against the likes of Marquette, Kentucky and Kansas. They will play with passion, pride and considerable skill.
The Dawgs have a bone-bruising personna, and it's real. Every coal miner and dirt farmer in the Land Between the Rivers grins at that kind of effort. In a way it exemplifies the hard working people of Southern Illinois. The team can be beaten, but never disgraced. They'll play the full 40 minutes every night.
Chris Lowery allows no excuses. There no longer is a tremendous divide between regions. Not a lot of snooty nonsense about dusting off those rubes from clear across the country. That's as it should be. Both teams have earned the right to this game. Nothing else is guaranteed. Ten young men take the court. The ball goes up. They settle things from there.
Game time is 9:40 Eastern, 8:40 Central, Friday night.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Tourney Time
Ladies and Gentlemen the moment you've all been waiting for... the NCAA Tournament! The Salukis have had plenty of time to regroup and travel to Ohio for the opening round on Friday night.
Southern's first opponent is Holy Cross, not a nationally known team, but an experienced club that has been dancing 3 times in the last 6 years. As Tom Webber pointed out in the Dawg Tracker there is no such thing as an easy win in the NCAA Tournament. The Salukis have only won 4 NCAA games in school history so being a favorite to win in the first round is quite an accomplishment for this team with an unknown mascot from an unknown town in America's Heartland.
When these two teams get on the court we should see a familiar style of basketball. All signs point to this game having an "MVC feel." Holy Cross likes to play the same kind of low scoring game that SIU does but they might not always do it by design. Each team boasts a conference player of the year (Jammal Tatum and Keith Simmons) and both players will be the key to their team's offense.
Simmons represents a bit of a matchup problem for SIU. He is a 6-5 shooting guard who averages 17 points and 6 boards- leading the team in both categories.
Chris Lowery would be wise to use Tony Young to neutralize Simmons even though the 6 foot Young will be giving up 5 inches in the matchup. It will be crucial for Young to stay out of foul trouble because SIU could be forced to turn to Tyrone Green for this assignment when Young is out of the game.
Holy Cross has played some decent teams this year but they have not beaten anyone of note. Holy Cross took it on the chin aginst Duke, Syracuse, Dayton, and George Mason. They are 1-2 playing at neutral sites and 10-6 on the road. These numbers bode well for SIU.
My advice to Saluki fans is.... Enjoy This! We have become spoiled to great basketball in Southern Illinois and it is something our community should be very proud of. Wear your maroon, buy your refreshments, and tune into CBS on Friday night as YOUR Salukis take center stage in the greatest basketball tournament in the world.
Offical Salukihoops prediction SIU over Holy Cross 57-49 setting up a second round rematch with Va Tech. Sound off with other Saluki fans at SalukiTalk and check back right here for a full recap after the game.
Southern's first opponent is Holy Cross, not a nationally known team, but an experienced club that has been dancing 3 times in the last 6 years. As Tom Webber pointed out in the Dawg Tracker there is no such thing as an easy win in the NCAA Tournament. The Salukis have only won 4 NCAA games in school history so being a favorite to win in the first round is quite an accomplishment for this team with an unknown mascot from an unknown town in America's Heartland.
When these two teams get on the court we should see a familiar style of basketball. All signs point to this game having an "MVC feel." Holy Cross likes to play the same kind of low scoring game that SIU does but they might not always do it by design. Each team boasts a conference player of the year (Jammal Tatum and Keith Simmons) and both players will be the key to their team's offense.
Simmons represents a bit of a matchup problem for SIU. He is a 6-5 shooting guard who averages 17 points and 6 boards- leading the team in both categories.
Chris Lowery would be wise to use Tony Young to neutralize Simmons even though the 6 foot Young will be giving up 5 inches in the matchup. It will be crucial for Young to stay out of foul trouble because SIU could be forced to turn to Tyrone Green for this assignment when Young is out of the game.Holy Cross has played some decent teams this year but they have not beaten anyone of note. Holy Cross took it on the chin aginst Duke, Syracuse, Dayton, and George Mason. They are 1-2 playing at neutral sites and 10-6 on the road. These numbers bode well for SIU.
My advice to Saluki fans is.... Enjoy This! We have become spoiled to great basketball in Southern Illinois and it is something our community should be very proud of. Wear your maroon, buy your refreshments, and tune into CBS on Friday night as YOUR Salukis take center stage in the greatest basketball tournament in the world.
Offical Salukihoops prediction SIU over Holy Cross 57-49 setting up a second round rematch with Va Tech. Sound off with other Saluki fans at SalukiTalk and check back right here for a full recap after the game.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Time to Dance
No need to sweat out selection Sunday this year as SIU is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. The only question is about seeding- and we will find out the answer on Sunday (Salukihoops predicts a 4 seed in the Lexington, KY Bracket). If your going to be in Carbondale on Sunday you can join the team at Copper Dragon to see for yourself.
The Southern Illinois University men's basketball team will host a Saluki Selection Show Celebration event on Sunday afternoon from 4:00-7 p.m. at Copper Dragon in Carbondale. From 5-6 p.m., fans can join the team to watch as CBS Sports unveils the NCAA Tournament bracket. 710 Bookstore will have NCAA merchandise for sale as well as other officially licensed SIU items. The Salukis (27-6) earned the regular season championship of the Missouri Valley Conference and look to gain their fifth at large bid in the last six years. The Salukis were the automatic qualifier from the MVC last year.
In other valley news, due to the amount of upsets in the 1 bid leagues, Missouri State appears to be out of the dance as it stands today. This is really too bad for MSU who appears to be haunted by the fact that they changed their name. I have said all along that you cant just change your name. Seriously though, Missouri State beat Wisconsin this year, got third in the conference, and made it to the MVC Touney Semi-finals, they should be in. If the MVC had a third place game it would have been interesting to see the Bears and the Braves duke it out in a pseudo-NCAA play in game.
Check out the Sunday Sports Review on 91.1 WDBX on Sunday morning at 10am as I will be guest hosting the week. In the meantime you want to interact with other fans check out www.salukitalk.com.
The Southern Illinois University men's basketball team will host a Saluki Selection Show Celebration event on Sunday afternoon from 4:00-7 p.m. at Copper Dragon in Carbondale. From 5-6 p.m., fans can join the team to watch as CBS Sports unveils the NCAA Tournament bracket. 710 Bookstore will have NCAA merchandise for sale as well as other officially licensed SIU items. The Salukis (27-6) earned the regular season championship of the Missouri Valley Conference and look to gain their fifth at large bid in the last six years. The Salukis were the automatic qualifier from the MVC last year.
In other valley news, due to the amount of upsets in the 1 bid leagues, Missouri State appears to be out of the dance as it stands today. This is really too bad for MSU who appears to be haunted by the fact that they changed their name. I have said all along that you cant just change your name. Seriously though, Missouri State beat Wisconsin this year, got third in the conference, and made it to the MVC Touney Semi-finals, they should be in. If the MVC had a third place game it would have been interesting to see the Bears and the Braves duke it out in a pseudo-NCAA play in game.
Check out the Sunday Sports Review on 91.1 WDBX on Sunday morning at 10am as I will be guest hosting the week. In the meantime you want to interact with other fans check out www.salukitalk.com.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Wild Times in the River City
Monday, March 5th, dawns bright and cheery over the State of Nebraska. The Creighton Blue Jays flew into St. Louis and swooped away with the MVC Tourney title. In the process they landed a coveted berth in the NCAA tourney.
Elsewhere in the Valley clouds obscure the sun. In Carbondale, the Dawgs are licking their wounds after a nationally televised thrashing in the Arch Madness finale. Over in Springfield, MO the MSU Bears will be on pins and needles on selection Sunday. In Peoria, Bradley's Braves have a distant shot at the post season after giving the Dawgs fits but coming up short on Saturday.
The Northern Iowa Panthers and the Wichita State Shockers will likely draw the woeful duty of slogging through the NIT. Winning that one is like proving you're the best third baseman in Turkestan.
85,000 people surged through the turnstiles, and dropped an estimated 20 million dollars on St. Louis merchants over the weekend. For that, MVC leader Doug Elgin must be beaming. A new contract to keep the dynamic and exciting tournament in town seems assured.
Chris Lowery might do well to dial up Jerry Kill and arrange a tryout for defensive linemen who aspire to double in basketball. Creighton's Anthony Tolliver proved conclusively, Sunday, that no team is complete without a bruiser in the paint. Not necessarily a guy who can juggle while jitterbugging, mind you, but a guy who can run the floor at 260 and make his opponents look like guys who have run into a lamppost.
Nate Funk is an NBA guy in my book. He has the pro game. That's another reason the blue pennants are waving in Omaha today. He rose above all this weekend and delivered his team to the title.
After disposing of Drake in workmanlike style, 71-59, the Salukis came roaring back late Saturday to clip Bradley 53-51. A capacity throng of over 22,000 was on it's feet screaming as Matt Shaw soared out of a struggling mass of players to drop home the game winner with 3.9 seconds left. Physically and emotionally drained, however, the Dawgs were not the same in the title contest.
After 17 years in St. Louis, Arch Madness has arrived as a true spectacle. It is a welcome late winter vacation for many, who book rooms and make a weekend of it. ScottTrade was mobbed. Bistros were crowded far into the night. Backers of every team mingled and had a marvelous time. Several thousand Dawgs fans hit town barking, but, to their chagrin, left it howling......
Hey, how bout that Saluki pep band? As an old Marching Saluki myself, I gotta say those guys and and gals are fantastic. I really dig their version of "Big Noise from Winnetka". The cheer squad and the Shakers worked mightily to fire up the Dawgs, too.
Now here's the good news. Chris Lowery and company will rise again. On March 11 the name of Southern Illlinois will flash across TV screens nationwide. In the battle room at SIU a handful of young warriors and their courageous coach won't care what seed they get. No longer a team with a lengthy winning streak, they are once again a team with something to prove. Go get 'em Dawgs.......... we're all still behind you.
Elsewhere in the Valley clouds obscure the sun. In Carbondale, the Dawgs are licking their wounds after a nationally televised thrashing in the Arch Madness finale. Over in Springfield, MO the MSU Bears will be on pins and needles on selection Sunday. In Peoria, Bradley's Braves have a distant shot at the post season after giving the Dawgs fits but coming up short on Saturday.
The Northern Iowa Panthers and the Wichita State Shockers will likely draw the woeful duty of slogging through the NIT. Winning that one is like proving you're the best third baseman in Turkestan.
85,000 people surged through the turnstiles, and dropped an estimated 20 million dollars on St. Louis merchants over the weekend. For that, MVC leader Doug Elgin must be beaming. A new contract to keep the dynamic and exciting tournament in town seems assured.
Chris Lowery might do well to dial up Jerry Kill and arrange a tryout for defensive linemen who aspire to double in basketball. Creighton's Anthony Tolliver proved conclusively, Sunday, that no team is complete without a bruiser in the paint. Not necessarily a guy who can juggle while jitterbugging, mind you, but a guy who can run the floor at 260 and make his opponents look like guys who have run into a lamppost.
Nate Funk is an NBA guy in my book. He has the pro game. That's another reason the blue pennants are waving in Omaha today. He rose above all this weekend and delivered his team to the title.
After disposing of Drake in workmanlike style, 71-59, the Salukis came roaring back late Saturday to clip Bradley 53-51. A capacity throng of over 22,000 was on it's feet screaming as Matt Shaw soared out of a struggling mass of players to drop home the game winner with 3.9 seconds left. Physically and emotionally drained, however, the Dawgs were not the same in the title contest.
After 17 years in St. Louis, Arch Madness has arrived as a true spectacle. It is a welcome late winter vacation for many, who book rooms and make a weekend of it. ScottTrade was mobbed. Bistros were crowded far into the night. Backers of every team mingled and had a marvelous time. Several thousand Dawgs fans hit town barking, but, to their chagrin, left it howling......
Hey, how bout that Saluki pep band? As an old Marching Saluki myself, I gotta say those guys and and gals are fantastic. I really dig their version of "Big Noise from Winnetka". The cheer squad and the Shakers worked mightily to fire up the Dawgs, too.
Now here's the good news. Chris Lowery and company will rise again. On March 11 the name of Southern Illlinois will flash across TV screens nationwide. In the battle room at SIU a handful of young warriors and their courageous coach won't care what seed they get. No longer a team with a lengthy winning streak, they are once again a team with something to prove. Go get 'em Dawgs.......... we're all still behind you.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
SalukiHoops MVC Tourney Preview
Arch Madness is here! SIU is locked into the #1 seed and ready for action.
The Salukis are headed into the Tourney with an 11 game winning streak and they just added some hardware.
Jamaal Tatum has been named MVC Player of the Year! JT also pulled in a more important award, earning a 3.57 GPA and All-American Academic Honors. Congrats to JT.
Randal Falker had a few nice awards of his own- All-MVC First team and MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Falker leads the conference in blocked shots and becomes the sixth player in school history to win MVC Defensive POY.
One look at the All-Defensive first team explains why Southern's defense was so good all year. Tony Young, Bryan Mullins, and Randal Falker all represented SIU on the squad. Look for Mullins and Falker to be right back there next year.
Wesley Clemmons would not be left out of the action. Clemmons earned All-Bench team honors for the second year in a row. It's safe to say this is the last time Clemmons will win this award.
When Coach of the Year is announced Chris Lowery should win in a landslide.
Moving on to basketball action. SIU is set to play the winner of the Thursday night Evansville\Drake matchup (Friday at Noon). If Evansville wins their play-in game SIU will have to play the Aces for the second time in six days. Evansville has already beat SIU once this year so they could make SIU work hard to earn a victory.
Should the Salukis advance to the semifinal (Saturday 1:35PM) they will play the winner of the Bradley\UNI contest. Both Bradley and UNI have wins over SIU this season so this game will again be a battle. Bradley is a hot team coming into this tournament. They finished at 10-8 in the MVC but they are on the outside looking into the NCAA at-large picture according to bracketology. Bradley needs to win this tournament to get in. I expect to see Bradley face SIU in one of the best games of the Tournament. Bradley will look to beat UNI by shooting the three ball and if they play SIU their strategy will stay the same.
If SIU can make it into Sundays Championship game (1:05pm CBS) they will have the opportunity to show a national audience why they deserve a protected seed in the Big Dance. Southern would most likely face Missouri State or Creighton in the title tilt. Bracketology currently has both of those opponents in the NCAA tournament but you can be sure Missouri State does not want to take any chances after being snubbed last season.
SIU will have the most time to rest and recover between games because of their #1 seeding. That will be important because of the lack of depth down low for SIU. Shaw and Falker will be asked to play big minutes three days in a row and it could have an impact on their play by the time Sunday rolls around. Tony Boyle will be a key player to watch this weekend, if he can step up and play 15-18 minutes of quality basketball he could give Shaw and Falker all the rest they need.
If you are in the St. Louis area you can hear Salukihoops on the radio on Thursday night around 6:15pm. I will be the guest of Mike Huss on WGNU AM 920 talking SIU Basketball.
For those of you heading to STL this weekend here are two events that you won't want to miss.
The Alumni Association is sponsoring the Southern Illinois University Saluki Expo & Brunch at the Hilton at the Ballpark Hotel in St. Louis on Saturday, March 3, 2007. The Saluki Expo & Brunch will be held from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Over 20 booths will showcase regional businesses, SIU departments and SIU-affiliated organizations. An extensive brunch buffet will also be served during the Expo/Brunch!
All the guys from Salukitalk will be at the newly-relocated Hooters at 7th and Chestnut (just north of the Saluki host hotel - Hilton at the BallPark, at the old site of Mike Shannon's Restaurant) after the Friday evening session. It should be a lot of fun so make sure and stop by if you are in town.
Check out the Sunday Sports Review at 10am on WDBX 91.1 in Carbondale or on the web for a recap of the first two days of action. We'll be right back here on Sunday night when the dust settles so check back for a full recap of all the weekend's action.
The Salukis are headed into the Tourney with an 11 game winning streak and they just added some hardware.
Jamaal Tatum has been named MVC Player of the Year! JT also pulled in a more important award, earning a 3.57 GPA and All-American Academic Honors. Congrats to JT.
Randal Falker had a few nice awards of his own- All-MVC First team and MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Falker leads the conference in blocked shots and becomes the sixth player in school history to win MVC Defensive POY.
One look at the All-Defensive first team explains why Southern's defense was so good all year. Tony Young, Bryan Mullins, and Randal Falker all represented SIU on the squad. Look for Mullins and Falker to be right back there next year.
Wesley Clemmons would not be left out of the action. Clemmons earned All-Bench team honors for the second year in a row. It's safe to say this is the last time Clemmons will win this award.
When Coach of the Year is announced Chris Lowery should win in a landslide.
Moving on to basketball action. SIU is set to play the winner of the Thursday night Evansville\Drake matchup (Friday at Noon). If Evansville wins their play-in game SIU will have to play the Aces for the second time in six days. Evansville has already beat SIU once this year so they could make SIU work hard to earn a victory.
Should the Salukis advance to the semifinal (Saturday 1:35PM) they will play the winner of the Bradley\UNI contest. Both Bradley and UNI have wins over SIU this season so this game will again be a battle. Bradley is a hot team coming into this tournament. They finished at 10-8 in the MVC but they are on the outside looking into the NCAA at-large picture according to bracketology. Bradley needs to win this tournament to get in. I expect to see Bradley face SIU in one of the best games of the Tournament. Bradley will look to beat UNI by shooting the three ball and if they play SIU their strategy will stay the same.
If SIU can make it into Sundays Championship game (1:05pm CBS) they will have the opportunity to show a national audience why they deserve a protected seed in the Big Dance. Southern would most likely face Missouri State or Creighton in the title tilt. Bracketology currently has both of those opponents in the NCAA tournament but you can be sure Missouri State does not want to take any chances after being snubbed last season.
SIU will have the most time to rest and recover between games because of their #1 seeding. That will be important because of the lack of depth down low for SIU. Shaw and Falker will be asked to play big minutes three days in a row and it could have an impact on their play by the time Sunday rolls around. Tony Boyle will be a key player to watch this weekend, if he can step up and play 15-18 minutes of quality basketball he could give Shaw and Falker all the rest they need.
If you are in the St. Louis area you can hear Salukihoops on the radio on Thursday night around 6:15pm. I will be the guest of Mike Huss on WGNU AM 920 talking SIU Basketball.
For those of you heading to STL this weekend here are two events that you won't want to miss.
The Alumni Association is sponsoring the Southern Illinois University Saluki Expo & Brunch at the Hilton at the Ballpark Hotel in St. Louis on Saturday, March 3, 2007. The Saluki Expo & Brunch will be held from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Over 20 booths will showcase regional businesses, SIU departments and SIU-affiliated organizations. An extensive brunch buffet will also be served during the Expo/Brunch!
All the guys from Salukitalk will be at the newly-relocated Hooters at 7th and Chestnut (just north of the Saluki host hotel - Hilton at the BallPark, at the old site of Mike Shannon's Restaurant) after the Friday evening session. It should be a lot of fun so make sure and stop by if you are in town.
Check out the Sunday Sports Review at 10am on WDBX 91.1 in Carbondale or on the web for a recap of the first two days of action. We'll be right back here on Sunday night when the dust settles so check back for a full recap of all the weekend's action.
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