All good things must come to an end

Creighton finally beat SIU at the Quest Center and this time it wasn't even close. Randal Falker gave the Salukis an early 2-0 lead, but from that moment on the Bluejays took absolute control.

Creighton shot a ridiculous 60% in the first half to knock the Salukis out of the game early. Once Creighton captured the momentum and the crowd of 15,000+ got into the game, it was obvious that it was going to be a long night for the Salukis.

Southern looked sloppy most of the night and gave the ball away 23 times in one form or another. Creighton took advantage of the all the miscues by getting out in transition and scoring off turnovers. This game was a perfect example of how important it is for SIU to control tempo and force their opponent to score in half court sets. When this year's Saluki team gets caught in an uptempo game they are at a clear disadvantage.

If you're looking for a bright spot, SIU did shoot 45% and they played much better in the second half. However, one decent half of basketball isn't enough to get a road win in the Valley and it's especially not good enough to top a pretty talented Creighton team on their home turf.

All good things come to an end, and the Bluejays were finally able to put an end to the Salukis dominance at the Quest Center.

Lowery turns to Seniors for leadership

The Salukis seniors have never lost a game at Creighton and the Dawgs are 4-0 all time at the Quest Center. Chris Lowery will add Tyrone Green to the starting lineup and will count on Green, Shaw, and Falker to lead the Salukis to victory in one of the most hostile environments in the Valley.

In the interview below (2:11) Tyrone Green talks about being added to the starting lineup, his shot selection, attacking the basket, and his prowess on the offensive glass.

Falker and Mullins lead Salukis to Victory

The Salukis overcame a power outage in practice this week and a weather delay during the game to beat Indiana State and stay tied for 3rd place in the Valley.

Tonight it was the thunder and lightning duo of Randal Falker and Bryan Mullins that turned out the lights on Indiana St. The Falker/Mullins duo combined for 42 points and countless key baskets for the Dawgs.

The Salukis didn't just settle for jump shots in this game, they took the ball to the basket. Using the dribble resulted in getting to the foul line and SIU hit more free throws (27) than Indiana St attempted (24).

After a temporary weather delay Indiana State made a significant run from being down 5 to carrying a 2 point lead into the locker room at halftime. Luckily for SIU Randal Falker was able to douse the flame, knocking down a field goal at the first half buzzer.

In the second half the Salukis came out with a flurry, leading to a 10-0 run.

Indiana State answered with a comeback led by Gabriel Moore. Moore did plenty of talking during the game and shouted some words in Falker's direction after hitting his final 3 pointer of the night with 16:01 remaining. Give the Salukis credit though, they didn't get in a shouting match. Instead, Falker combined with Tyrone Green to fuel a 9-1 Saluki run that stole the momentum right back.

Tyrone Green pushed the ball towards the hoop and took advantage of a defensive scheme that left him open almost the entire game. Green epitomized Southern's 'take it to the hoop' mentality and will be rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup when the Dawgs play Creighton on Sunday.

Overall, it was a nice home win for the Salukis but they still have to prove that they can take their show on the road. Attacking the basket in the same style they did tonight will create higher percentage shots and more free throw attempts, giving the Dawgs a better chance to win away from home.

Busted Brackets to Collide

The Nevada Wolf Pack (13-8) and the SIU Salukis (11-11) will throw down in the Bracket Buster game on Feb 23rd at SIU Arena. Neither team is in a position for an at-large bid and they would each need to win their conference tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. A win in this game would help either team get a respectable seed in the dance if they could secure an automatic bid.

Nevada and SIU match up in the RPI, with SIU currently at #80 and Nevada coming in at #82.

Nevada mixes a lot of young talent with 6th year Senior guard Marcelus Kemp, who has a chance to play in the NBA next season.

Nevada has some serious scoring punch, with 4 players averaging double figures. Kemp leads the way with nearly 20 per game followed by 2 sophomores and a freshman who all put up 12 points a night.

All in all this isn't too bad of a match-up. The Salukis will have a good chance to win this game at home and add a top 100 win to their resume even if it ends up being for the NIT or CBI (which we will talk more about later this month). Also, since Nevada has lots of young talent (and a great recruiting class on the way) the Salukis will get a great return game when they make the 1,943 mile trip to Reno next season.

Falker drops 21, but Salukis still lose on the road

Randal Falker was a man possessed in the second half. He fought off double teams and found a way to keep SIU in the game. His teammates however, were not able to find a goove and UNI made just enough foul shots to put the game away.

Both teams shot 72% from the line but UNI hit 29 free throws while Southern only made 15. Southern once again struggled from the 3 point line hitting only 6 of 24 for 25%.

The road woes continue for SIU with their only road win coming at Evansville. The loss at UNI drops the Salukis to 6-5 and into a four way tie for 3rd place in the MVC. Only 2 games behind Illinois State, second place is still a possibility, but it's probably time for Lowery and Co. to take their sights off of a regular season conference title.