We're here at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis getting ready for all of today's action.
First up on the docket is Drake vs Indiana State. Drake comes in as the top seed but in years past that has not necessarily been a good thing in the MVC. The top seed has not won the tournament since Illinois State did it in 1998. Drake will attempt to break the trend this weekend.
Indiana State pulled to .500 (15-15) with their win over Wichita State last night. Indiana State has a decent amount of depth with 9 guys averaging over 12 minutes a game but Marico Stinson and Gabe Moore will have to come up huge for ISU to have a chance at an upset today.
We'll be checking in all weekend from the Scottrade Center so email in your questions and comments to salukihoops@gmail.com and check back for updates throughout the tournament.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
Looking ahead to Arch Madness
The Salukis will need to win the MVC Tourney to get a bid, that much we know. Bracketology has SIU on the bubble but on the wrong side of it. Drake (5 seed) and Illinois State (11 seed) look like they are going dancing, but if a third team claims the automatic bid, the MVC could be a 3-bid league in 2008.
The first round matchup against UNI is no gimmie, the Panthers beat SIU earlier this season, but Southern will be a strong favorite in this game after beating UNI by 20 just two weeks ago.
If the Salukis advance to the second round, they would probably get a rematch with Illinois State. The Redbirds have already beat the Salukis twice this year, but are they really that much better? Osiris Eldridge and his mohawk mojo give Illinois State the go-to guy that Southern seems to be lacking so he would no doubt be the x-factor once again in this match-up. It's too early to predict a winner since both teams still have to win a game to get there, but I think it would go down to the wire.
That's just one half of what could be a sensational Saturday in St. Louis. (Get your tickets early, it's gonna be a madhouse.) On the other side of the bracket, the winner of the Creighton/Bradley rematch would potentially play Drake in one of the best match-ups in the country. Drake has taken a few lumps lately but they do a great job of spreading the floor on offense and it allows them to consistently get good looks at the basket. While Drake is powered by Josh Young's 16ppg the Bulldogs are still a balanced team, and that balance will make them tough to beat.
Drake is the #1 seed for a reason and I think they have the best chance of winning the tournament. However, I think Creighton, Bradley, Illinois State, and SIU all have a shot at this thing. Creighton's depth would give them an advantage playing 3 games in 3 days but they also have an incredibly difficult draw. Bradley would be a sleeper pick but they could also be out in the first round. Overall I would give Drake a 40% chance of winning and give Creighton, Bradley, Illinois State, and SIU a 15% chance of cutting down the nets at the Scottrade Center.
The first round matchup against UNI is no gimmie, the Panthers beat SIU earlier this season, but Southern will be a strong favorite in this game after beating UNI by 20 just two weeks ago.
If the Salukis advance to the second round, they would probably get a rematch with Illinois State. The Redbirds have already beat the Salukis twice this year, but are they really that much better? Osiris Eldridge and his mohawk mojo give Illinois State the go-to guy that Southern seems to be lacking so he would no doubt be the x-factor once again in this match-up. It's too early to predict a winner since both teams still have to win a game to get there, but I think it would go down to the wire.
That's just one half of what could be a sensational Saturday in St. Louis. (Get your tickets early, it's gonna be a madhouse.) On the other side of the bracket, the winner of the Creighton/Bradley rematch would potentially play Drake in one of the best match-ups in the country. Drake has taken a few lumps lately but they do a great job of spreading the floor on offense and it allows them to consistently get good looks at the basket. While Drake is powered by Josh Young's 16ppg the Bulldogs are still a balanced team, and that balance will make them tough to beat.
Drake is the #1 seed for a reason and I think they have the best chance of winning the tournament. However, I think Creighton, Bradley, Illinois State, and SIU all have a shot at this thing. Creighton's depth would give them an advantage playing 3 games in 3 days but they also have an incredibly difficult draw. Bradley would be a sleeper pick but they could also be out in the first round. Overall I would give Drake a 40% chance of winning and give Creighton, Bradley, Illinois State, and SIU a 15% chance of cutting down the nets at the Scottrade Center.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Eldridge sinks Salukis
Illinois State guard Osiris Eldridge dropped 27 points on the Salukis to lead the Redbirds to a 57-49 victory, clinching the #2 seed in the Valley tournament.
Eldridge was the only Illinois State player to score double figures, but he was all the Redbirds needed as the Salukis shot blanks most of the night. The Saluki defense failed to contain Eldridge, allowing him to work both sides of the baseline and fire open shots from the perimeter, and he made them pay.
When the dust settled on Senior Night at SIU Arena, the Saluki seniors were tagged with the second home MVC loss of their SIU careers. While it was a disappointing way to go out, a 30-2 career record at home in conference play is nothing to be ashamed of.
The Salukis (17-13, 11-7) will have the #3 seed in the Valley tournament and face UNI on Friday night. You can view the complete bracket here. Illinois State will take the #2 seed and will play the winner of the Missouri State/Evansville play-in game.
While this loss may be emotionally difficult for the Salukis, there is almost no difference between a #2 and #3 seed in the Valley Tournament. Missouri State is actually a hotter team than UNI right now, having won 4 of their last 5 including a win over Drake. Of course Mo State would have to beat Evansville to get to Illinois State and would also have to deal with fatigue from playing on back-to-back nights.
Both Illinois State and SIU may have dodged a bullet by avoiding Drake, Creighton, and Bradley on their half of the bracket. Drake is the #1 seed for a reason. Creighton and Bradley are both scorching hot and played a 111-110 double overtime game Saturday night that Creighton was able to win in order to secure the #4 seed. Their reward? ... A Friday night rematch with Bradley.
Check back later next week for a tournament preview and we'll be coming at you live from STL next weekend. In the meantime, tune into the Sunday Sports Review at 10am on 91.1 FM in Carbondale or listen online for more coverage of the Salukis' attempt to keep their NCAA Tournament streak alive.
Eldridge was the only Illinois State player to score double figures, but he was all the Redbirds needed as the Salukis shot blanks most of the night. The Saluki defense failed to contain Eldridge, allowing him to work both sides of the baseline and fire open shots from the perimeter, and he made them pay.
When the dust settled on Senior Night at SIU Arena, the Saluki seniors were tagged with the second home MVC loss of their SIU careers. While it was a disappointing way to go out, a 30-2 career record at home in conference play is nothing to be ashamed of.
The Salukis (17-13, 11-7) will have the #3 seed in the Valley tournament and face UNI on Friday night. You can view the complete bracket here. Illinois State will take the #2 seed and will play the winner of the Missouri State/Evansville play-in game.
While this loss may be emotionally difficult for the Salukis, there is almost no difference between a #2 and #3 seed in the Valley Tournament. Missouri State is actually a hotter team than UNI right now, having won 4 of their last 5 including a win over Drake. Of course Mo State would have to beat Evansville to get to Illinois State and would also have to deal with fatigue from playing on back-to-back nights.
Both Illinois State and SIU may have dodged a bullet by avoiding Drake, Creighton, and Bradley on their half of the bracket. Drake is the #1 seed for a reason. Creighton and Bradley are both scorching hot and played a 111-110 double overtime game Saturday night that Creighton was able to win in order to secure the #4 seed. Their reward? ... A Friday night rematch with Bradley.
Check back later next week for a tournament preview and we'll be coming at you live from STL next weekend. In the meantime, tune into the Sunday Sports Review at 10am on 91.1 FM in Carbondale or listen online for more coverage of the Salukis' attempt to keep their NCAA Tournament streak alive.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Second half surge leads Salukis to victory
With three minutes remaining in the first half Tyrone Green hit a layup to put the Salukis up 26-18 and things were looking good for the Dawgs. Then the Saluki road team of old showed up in Peoria. Southern didn't score again in the first half. Over the next 7 minutes they turned an 8 point lead into a 5 point disadvantage.
The Salukis have struggled on the road all season and this game was no different... as the Salukis... wait... what?... This game was different ... as the Salukis wore down a short-handed Bradley team and got whatever they wanted offensively down the stretch.
Bryan Mullins turned the tide when he hit Matt Shaw for a layup that cut the lead to 3 and then the rest of the crew got involved. Wes Clemmons stepped it up big time, scoring 7 points in the next 3 minutes and capped off the run by taking a pass from Mullins and dropping in a layup to put Southern on top 40-37.
Once the Dawgs got their groove back there was never any doubt that they would close out the victory. As Lowery said in the postgame (95.1FM), Floorburn U is back. The Saluki 'D' was able to contain Jeremy Crouch in the second half and while Crouch finished with 21 points, it took him 21 shots to get there.
The 'big 3' combo of Mullins, Shaw, and Falker came up huge, but also give credit to Joshua Bone. Bone seems to have broken out of his shooting slump and he looked confident, hitting 3 of 5 from the field, to chip in 10 points off the bench. Southern needs the 'big 3' to play well every night, but when they get good contributions from a fourth player they are really tough to beat.
That's 5 wins in a row for the Dawgs and more importantly 2 of those wins came away from SIU Arena. Even though Bradley was short-handed, the game still counts the same in the standings and now the Salukis have their sights set on second place in the Valley.
The Salukis have struggled on the road all season and this game was no different... as the Salukis... wait... what?... This game was different ... as the Salukis wore down a short-handed Bradley team and got whatever they wanted offensively down the stretch.
Bryan Mullins turned the tide when he hit Matt Shaw for a layup that cut the lead to 3 and then the rest of the crew got involved. Wes Clemmons stepped it up big time, scoring 7 points in the next 3 minutes and capped off the run by taking a pass from Mullins and dropping in a layup to put Southern on top 40-37.
Once the Dawgs got their groove back there was never any doubt that they would close out the victory. As Lowery said in the postgame (95.1FM), Floorburn U is back. The Saluki 'D' was able to contain Jeremy Crouch in the second half and while Crouch finished with 21 points, it took him 21 shots to get there.
The 'big 3' combo of Mullins, Shaw, and Falker came up huge, but also give credit to Joshua Bone. Bone seems to have broken out of his shooting slump and he looked confident, hitting 3 of 5 from the field, to chip in 10 points off the bench. Southern needs the 'big 3' to play well every night, but when they get good contributions from a fourth player they are really tough to beat.
That's 5 wins in a row for the Dawgs and more importantly 2 of those wins came away from SIU Arena. Even though Bradley was short-handed, the game still counts the same in the standings and now the Salukis have their sights set on second place in the Valley.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Salukis Thunder Past Nevada
Southern Illinois hammered Nevada 74-49 at the Arena on Saturday. The win came in the glare of a nationally televised Bracket Buster match-up.
Randal Falker led all scorers with 17, while Matt Shaw (13) and Tyrone Green (11) also reached double figures.
The supercharged Dawgs harassed the usually sure-handed Wolf Pack into a jarring 21 turnovers and added to the visitors' woes by going 14 of 16 from the line.
Nevada's talented trio of JaVale McGee, Armon Johnson and Marcellus Kemp hit for 12 apiece, in a losing effort. Even a 37-24 rebounding edge for the significantly taller visitors was to no avail. The rout was on virtually from opening tip.
SIU overcame an early Nevada lead to rack up a 37-22 halftime margin. Midway through the second 20 minutes the SIU lead had ballooned to an eye-popping 29 points. It was no fluke.
Voted a unamimous preseason MVC favorite, Southern's win at home-snooze on the road 2008 format had thus far spun the team out of the national limelight. Saturday at the Arena it was a different story.
The Dawgs burned 7 threes in the first half. Then Southern took the game inside and Nevada simply had no answer for Randal Falker. Twisting, vaulting and coming up with new moves on the fly, Southern's low post sensation showed why conventional wisdom has had two defenders posted on his shoestrings all season long. Seven footers slid off him like icicles off a tin shed. In one sequence he shrugged off four grappling opponents and flipped in a reverse finger roll.
While Falker was running loose, Shaw was stealing passes. As Bryan Mullins was chasing every Nevada shirt east and west, Tyrone Green was exploding past people so fast it was scary.
Wes Clemmons canned a couple of treys and the Dawgs bench crew kicked in 19, including 8 from the increasingly impressive Carlton Fay and 9 from Joshua Bone.
Nevada must have felt like they'd been tossed into a blender. The maroon congregation jammed in Arena seats was holding a high decibel carnival. The Wolf Pack's first visit to Egypt was a harsh reality check, though Creighton, Missouri State and various other shell shocked visitors could have testified if consulted.
Up next the red hot Bradley Braves on the road and then Illinois State at home next Saturday to close out the regular season. A pair of W's will lead to a 2nd place overall finish and a favorable seed for Arch Madness.
Randal Falker led all scorers with 17, while Matt Shaw (13) and Tyrone Green (11) also reached double figures.
The supercharged Dawgs harassed the usually sure-handed Wolf Pack into a jarring 21 turnovers and added to the visitors' woes by going 14 of 16 from the line.
Nevada's talented trio of JaVale McGee, Armon Johnson and Marcellus Kemp hit for 12 apiece, in a losing effort. Even a 37-24 rebounding edge for the significantly taller visitors was to no avail. The rout was on virtually from opening tip.
SIU overcame an early Nevada lead to rack up a 37-22 halftime margin. Midway through the second 20 minutes the SIU lead had ballooned to an eye-popping 29 points. It was no fluke.
Voted a unamimous preseason MVC favorite, Southern's win at home-snooze on the road 2008 format had thus far spun the team out of the national limelight. Saturday at the Arena it was a different story.
The Dawgs burned 7 threes in the first half. Then Southern took the game inside and Nevada simply had no answer for Randal Falker. Twisting, vaulting and coming up with new moves on the fly, Southern's low post sensation showed why conventional wisdom has had two defenders posted on his shoestrings all season long. Seven footers slid off him like icicles off a tin shed. In one sequence he shrugged off four grappling opponents and flipped in a reverse finger roll.
While Falker was running loose, Shaw was stealing passes. As Bryan Mullins was chasing every Nevada shirt east and west, Tyrone Green was exploding past people so fast it was scary.
Wes Clemmons canned a couple of treys and the Dawgs bench crew kicked in 19, including 8 from the increasingly impressive Carlton Fay and 9 from Joshua Bone.
Nevada must have felt like they'd been tossed into a blender. The maroon congregation jammed in Arena seats was holding a high decibel carnival. The Wolf Pack's first visit to Egypt was a harsh reality check, though Creighton, Missouri State and various other shell shocked visitors could have testified if consulted.
Up next the red hot Bradley Braves on the road and then Illinois State at home next Saturday to close out the regular season. A pair of W's will lead to a 2nd place overall finish and a favorable seed for Arch Madness.
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