Bruce should remember what it was like being the low-man on the totem poll. Which is why I'm surprised he refuses to schedule a home-and-home with SIU.
Weber cites travel costs for not playing Southern, or any of Illinois' in-state rivals on their home turf. I cite that he is taking his playcalls from AD Ron Guenther. Trust me, I know it is not much of a burden to drive down I-57 from Champagne-Urbana to Carbondale. I used the Olympian Dr. pit stop all the time. (Mobile-Dairy Queen FTW!)
And I am really sick of hearing coaches say it's a no-win situation for us in regard to playing a team such as SIU. (By the way: If playing SIU is a no-win situation, why did Guenther schedule the Saluki football team to play the Illini. In college football, a loss to a FCS team hurts more than it would in college basketball. See: Appalachian State v. Michigan. Just saying.) When Southern was winning upward of 20 games a year, Valley titles and NCAA Tournament games, a win against the Salukis, whose RPI was always in the upper echelon of college basketball, would have been worth the drive to Carbondale. Bruce knows that if he played a game in Carbondale, it would not only be good for his team -- to possibly get a quality win on the road without having to extend the budget too far -- but for his former school as well. If the game was played on a Saturday night, SIU would get a huge revenue boom. So would the businesses of the southern Illinois region.
Heck, this could be the game that helps saves southern Illinois' budget woes. I kid, of course, but not when it comes to the game itself.
The funny thing is that Lowery is not innocent in this at all. (I know, me criticizing CL? Shocker, huh?) I was never able to confirm this rumor with a SIU official, but it was passed across my desk back when I was on campus (and I know it crossed the airwaves of others as well) that North Carolina offered Southern a 3-for-1 that would have covered the Tatum-Young sophomore, junior and senior years, along with the Falker-Shaw senior season. Lowery isn't big on 2-for-1s. No one in the athletic department is, so I'm not surprised it was shot down (assuming it was ever offered, of course) by the Salukis.
But at what point do you accept a 2-for-1 for the good of the program? I mean, the notoriety of playing an elite BCS school has got to be worth something to recruits. Lowery said he prided himself on playing some of college basketball's best teams and that it was attractive to recruits.
Don't believe me. Don't forget about where I came from?
(Chris) Lowery said playing against one of college basketball's elite programs on the nation's biggest stage won't faze the Salukis, no matter how exciting the experience may become.
Lowery said the players are embracing the opportunity because they expected to play quality opponents when they signed on with SIU.
"This is why we recruited them; we said we're going to play the best teams. That's why we attracted these kids because those are promises we can make," Lowery said.
I wonder if there is a point where Lowery and AD Mario Moccia come out with guns blazin' saying "We'll play anybody, anywhere, any time."
Southern significantly scaled back its non-conference schedule, even though it features two trips to Las Vegas. Rumor has it that UCLA offered SIU a one-and-done game to travel to the West coast. I would have accepted it in a heartbeat if I knew UCLA would fall to Cal State Fullerton (and assuming SIU doesn't have to make two trips out west already.)
So, to keep the budgets online and to keep the Chicago alumni base (which includes yours truly) happy, here are some games I believe the Salukis should try to find a way to schedule.
Yeah coach, we're going thattaway!
1. DePaul. This could make for an interesting home-and-home series. For SIU, it would provide the chance to say it knocked off a Big East team ... kind of like when the football team defeated a woeful Indiana team for its victory against a Big Ten opponents. On the other hand, the Blue Demons would square off against a team closer to its talent level while also preparing for a "punch-you-in-the-mouth" kind of game.
2. Northwestern. Alright, so one Big Ten team in this state won't play you. How about going up toward the Chicagoland area and play Northwestern. For the Wildcats, playing SIU would in a way mimic a brutal, sluggish Big Ten game without actually having to play a conference game. The Salukis would then have a chance to appeal to their Chicago audience while also getting a chance to play a Big Ten opponent with an unorthodox style.
3. The Illinois Invitational starring Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Bradley, Illinois State, Loyola-Chicago and Illinois-Chicago. There is a part of me that thinks the alumni base for each of these universities in Chicago is big enough to get this tournament to be played at the United Center. But for argument's sake, we'll play it at the Rosemont Horizon, which some of you know it as the AllState Arena, which is a stone's throw from O'Hare Airport. (I mean it. If you gave Ichiro or Vlad a baseball, they could probably hit the building from an O'Hare tarmac.)
As for the tournament itself, you could pit SIU, UIC, NIU and EIU on one side Illinois State, Bradley, WIU, Loyola on the other side. It would be difficult to get this one to go because I'm sure SIU, ISU and Bradley do not want to face each other three times (possibly four times if you count the MVC Tournament) in a year. But putting Jim Les' Blago hair-led team on one side and the Fighting Osiris' on the other side of a bracket could mean a prime-time match-up of one of the state's most intense college basketball rivalries.
4. Just play the Illini already. If I was in power at SIU (and Lord willing, maybe someday I will be) this would be my pitch to the U of I. We'll use the upcoming hoops season as a hypothetical situation.
- One game at Assembly Hall (2010)
- One game at the United Center in Chicago (2011)
- One game in Saint Louis (2012)
Notice I left off a game at SIU Arena. Here's the catch. I would pitch to Guenther (or whoever was involved) what baseball people would call a vesting option for a game in Carbondale. meaning, if you hit X in attendance numbers of the first three games, the option to play at SIU is automatically picked up. If the attendance numbers don't add up, the game doesn't happen.
Plain and simple no?
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2 comments:
i dont see college bball teams playing the same non conference opponent 3 years in a row. it simply just doesnt happen. and if it does, then its going to be mizzou for the illini.
Anonymous, that's a good point. It was just a suggestion.
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