The Sports Desk Speaks On The Future Of Saluki Basketball

There were five sports writers in my living room watching last night's game between the Southern Illinois Salukis and Creighton Bluejays.

Imagine the scene featuring more college hoops knowledge than you could shake a stick at sitting on three couches.

So, we decided to pick the brains of some of these hoop heads and see where they think the SIU men's basketball team is headed.

"The SIU men's basketball team is not dead. While they lost last night, it appears as though players are beginning to figure out their roles a bit better.

Gene Teague came into his own last night with a career high 14 points, while Anthony Booker provided some firepower as well with 11 points and seven rebounds. Justin Bocot looked good, and probably had the block of the season, and Kevin Dillard continued his steady play.

If they can get Tony Freeman more shots, this team will be just fine."  

-- Stile T. Smith, Daily Egyptian Sports Editor (2010-Present)

"SIU could have folded several times last night, and to be honest, I expected them to do so, but there were three signs that have me thinking the arrow is pointing upward for SIU.

The Salukis committed only 11 turnovers, shot a respectable 40 percent from the 3-point line and Creighton shot only 33.3 percent in the second half. 

On the other hand, Southern's starters combined to shoot two free throws, both came off the fingertips of Justin Bocot.  Tony Freeman only took three shots from the field.  Carlton Fay only pulled down one rebound.  Fay is listed at 6-8, 225.  Based on size alone he should find more than one rebound.

In conclusion, Saluki basketball isn't dead, evidenced by the signs of life it showed last night."

-- Luis C. Medina, former Daily Egyptian Sports Editor (Spring 2009)

Not dead, but they're stuck in a hole in the ground, and the dirt has risen to waist level. The loss against Creighton did not put any more dirt in the hole, mainly because the Bluejays have seemed to be our personal undertaker the last few seasons.


Gene Teague and Justin Bocot seem to be turning it around. But Carlton Fay and Nick Evans have regressed to their freshman level of play. Not what SIU needs at the time.


Hopefully, they can pull themselves out of the rut soon, or they'll be six feet deep.


/end really tortured grave theme

-- Ryan Voyles, Daily Egyptian Sports Editor Fall 2009 (you can read more of him here at his blog

Yes, the Qwest Center is always a tough place to play, but Creighton is not nearly as good as they used to be. Clearly, SIU is not as good of a program either, and this was a clash of teams trying to get back to greatness.


The sense of urgency showed in the game, and you expect two mediocre teams to have a close game because they are both mediocre. This will be the same thing when two of the better teams play, and it will also be close when two of the lesser teams play.


The Salukis played well in the game offensively, and it was good to see them improve and have a lot of fight in the game. The bigs were good especially Gene Teague, yet, they dug too big of a hole and could not comeback. This defense needs to improve, and the offense still commits some silly turnovers.


They should beat Evansville on Saturday night, and if they give the last-place Purple Aces their first Valley win, then they have reached a new low.

-- Johnny Sole,WSIL WSIU Radio, TBDS Blackhawks writer 

#IH8CR8N: A Challenge To Saluki Nation

I.  Hate.  Creighton.

Those three words alone unite an alumni base that spreads as far east as New York City with Brandon Jacobs and as far west as California where former Saluki quarterback Rick Johnson currently resides.

No matter how you feel about the current state of the Salukis, if you're fitted in maroon and white today, you're uniting as one for the sake of beating the arch-rival Bluejays.

So here is my challenge to the members of Saluki Nation that are on Twitter.

Let's make #IH8CR8N a Trending Topic today.  We've already done it, now you can join in the fun too!

I've seen Saluki fans do crazier things.  (Like a Slip & Slide down a dorm room hallway.)  So this is a task that sounds simple enough.

The Southern Illinois-Creighton rivalry is as fierce as the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, the Indiana-Illinois rivalry and the Southern Cal-UCLA rivalry.

(I bet that pretty girl hates Creighton, too. Do it for her!)

SIU-CU is the Duke-Carolina of the Midwest.  Let's show the Twitterverse how we do things in in Saluki Country.

And remember, kids: you can't spell "sucks" without "CU."

C'mon.  Yell it like Coach Bruce would.

I

HATE

CREIGHTON!

Make Shots, Win Games: A Simple Formula For SIU

The only place Chris Lowery is headed to is Omaha, Neb., to take on the hated Creighton Bluejays.

Come on, someone had to stop the madness.  Right?  Might as well be the hack that got the ball rolling.

In the following blog, you will not read a peep about any coaching rumors.  Basketball analysis stays on the court.  And that's the way we like it.


Southern Illinois is 9-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play, but had you slept through the first 14 games (and I don't blame you if you slept through the last two-and-a-half contests) you might have thought my alma mater was winless with a group of guys who had never picked up a basketball before in their lives being led by the collegiate equivalent of Vinny Del Negro.

(Yeah. Gotta get that shot in while I can.)

Anyway, what I am trying to say that this season is far from over.  Sure, SIU is coming off a loss to Drake, a unit that good teams beat.  And really, that is where the Salukis' problems lie.  They are not playing as a team.

Offensively, guys are not valuing the basketball and are taking bad shots.  Players seem lost on offense and are not playing within themselves.

Tony Freeman is chucking shots, which is difficult for me to even type because if there is anyone I want on my team taking big shots it's Freeman.  Maybe it looks as if he is chucking shots because the mask is bothering him.  Even if it was, Free doesn't make excuses for his play.  He just goes out there and plays a hard 40 minutes.

Kevin Dillard is doing a great job with assists, and would probably be doing a better job if the Salukis weren't going through a shooting slump.  Bryan Mullins had this problem last year and had no one but Tony Boyle to blame.  B-Mull would have seen a spike in his dimes had TB knocked down his bunnies.

If there is a concern with Dillard, it is the dip in his 3-point percentage.  As a freshman, KD connected on 45.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and spent most of the season shooting better than 50 percent. One year later, Dillard has seen his success rate from 3-point land drop 12.4 points to 32.8 percent.

The first thing I have noticed is that teams are defending him better and part of the reason behind that is teams are sending their best defenders at No. 1 in maroon & white.  Defenders are also jumping out on him quicker, forcing him to put the ball on the floor.  This is where his teammates should put themselves in better positions to score the basketball.

Think high percentage shots.

Nick Evans should not be taking fadeaway jumpers, no matter how successful he is at making them during practice.  He's 6-foot-11 and should stay in the painted area unless he becomes Dirk Nowitzki overnight.  Anthony Booker is 6-foot-8, and while he can shoot 18-foot jump shots, someone needs to tell him he shouldn't because his shooting percentage dips the further he is away from the basket.

The lower your shooting percentage is, the fewer points you will score.  Unless, of course, your Allen Iverson.  And that means your getting to the free-throw line 20 times per game.  And A.I. isn't walking down Lingle Hall anytime soon.

If you are an opposing defense, you're licking your chops and hoping Southern Illinois is on your schedule this coming week.

Then again, the same thing can be said about SIU's upcoming opponent: Creighton.

The Bluejays have had a rough go of it with their 7-9 overall record and 2-3 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play.  This Saluki fan/alum/former beat writer would love to see nothing more than watch his alma mater knock the once mighty Bluejays off their perch in their own house.

The funny thing is that beating Creighton on the road is not an impossible feat.  Southern almost did it last year.

This is how I remember it:

• Kevin Dillard was called for a foul (not to be confused with actually fouling) Cavel Witter on a 3-point attempt in the games waning moments. Witter hit three freebies and we went to OT.
• Witter was called for a charge with less than a minute to go in OT as Southern held on to a four point lead. SIU inbounded the ball but Dillard was stripped on the ensuing possession and CU turned it into a P'Allen Stinnett 3-ball.
• The now dearly departed Ryan Hare was called for a charge (his fifth foul) with 33 seconds left in the game.
• Booker Woodfox hit a three, Bryan Mullins missed one on the other end. Game over.
  

Talking to Lowery after the season, he said something like that would never happen to the Salukis again.  The first step toward making that statement becoming a true one is to go out and play like the team that started 9-2 and 2-0 in the conference.

SIU is only two-and-a-half games removed from looking like a Valley contender.  It will have been nine days since Southern took the court at Redbird Arena with a 29-24 lead.

It feels like a life time ago.

I have a saying.  In fact, it's quite simple.

You can't win if you don't score.

To break that down further, you cannot score if you are not taking shots.  That means quit turning the ball over.  Furthermore, you cannot score (at a high percentage) if you take bad shots.  In essence, that means no more ill-advised shots.

Take good shots.  Make good shots.  And beat the hell out of Creighton.

That's all I ask.

I wonder if Cupid does miracles

I know that winged baby probably has better things to do today -- (hopefully he's got something planned for me) -- but on the behalf of the SIU men's basketball team, I guess I could ask for a a miracle.

Archrival Creighton leads 42-19 at halftime. The Bluejays scored 44 in the team's last meeting at the SIU Arena.

I would also like to offer my sincerest apologies to anyone watching this game, especially if it came on my recommendation. If you have plans, I suggest you start cashing in on those now. If not, I would start making plans.

And if it wasn't for work, my plans now would probably involve a bottle of Jack Daniels and a can of Coca-Cola.

But that's just me.

SIU-Creighton and the best dressed sports writer in the Missouri Valley Conference

I always said I'd wear/do something special if awarded the opportunity to cover the SIU-Creighton game at the SIU Arena.

That day has come. So here it is. For your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy.

SIU-Creighton: The Rivalry Renewed

Duke-Carolina happened earlier in the week and blah blah blah blah blah. Dickie V loved it. Mike Patrick loved it.

I loved it when North Carolina's senior class picked up its fourth straight win on Coach K's court, becoming the Kings of Cameron in the process.

But let's move on to a rivalry I hold a little closer to my heart: SIU-Creighton.

It's been on the television package each of the last six years, so it is starting to get a little bit more national exposure, which is a nice thing for this hate fest. Last year, ESPN's College GameDay (along with Erin Andrews) came to the SIU Arena becoming the first "mid-major" to get that distinction.

But this year is going to be different.

Throw the records out. I know it's an old adage, but it is one that fits for this series. This game is all about emotion and using those emotions in a positive manner.

I will learn that today.

Because for the first time since I have been at SIU, I will take in the game from press row. That means no cheering, no chanting and no heckling. I've turned in my Dawg Pound card for a press credential, and while that's kind of sad for the fan in me, I'm going to still find a way to enjoy this rivalry game.

The Salukis look ready for redemption, not only from that 26-point loss at Northern Iowa, but the one-point overtime loss they suffered at the Qwest Center.

I've got a few hours to prepare for the big game and I will take advantage of them by going back to bed.

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!

LOL at an NBA line

In need of a good laugh, well, consider Kyle Korver your comedian:

Jan 28 G Kyle Korver played only 14 minutes and went 1 of 5, air-balling a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left that could have brought the Jazz within one after Manu Ginobili committed an offensive foul in the backcourt with the Spurs leading 104-100.

Reason #4538 Creighton sucks: Korvers