Southern Illinois Salukis
Missouri Valley Conference (27-6, 15-3)
Seed: #4
West Region
RPI: 7
Big Wins:
11/26 vs Virginia Tech (69-64), 1/20 at Creighton (58-57), 2/17 at Butler
(68-64)
Bad Losses:
11/23 vs Arkansas (53-61), 1/6 at Northern Iowa (61-66), 1/17 at
Evansville (68-75)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to West Virginia
Coach:
Chris Lowery (1-2 in 2 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Bryan Mullins,
Sophomore, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 3.6 apg
Tony Young,
Senior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 2.1 apg
Jamaal Tatum,
Senior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 2.4 apg, 3.0 rpg
Matt Shaw,
Junior, Forward, 11.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Randal Falker,
Junior, Forward, 12.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Joshua Bone,
Freshman, Guard, 2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Wesley
Clemmons, Sophomore, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Tyrone Green,
Junior, Guard, 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Tony Boyle,
Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
The Salukis
play tremendous suffocating man-to-man defense. Besides giving up just 56.5
points per game, Southern Illinois does not do anything else exceptionally
well, except win.
Randal Falker
and Matt Shaw may be undersized forwards at 6-7, but they are both solid
scorers. Falker has dominated the MVC in the paint. He will get on the glass
and score from the post. Falker gets to the line a lot, but since he shoots
just 54.9% from the charity stripe, that may be the best way to defend him.
Falker is also a solid defender and can block shots and will even
occasionally defend the opposing point guard. Shaw will bang bodies on the
inside as well, but he can also step out and hit the outside shot.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
Besides point
guard Bryan Mullins and Jamaal Tatum, the rest of the eight players who see
quality minutes average more turnovers than assists. As a team, the Salukis
commit 2.3 more turnovers per game than assists. For a team that averages
63.2 points, losing out on 14 possessions per contest is huge. In his
second year as a starter, Mullins has cut down on his turnovers, but the
rest of the team needs to follow. The other concern is depth in the
frontcourt. Falker and Shaw often find themselves in foul trouble and Tony
Boyle is the only option off the bench. However, Boyle is nowhere near the
offensive threat that the starters are.
Who To
Watch:
Sharp shooting
Tatum is the main scoring threat for SIU. With the scoring threat in the
paint, Tatum will find a lot of open looks from long range and makes 2.0 per
game. He is not just a catch and shoot guy though. Tatum can get to the
basket and will take the big shots for the Salukis.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Elite Eight loss to Pitt
