Southern Illinois

Southern Illinois Basketball Preview: #43

Joel Welser — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:34:50 -0700

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Southern Illinois Salukis

Overall Rank: #43

Conference Rank: #2 Missouri Valley

2007-08: 18-15, 11-7, 3^rd

2007-08 postseason: NIT

There will be quite a few new faces at Southern Illinois this year. Fortunately for Saluki fans, they are a very talented bunch who can contribute immediately. SIU was inconsistent during the 2007-2008 campaign and had a ton of trouble winning on the road. Some senior leadership in the backcourt should help, but this is a team that is going to have to find a way to win on the road before they can be considered a contender to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Who’s Out:

When Coach Chris Lowery’s team was struggling to hit the outside shot, they could always go inside to Randal Falker and Matt Shaw. Falker was the heart and soul of this team and led the squad with 13.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Shaw opened up space in the paint for the superstar by stretching out the defense with his outside shooting ability. There are experienced and talented options to replace Falker and Shaw, but it will not happen over night. Fellow starter Josh Bone has opted to transfer after averaging 8.1 points per game as a sophomore. Jordan Armstrong, Dion Coopwood and Brandon Wood will not be suiting up for the Salukis after seeing limited playing time a year ago.

Who’s In:

There are six newcomers and all six of them could play a big role right away. In the backcourt it begins with Kevin Dillard. The 6-0 guard will likely be the starting point guard next year, but that does not necessarily mean that he will not be starting elsewhere this year. Dillard, Illinois’ reigning Mr. Basketball, is a great scorer and certainly has the ability to see plenty of action at the off-guard position in addition to his duties as the back-up point. But Dillard will have some competition on the wings from fellow newcomers Justin Bocot, Ryan Hare and Torres Roundtree. Hare’s shot continues to get better, as it needs to do, but he is strong enough to finish around the basket as a freshman. Due to his toughness and willingness to hit the glass, Hare will fit in well on a team that lost their only two players who averaged over three boards a game. Roundtree can play any position in the backcourt and his tenacious defending is a perfect fit at SIU. Dillard may be the star recruit on the perimeter, but the star recruit of the class is Anthony Booker. The 6-8, 220 pound forward is a superb scorer in the paint and is expected to take over a bulk of the scoring load left behind by Falker. That is a lot of pressure to put on a freshman, but Booker is talented enough to reach almost anybody’s expectations. At 6-11 and 250 pounds, freshman Nick Evans has the height and bulk to make an impact in the paint. It will probably take a year or two before Evans is ready to give major minutes, but he is skilled enough to play as a freshman if the team needs him to do so.

Who to Watch:

SIU only has two starters returning, but they are a couple of experienced guards and that is exactly what a team in the guard-orientated MVC needs from their seniors. Bryan Mullins is the underappreciated point guard. Last year he averaged 10.7 points and 5.0 assists. He is not known for his great scoring, but he did hit 41.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. In a backcourt that lacked the traditional Saluki scorer on the wing last season, Mullins did what he could to pick up the slack. It is hoped that the newcomers can fill that scoring void this year so Mullins does not have to do quite as much in the scoring department. But it is nice to know that he can when necessary. Wesley Clemmons will battle with the newcomers for one of the starting jobs on the wing. Clemmons is not a great shooter, but he is effective getting to the basket.

Final Projection:

Carlton Fay and Tony Boyle have the unenviable job of trying to replace Shaw. Neither are going to hit the three-pointer like Shaw did, but both have decent mid-range jumpers and can stretch out the defense. As long as Booker emerges as the post scoring threat, Fay and Boyle will not have to do much scoring…they will just need to grab some rebounds and do the dirty work in the paint. With Booker in the frontcourt and Mullins in the backcourt, Southern Illinois has the tools they need to make a run at the NCAA Tournament, especially by March when the freshmen are hardly freshmen anymore.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Bryan Mullins, Senior, Guard, 10.7 points per game

Wesley Clemmons, Senior, Guard, 6.0 points per game

Ryan Hare, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Tony Boyle, Senior, Forward, 4.6 points per game

Anthony Booker, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

State of '08: Illinois

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:40:02 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Illinois. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS - In 2005, Bruce Weber led Illinois to the National Title game behind the amazing backcourt duo of Deron Williams and Dee Brown. But those were Bill Self's guys, and Weber's teams have gotten worse every season. Last year the Illini missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.. and have little shot of making it this year as well. While Illinois is still the class of the state, SIU continues to the close the gap. The Illini's 2010 class can't get on to campus quickly enough.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Before last season, SIU had made 6 NCAA Tournaments in a row, including two Sweet Sixteen runs along the way. Even last year, despite the mediocre 11-7 MVC record, the Salukis were better than many think.. as they knocked off Top 40 foes like Mississippi State, Saint Mary's, and Western Kentucky.. all of whom made the Big Dance.

BRADLEY - In 2006, Bradley made a name for itself, shocking many pundits by making the Sweet Sixteen. 2007 was arguably an equally successful regular season (an RPI of 38 vs 33 the previous season), but the Braves ended up in the NIT. Bradley has topped DePaul in the RPI each of the last 3 seasons (also beating them 3 times in a row), and should accomplish that feat again in 2009

DEPAUL - Still trying to find its groove in the Big East, DePaul should most likely finish in the conference's bottom 3 in 08-09. The program has made just 2 NCAA Tourney trips in the last decade, in 2000 & 2004. Fourth year coach Jerry Wainright has some work to do getting DePaul back to that level.

UIC - Veteran coach Jimmy Collins has led UIC to 3 NCAA Tournaments since taking over in 1996. Since their last trip in 2004, the Flames have been mired in mediocrity, going 32-34 in Horizon League games in that period. Another similar middle of the pack finish is expected in 08-09.

6. ILLINOIS STATE - 1998 was the last time the Redbirds made the Big dance, but 07-08 was the best since then. First year Tim Jankovich led his team to a 13-5 MVC record, and an RPI of 34. Illinois State had the 2nd highest RPI of any team that didn't make the Big Dance.. and got screwed by playing the only higher team (Dayton) in the 2nd round of the NIT. Another NIT is possible this season, but the NCAA Tournament will have to wait.

7. NORTHWESTERN - The Wildcats' futility is known to all fans, as the program has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament in its 100+ year existence. The last postseason trip (one of 3 ever) was in 1999, a first round loss in the NIT. From 02-04, BIll Carmody supplied some hope as NU finished with a .500 Big Ten record in '04 for the first time since 1968. But the hope has mostly fizzled out with just 3 wins in their last 34 conference games.

8. LOYOLA - Coming off a down season, Loyola is hoping to repeat the success they had in 06 & 07 when Blake Schilb led the Ramblers to 19 & 21 win seasons. Jim Whitesell's crew should most likely improve on last year's RPI of 222.

9. NORTHERN ILLINOIS - The Huskies are coming off two brutal seasons (just 12 D1 wins combined), and should once again be one of the worst teams in the MAC this season. But every couple years NIU has a decent run: In 2006, they upset DePaul (for the 2nd year in a row), as well as Kansas State, and Ohio. In 2003, they finished 3rd in the MAC and won two conference tourney games

10. CHICAGO STATE - From 2001 to 2003, Chicago State may have been the country's worst program. Now CSU is simply bad, and lacks a conference affiliation since leaving the Summit League after 2006. (2006 was oddly one of CSU's best ever D1 seasons, as they finished on a tear and went to the conference title game). Its hard to expect much from the Cougars any time soon.

11. WESTERN ILLINOIS* - One of the country's usual doormats, WIU is arguably coming off its best season since 1999. Which isn't saying too much considering the Leathernecks won just 10 D1 games and only beat one Top 200 team all season (North Dakota State). There's every reason to expect another 290-300 RPI this year.

12. EASTERN ILLINOIS* - In 2004, EIU went from being a run of the mill sub par program to one of the worst in the country. With an RPI of 337 last year, the Panthers were the 3rd worst full-time D1 team, only edging out UMES and fellow OVC team Jacksonville State.

* WIU and EIU have had very similar success recently, and have even split their meetings in the past 4 years. I give WIU the edge for being in the Summit League, which has outperformed the OVC for the last handful of seasons.

Last: Indiana (Yes, I know I reversed the order of Indiana & Illinois by mistake..) - Next: Iowa

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Poll: How Many MVC Teams Will Make the NCAA Tournament

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:03:59 -0700

Joshua Bone Leaves Southern Illinois

Press Release — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:58:29 -0700

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Chris Lowery announced Monday that junior guard Joshua Bone has left the program and plans to transfer at the end of fall semester.

"Josh has been an important part of our program the last two years, and we appreciate everything he's done in a Saluki uniform," Lowery said.

Bone played in every game last season and started 19 games. He was the team's fourth-leading scorer at 8.1 ppg and led the team in 3-point shots made with 57.

The Salukis recently returned from a three-game exhibition trip to Canada, where Bone played 40 minutes and averaged 1.3 ppg.

"I want to thank all of the coaches for recruiting me and giving me an opportunity to play here," Bone said. "There are no hard feelings. After going to Canada, I was unsure what my role would be on this team. I prayed about it, talked it over with my family, and we felt the best decision for me was to go somewhere else."

Poll: Who is the Best Team in the BracketBuster Pool?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:47:46 -0700

2008 BracketBusters Participants (Home/Away)

Press Release — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:14:05 -0700

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Bristol, CT -- The seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters event, a two-day men’s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on February 20-21, will feature 13 nationally televised games – on either ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN360.com -- selected from a pool of 102 teams.

For the fourth straight year, ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise five BracketBusters games while ESPN360.com, ESPN’s customized broadband service, will offer two. ESPN2 will televise six contests. ESPN360.com will also simulcast ESPN2’s six telecasts. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced February 2, while game time and network assignments will be announced February 9.

The 102-team field is highlighted by the return of last season’s BracketBusters participant Davidson, who made it to the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA Tournament and will feature 12 teams from the Mid-American and Colonial Athletic; 10 from the Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley, Horizon League and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic and Big West; four from the America East and Southern; three from the Big South; two from the Big Sky, Summit League and West Coast; and one from the Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast and Patriot.

As part of the agreement, all 13 of the BracketBusters home teams, as well as the remaining 38 home squads, will play a “return” game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.

This year’s BracketBusters pool features teams with 77 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four - George Mason (2006); one in the Elite Eight – Davidson (2008); and six Sweet Sixteen squads – Butler (2007), Southern Illinois (2007), Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005) and Nevada (2004).

2009 BracketBusters Participation Pool Conference # teams Home teams Road teams America East 4 (2-2) Vermont UMBC Boston University U of Hartford Big Sky 2 (1-1) Portland State Montana State Big South 3 (1-2) Winthrop Liberty Gardner-Webb Big West 9 (4-5) Cal Poly CS-Fullerton Long Beach State CS-Northridge UC-Davis UC-Irvine UC-Santa Barbara UC-Riverside Pacific Colonial 12 (6-6) Drexel Delaware James Madison George Mason UNC-Wilmington Georgia State Old Dominion Hofstra Towson Northeastern William & Mary VCU Horizon 10 (6-4) Loyola Butler UIC Cleveland State Valparaiso Detroit Wright State Green Bay Youngstown State Milwaukee Metro Atlantic 10 (5-5) Fairfield Canisius Marist Iona Niagara Loyola Rider Manhattan Siena Saint Peter’s Mid-American 12 (6-6) Ball State Akron Central Michigan Buffalo Eastern Michigan Ohio Western Michigan Miami (OH) Bowling Green Northern Illinois Kent State Toledo MEAC 1 (0-1) Morgan State Missouri Valley 10 (5-5) Creighton Bradley Drake Illinois State Evansville Missouri State Indiana State Northern Iowa Wichita State Southern Illinois Northeast 1 (0-1) Fairleigh Dickinson OVC 10 (5-5) Murray State Morehead State Eastern Kentucky Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri Austin Peay Tennessee State Eastern Illinois UT-Martin Jacksonville State Patriot 1 (1-0) Bucknell Southern 4 (2-2) Davidson Appalachian State Georgia Southern Elon Summit League 2 (0-2) North Dakota State South Dakota State West Coast 2 (2-0) San Diego St. Mary’s WAC 9 (5-4) Hawaii Boise State Idaho Fresno Nevada LA Tech New Mexico State Utah State San Jose State 51 teams 51 teams

Southern Illinois Basketball Schedule: 2008-09

Press Release — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:48:05 -0700

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University men's basketball team will play in at least two national tournaments this season, one of which potentially includes a trip to Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Click to view 2008-09 Schedule

The Salukis will host the first two rounds of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic on Nov. 11-12. Three teams to be determined will compete with SIU for the right to advance to New York and play two games at MSG on Nov. 20-21. Other host schools and potential opponents in New York include Duke, UCLA and Michigan. The tournament benefits the Coaches vs. Cancer foundation.

For the seventh-straight year, the Salukis will participate in the ESPNU BracketBusters one-day tournament. The Salukis, who are 5-1 in BracketBusters games, will play on Feb. 21, at an opponent to be determined in early February.

The remainder of the non-conference schedule includes home dates versus California (Pa.) (Nov. 16), Saint Louis (Dec. 2), Charlotte (Dec. 6) and Western Michigan (Dec. 22), and road games at Western Kentucky (Nov. 26), Nevada (Dec. 14) and Northern Illinois (Dec. 17).

SIU has not completed its non-conference schedule and anticipates adding one more game.

"This is exactly the type of schedule our young team needs," head coach Chris Lowery said. "Including the exhibitions, we will play our first five games at home. Then we'll have the opportunity to go on the road and test ourselves against some excellent opponents."

The Salukis begin Missouri Valley Conference play at Bradley on Dec. 28, followed by the league home opener against Northern Iowa on New Year's Eve.

For information on season tickets, call (618) 453-2000. Single-game tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Oct. 8. Season-ticket holders may buy single-game tickets during a special pre-sale beginning Oct. 3.

Charleston Classic Matchups Announced

Press Release — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:44:15 -0700

ESPN Regional Television announced today the schedule of matchups for the inaugural Charleston Classic, set for Nov. 14-16 at the new Carolina First Center in Charleston, S.C.

The event will include 12 games in three days, with six games being broadcast on CSS. The Southern Conference, based in Spartanburg, S.C., will serve as the event's sponsoring conference.

The 2008 Charleston Classic field includes eight teams: College of Charleston, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Hofstra, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Temple, TCU and Western Michigan. Two of the teams, Clemson and Temple, played in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament.

In the first round of action, beginning Thursday, Nov. 14, TCU will take on Western Michigan in the first game to be played at Carolina First Center. Also in the first round, ETSU will face Temple, SIU-Edwardsville will meet College of Charleston, and Hofstra and Clemson will square off.

"We're pleased to have a competitive field and exciting matchups in the inaugural Charleston Classic," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. "We expect this new event to provide a terrific off-the-court experience for the student-athletes, coaches and staffs while giving fans a great opportunity to watch college basketball in the great destination of Charleston."

Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. ET on CSS. Complete matchups are listed below.

"I am very excited about the Charleston Classic opening our new Carolina First Center," said Bobby Cremins, head coach of College of Charleston. "This will bring college basketball to our beautiful Low Country and downtown Charleston area. Clemson will be the headliner, but there are other exciting teams that should challenge them for the first Charleston Classic championship."

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale Sept. 15 at www.CharlestonClassic.com, or by telephone at the Carolina First Center box office at (843) 953-2632. Fans can purchase travel packages to the tournament by going to www.AnthonyTravel.com or by calling 1-800-736-6377.

SIU Officially Adds Former Iowa G Tony Freeman

Press Release — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:32:17 -0700

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Former Iowa guard Tony Freeman has transferred to Southern Illinois, Saluki men's basketball coach Chris Lowery announced Monday.

As a junior last season, Freeman was the Hawkeyes' leading scorer and was a Third-Team All-Big Ten pick by league coaches. Although Freeman missed the first 10 games of the campaign due to a stress fracture, he returned to play in 22 games and averaged 13.8 points per game, while making 38.3 percent of his 3-point shots. He averaged 35 minutes per contest for the 13-19 Hawkeyes, who finished eighth in the Big Ten.

"Tony brings maturity and toughness, which have been so consistent in our guard play in the past," Lowery said. "We've got to get our practices back to where they are really competitive, and he'll help us do that."

NCAA transfer rules require the 6-foot-1 native of Maywood, Ill. to sit out the 2008-09 season. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

2008 NIT Capsule: Southern Illinois

Joel Welser — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:13:45 -0700

Southern Illinois Salukis

Missouri Valley Conference (17-14, 11-7)

Seed: #4

RPI: 62

Big Wins: 11/23 vs Mississippi State (63-49), 12/11 St. Mary’s (71-56), 1/26 Creighton (48-44)

Bad Losses: 12/15 at St. Louis (51-56), 1/12 at Indiana State (62-64), 3/7 vs Northern Iowa (49-54)

Coach: Chris Lowery

Probable Starters:

Bryan Mullins, Junior, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.1 spg

Wesley Clemmons, Junior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Tyrone Green, Senior, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg

Matt Shaw, Senior, Forward, 12.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg

Randal Falker, Senior, Forward, 12.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Joshua Bone, Sophomore, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg

Carlton Fay, Freshman, Forward, 2.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Tony Boyle, Junior, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

The Salukis play tremendous suffocating man-to-man defense. Besides giving up just 60 points per game, Southern Illinois does not do anything else exceptionally well…except win and even that is a relatively new thing as far as this season is concerned. The Salukis started the season with a 6-8 record, but have since turned things around. Luckily that slow start was against a pretty tough schedule, otherwise SIU would be nowhere near the postseason.

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 68.3 percent from the charity stripe, that may be the best way to defend him. However, that is a drastically better free-throw percentage than last year. 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, the rest of the eight players who see quality minutes average more turnovers than assists or are at least very close to it. As a team, the Salukis commit nearly two more turnovers per game than they have assists. For a team that averages 63 points, losing out on 14 possessions per contest is huge. In his third 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 as the starters.

Who To Watch:

Joshua Bone, Wesley Clemmons and Tyrone Green have traded starting duties at the two wing spots. Bone is the only who is a threat from long range, Clemmons is the best finisher around the rim and Green is the defensive specialist. Compared to the production the Saluki’s are used to from their wing players, Bone, Clemmons and Green are not great scorers. They will all play around the 26 minute per game mark and SIU needs to get a lot more points out of their wings than what they have been getting if they plan to make a little tournament run.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 62.7 (286^th in nation, 7^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 59.8 (12, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 42.7 (232, 7)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.5 (114, 4)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (214, 7)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.8 (214, 7)

Free-Throw Percentage: 71.4 (102, 7)

Rebound Margin: 1.3 (133, 5)

Assists Per Game: 11.9 (260, 9)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.8 (125, 5)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Final Four loss to Syracuse

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