Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Chris Lowery isn't afraid of a challenge.

Armed with a roster that includes just two returning starters and one
senior (walk-on Kyle Smithpeters), Lowery and his staff put together an
ambitious 2005-06 schedule that would challenge even a veteran squad.

The Salukis open the regular season at home against Louisiana Lafayette (Nov. 18), a team that beat SIU a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. SIU then plays its next five games away from home with three dates at the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 24-26) and road games at Saint Louis (Nov. 30) and Wyoming (Dec. 3).

"We wanted to play tough opponents early," Lowery said. "We have a
young team, and I want them to get a mindset that they have to be ready
to play every night on the road."

After returning from Wyoming, SIU plays back-to-back games against
Mid-American Conference schools when it hosts Kent State (Dec. 10) and travels to Central Michigan (Dec. 18). The Salukis welcome
Arkansas-Little Rock on Dec. 22, and play at Murray State (Dec. 28) to
round out the 2005 non-conference schedule.

If you do the math, Southern plays three, non-conference home games in the months of November and December versus seven non-conference games away from the friendly confines of SIU Arena.

When it comes to scheduling home games, the Salukis are a victim of
their own success, Lowery said. SIU has the nation's second-longest
home-winning streak at 24 games. When Lowery or his staff call a
high-major team, the response is predictable.

"Most of the time, we don't get a call back," Lowery laughed. "When you
win a bunch of games in a row at home, people aren't going to want to
play here."

Lowery thinks the rigorous non-conference schedule will work to his
team's advantage, though, hardening it for Missouri Valley Conference
play.

"You can get so caught up in our winning streak at home, and the
comfort-level of thinking we're always going to win at home," he said.
"I want them to have that same comfort-level on the road."

With the revised Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) formula, which the NCAA put in place last year, teams are rewarded for playing road contests.

"The way the RPI is figured now, playing on the road can really help
you, if you win," Lowery said.

SIU will again play home-and-home dates with the nine other members of the MVC. In addition, the Salukis will host an ESPN Bracket Buster game on Feb. 18. The opponent for that game will be determined by ESPN and announced in early February. Southern is 3-0 in previous Bracket Buster games, and all three games were nationally televised.

Although the 2005-06 television schedule has not been finalized, the
Salukis will likely make more regional and national TV appearances than ever before. Two games are already confirmed on ESPN2 (Feb. 11 at Creighton and Feb. 25 vs. Northern Iowa). Additionally, ESPNU and Fox SportsNet could televise up to seven more games.

2005-06 Saluki Men's Basketball Schedule

11/06/2005    Sun    Missouri-St. Louis (Ex.)    Carbondale, Ill.         5:05 p.m. CT
11/12/2005    Sat    SIU-Edwardsville (Ex.)    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
11/18/2005    Fri    Louisiana-Lafayette    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
11/24/2005    Thu    Monmouth N.J.    Anchorage, Alaska         11 p.m. CT
11/25/2005    Fri    TBA    Anchorage, Alaska         TBA
11/26/2005    Sat    TBA    Anchorage, Alaska         TBA
11/30/2005    Wed    Saint Louis    St. Louis, Mo.         TBA
12/03/2005    Sat    Wyoming    Laramie, Wyo.         TBA
12/10/2005    Sat    Kent State    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
12/18/2005    Sun    Central Michigan    Mt. Pleasant, Mich.         TBA
12/22/2005    Thu    Arkansas-Little Rock    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
12/28/2005    Wed    Murray State    Murray, Ky.         TBA
12/31/2005    Sat    Drake    Carbondale, Ill.         2:05 p.m. CT
01/02/2006    Mon    Wichita State    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
01/05/2006    Thu    Indiana State    Terre Haute, Ind.         TBA
01/08/2006    Sun    Bradley    Carbondale, Ill.         2:05 p.m. CT
01/11/2006    Wed    Evansville    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
01/14/2006    Sat    Drake    Des Moines, Iowa         TBA
01/16/2006    Mon    Northern Iowa    Cedar Falls, Iowa         TBA
01/19/2006    Thu    Missouri State    Springfield, Mo.         TBA
01/22/2006    Sun    Illinois State    Carbondale, Ill.         2:05 p.m. CT
01/25/2006    Wed    Creighton    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
01/28/2006    Sat    Illinois State    Normal, Ill.         TBA
02/01/2006    Wed    Indiana State    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
02/04/2006    Sat    Wichita State    Wichita, Kan.         7:05 p.m. CT
02/07/2006    Tue    Missouri State    Carbondale, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
02/11/2006    Sat    Creighton    Omaha, Neb.    ESPN2    1 p.m. CT
02/15/2006    Wed    Bradley    Peoria, Ill.         7:05 p.m. CT
02/18/2006    Sat    ESPN Bracket Buster    Carbondale, Ill.         TBA
02/21/2006    Tue    Evansville    Evansville, Ind.         TBA
02/25/2006    Sat    Northern Iowa    Carbondale, Ill.    ESPN2    1 p.m. CT