STF Team Previews: #18 Southern Illinois Salukis

Team: Southern Illinois

Conference: MVC

2006 Record and Ending: 29-7 (15-3). The Salukis made this Kansas alum verrrry nervous last March. Playing some of the toughest team defense ever seen on a basketball court, the #4 seed took the top-seeded Jayhawks to the very limit, eventually bowing out 61-58 in the Sweet 16. Had they managed better than 6-25 from behind the arc, Southern Illinois would have played UCLA in the regional final.

Key Players Returning: Starters Randal Falker, Bryan Mullins, and Matt Shaw are joined by key reserves Tony Boyle, Tyrone Green, and Wesley Clemmons. The key returnee, however, is head coach Chris Lowery, who personifies the indomitable will of his team. He was given a significant raise (by mid-major standards) to keep him from exploring the BCS conferences, which makes So Ill the team to beat in the MVC.

What's To Love: All of the above. This team has a man, his plan, and an excellent mix of experience and high-quality incoming freshmen to trot out on the floor. Look out, world.

What's Not To Love: Um... Carbondale is kind of remote? I got nothin'. Seriously, though. The Salukis only get one real test in their non-con schedule, probably because everyone is afraid of them now. They get Indiana on the first of December, and host Butler in the back end of a home-and-home, and the rest is low-RPI fodder. But that's what allows them to sneak in from the lower reaches of the top-25 every year.

Key Player: Senior Center Jamaal Foster has never set the world on fire, but incoming freshman Nick Evans is a legit 6'11" and 250 lbs., which is unusual for an MVC recruit. He's a Carbondale townie, though, so he'll be ready to show off for friends and family. If his play catches up with his size, he could be the key to beating some of the Majors the Salukis see in the NCAAs.

Best Case: Southern Illinois makes the Regional Final or breaks on through to the Final Four.

Worst Case: These guys seem like a lock to do enough to make the tournament, so I suppose the worst case would be losing to an inferior opponent in the first round.

STF Prediction: My best guess is 22-4 overall with a loss to Indiana at home, and losses to Creighton, Bradley, and a random third MVC team on the road. There's been too much turnover and turmoil throughout the league for anyone else to sneak up on the Salukis, and they'll win the Missouri Valley. In my humble opinion, this is the year they break on through to the other side and play in a Regional Final for a chance at the Final Four.