It's tough to win in Vegas

Salukis show mettle in loss to Rebels

By Jason Maholy

Southern Illinois suffered its first defeat of the season Saturday night in Las Vegas, but rest assured this version of the Salukis is a legitimate contender for the Missouri Valley title and has as good a chance as any team of representing the conference in the NCAA Tournament.

The Dawgs shot 35 percent (21-60) and 19.2 percent (5-26) from 3-point range, while UNLV shot 56.3 percent for the game and 77 percent in the second half, yet were down just five points with a minute and a half left. Kevin Dillard, Tony Freeman and Carlton Fay, the team's three best players and the guys being counted on to carry this team offensively, were a combined 9-for-33 from the field and 2-for-19 -- no kidding -- from the arc. But sophomore center Nick Evans, who really appears to be coming into his own and may be dominant by season's end, scored 12 points and reserve swing man John Freeman dropped 11 to at least make up a bit of the difference. That is indicative Southern has other scoring options other than the Big Three, and it will probably be rare that Dillard, Fay and Tony Freeman all have such poor-shooting nights.

How were the Salukis even in this game? Last year's team -- the one led by tough-as-nails point guard Bryan Mullins -- would have wilted and lost by 20 or more, a la the demoralizing losses to Duke, UCLA and Nevada, but these Salukis played smart, fundamentally sound basketball the majority of the game and never caved despite the adversity of playing what appears to be a pretty good team in a hostile environment. They committed just eight turnovers and contributed to The Rebels' 15, and were just two or three shots away and a defensive stop from stealing a tough game on the road.

Don't doubt this team's heart or its desire to play inspired basketball for 40 minutes. These guys came out pumped up, perhaps a little too pumped, and jumped out to an 18-6 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Maybe the adrenaline wore off, or maybe SIU actually played too hard the first six minutes, but that lead deteriorated courtesy of an 18-2 Rebel run during a five-minute stretch in the middle of the first period that gave the hosts a 24-20 lead. Still, no one can accuse the Dawgs of not being ready for what was likely their biggest game of the non-conference schedule. Eighteen-to-6 runs to start games on the road aren't produced by mediocre teams; these guys are tough, talented and ambitious, and understand what it means to be a Saluki. They proved their resiliency when, despite losing that early big lead, they managed to regain their composure and take a 37-34 lead into halftime.

But good first halves do not a game make, and the Rebels turned it on in the second half, scoring 44 points and sending the Salukis back to Carbondale, though I doubt with their tails between their legs. This team has much room for improvement, particularly with defense and being patient on offense, but the UNLV game was just the sort of competition this relatively young squad needed early in the season. Their flaws were exposed, which will hopefully serve as motivation for them to continue to improve; but their strengths -- taking care of the ball, maintaining their composure, making their free throws -- were also made evident, giving them something to be proud of and build on. Players like Dillard, Evans, Bocot and forward Anthony Booker are still developing, and thier ceilings appear to be quite high -- particularly Dillard and Evans, who could be very scary together for the next three seasons. Freshmen Kendal Brown-Surles and Eugene Teague, meanwhile, already seem capable of providing solid minutes off the bench and will only get better as the season progresses.

Southern's teams have in the past rarely been dominant in the non-conference portion of the schedule, and have used losses early in the season as learning experiences to prepare them for a run at the MVC crown. The talent coach Chris Lowery has assembled on this squad may be the best and deepest in the program's history, if they can improve just a little bit each game and correct the flaws that lead to a few missed scoring opportunities or an easy basket or two for the opposition, the Salukis will once again be at or very close to the top of the Valley.