Tonight, Southern Illinois lost at Drake 61-51.
While it's true that this year's much improved Drake team is arguably the best team in the Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Illinois is in an absolute tailspin.
Drive and Dish readers are, most likely, aware of SIU's struggles this season. We chronicled them: here and here.
SIU was ranked as high as #19 in the AP poll early in the season. They were everybody's pre season pick to win the Valley (although Drive and Dish was concerned that their backcourt wouldn't be able to recover from the graduation of stalwart guards Tony Young and Jamaal Tatum). But the Salukis have fallen apart since Thanksgiving. One wonders if and when Southern will start to turn things around.
ESPN's Kyle Whelliston talks about how Southern Illinois is trying to reestablish a culture of winning..
By the Way:
If Drake keeps winning important games in the Valley, Drive and Dish is going to have to start talking about them. Drake has been bad for two decades. But this year all they do is win. And nobody saw it coming. The Drake Bulldogs might be one of the best stories in college hoops.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
You thought that Southern was going to struggle because their back court would miss Tony Young and the Tatum kid?
Puleez! Who needs guards! You don't need guards in college basketball anymore. Look at my team -- I've only got two guards on scholarship! The rest of my guards are all walk ons. We're doing just fine.
After all, with Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham we're . . . oh well, never mind.
Coach Weber,
Don't disrespect Trent Meacham. He's been your best player this year. You're lucky that he decided to walk on your team. He's the reason you guys beat Missouri. He's the only guy who's stepped up this season.
Things are, admittedly, pretty bad down in Champaign this year. But just think how abysmal you'd be if you didn't have Trent.
Maybe I spoke too soon about Trent Meacham. He was absolutely awful in Illinois' demoralizing loss to Ohio State.
I can see why he was a walk on.
That said, he's still been Illinois' guard this year . . . it's going to be a long year in Champaign/Urbana.
SIU is like a dog in need of a major flea collar!
Post a Comment