GETTING INSIDE

   Southern Illinois isn’t used to coming out of nowhere in the Valley. The Salukis have been a conference heavyweight for most of the decade.

   Not last season, when they turned in a losing season for the first time since 1998. Over the past two seasons, SIU lost its trademark defensive dominance. It even lost games at SIU Arena—six in 2009-2010.

   Fans expect coach Chris Lowery to turn things around this season. It could happen. The Salukis appear to possess a good amount of talent, enough to challenge the MVC’s top teams if things go right. Has SIU’s dominance permanently slipped, or are the Salukis older and tougher and ready to get back to the top? We find out this season.

   Sophomore guard Kevin Dillard is the starting point. He took on a heavy burden last season and prospered. He averaged 12.2 points and made 45.2 percent of his three-pointers. An injury to senior Bryan Mullins put unexpected demands on Dillard. That experience should pay off.

   Transfer Tony Freeman should help Dillard immensely. Freeman averaged 13.8 points at Iowa in 2008. Expect him to start and give SIU one of the MVC’s top backcourts. Ryan Hare and Justin Bocot are back. Both are the prototypical long-armed Salukis who can bother opponents with their defense. Both are good shooters who should improve with another year of experience.

   SIU’s inside game should also improve. Junior Carlton Fay averaged 10.4 points. Foul trouble and poor shooting plagued him. Sophomore Anthony Booker is an athletic talent who showed signs of clicking late in the season. He went for 18 points and 11 rebounds against Indiana State and scored nine points in a tournament loss to Bradley. If Fay and Booker can play more consistently, SIU will be tough to beat.

NOTES, QUOTES

• SIU missed out on post-season play for the first time since 2001 last season. The Salukis went to six straight NCAA Tournaments and the NIT in 2008.

• A Saluki has won MVC Defensive Player of Year honors five times in the past six seasons. Departed guard Bryan Mullins won the honor in 2008 and 2009.

   LAST YEAR: 13-18 overall, 8-10 in the MVC.

   HEAD COACH: Chris Lowery (career 109-59); fifth year at Southern Illinois (109-59).

   QUOTE TO NOTE: “The older guys in our league really punished us (in 2009). All of our young guys really got a taste of what college basketball really is. It doesn’t matter how many points you score. As long as you know how to play the game, you’re going to be successful”—Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

   SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: SIU is at its best when it can hammer away on defense and then patiently play the clock on offense. When the clock winds down, it needs a scorer. Transfer Tony Freeman should give SIU another good option for big baskets. He shot 38.3 percent from three-point range as a junior at Iowa and 40.2 percent as a sophomore. He is also good passer who averaged 3.7 assists as a sophomore.

   Forward Jack Crowder, a transfer from Cowley (Kan.) College is expected to give the Salukis a tough swingman who can rebound and defend high scorers. He averaged 20.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in junior college.

Key Early-season Games:   SIU overscheduled last season and the young Salukis paid for it with losses to Duke, UCLA, Western Kentucky, Charlotte, St. Mary’s and Nevada.

   Don’t look for any of those names on this schedule. Coach Chris Lowery backed off big-time in a search for confidence and momentum. He can be excused—SIU usually led the MVC in tough scheduling.

   Games at UNLV (Nov. 21) and St. Louis (Dec. 5) highlight the schedule.

Program Direction:   Coach Chris Lowery gets a chance to prove things are headed up this season. After six NCAA trips, the past two seasons were big disappointments.

   Lowery appears to be recruiting well. His contention is that his young players need a season or two to develop. When that happens, he expects SIU to return to the top of the MVC. A renovated SIU Arena should help the program.

   PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Kevin Dillard, SG Tony Freeman, SF Justin Bocot, PF Carlton Fay, C Anthony Booker.

   ROSTER REPORT:

   —Sophomore guard Ryan Hare was suspended in late September after his arrest for battery and trespassing. Hare started 26 games and averaged 7.5 points in 2009.

   —Former Wisconsin guard Diamond Taylor, kicked off the team in September, is enrolled at SIU. Taylor was arrested on charges of burglary and possession at Wisconsin. Taylor (6-foot-4) was coached by Mike Mullins of the Illinois Wolves, father of former Saluki Bryan Mullins.