Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball
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| Southern Illinois Salukis | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| University | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference | MVC East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Carbondale, IL | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head Coach | Chris Lowery (4th year) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Arena | SIU Arena (Capacity: 10,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Salukis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Colors | Maroon and White
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| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference Tournament Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960, 1961, 1962 (IIAC), 1971 (Midwestern), 1977, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Southern Illinois Salukis team is the basketball team that represent the Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois. The school's team currently competes in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis are currently coached by Chris Lowery who has led the team to the NCAA tournament every year since 2004. Lowery has also been the youngest head coach in the tournament in each appearance.
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[edit] History
In 1967, SIU, led by guard Walt Frazier who went on to be named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, won the National Invitation Tournament. At the time, the tournament was considered much more prestigious than it is today. The Salukis were members of the College Division, the equivalent of Division II, and were therefore ineligible to compete for the NCAA Tournament.
In 1977, future NBA player Mike Glenn led the Salukis to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
From 1993 to 1995, SIU advanced to three straight NCAA Tournament. Prior to that, the Salukis participated in the National Invitation Tournament for four consecutive years from 1989-1992.
Part of the SIU Saluki men's basketball team's 2003 season was chronicled in MTV's True Life: I Am A College Baller. [1]
The Saluki men's basketball team garnered national attention by advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in 2002 and 2007.
In 2006-2007 year, the Salukis reached their highest position in the AP Coaches Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Poll with a position of #11, before being dropped to #14 prior to entering the NCAA tournament.
Recently, two former SIU coaches left for a Big Ten school. Bruce Weber left to take the head coaching job at Illinois in 2003; Matt Painter left to become the top assistant and designated successor to Gene Keady at Purdue in 2004 and eventually became head coach in 2006.
In 2007, the basketball team garnered the nickname "Floor Burn U" for the Saluki's hardnosed, aggressive defensive style of play. SIU has the best record of any Division I school in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana or Michigan since the 2001-2002 season. Entering the 2007-08 season, Southern Illinois is 79-3 (.963) at home since 2001, the nation’s best home-court winning percentage in that span.
[edit] NCAA Tournament Results
SIU is one of 12 college basketball teams in the nation to hold the distinction of appearing in the last six NCAA Division I basketball Tournaments.[2] The Salukis have appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 6-10.
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Sweet Sixteen[3] |
| 1993 | First Round |
| 1994 | First Round |
| 1995 | First Round |
| 2002 | Sweet Sixteen |
| 2003 | First Round |
| 2004 | First Round |
| 2005 | Second Round |
| 2006 | First Round |
| 2007 | Sweet Sixteen |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Shadowbox Films: (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
- ^ SIU 2007 NCAA Tournament media guide: (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
- ^ Only one win was required to reach the Sweet Sixteen in 1977.
