Advertisement

Monday, March 19, 2007

Self, Jayhawks familiar with SIU

By Ryan Wood

Advertisement

It has been five years since Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self has played Southern Illinois.

Five years ago, Self led his former team, Illinois, past the Salukis, 75-72, in the Las Vegas Invitational championship.

Afterward, Self said the game was SIU's "Super Bowl," something that miffed Saluki fans.

Now comes a chance at redemption, if it's not too deep in the memory banks. Southern Illinois and Kansas will play at 6:10 p.m. Thursday in San Jose, Calif., in a West Regional semifinal.

Kansas beat Kentucky, 88-76, Sunday in the United Center. Southern Illinois beat Virginia Tech, 63-48, Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

Self defended the "Super Bowl" comment when asked about it Sunday.

"That was after the coach at Southern Illinois (Bruce Weber) said, 'We just hope Illinois can make it to the final because we know we'll be there,'" Self said. "That was kind of a play off of that. That was also before they went to the Sweet 16, if I'm not mistaken. I think they went that year (2001-02).

"They've already played many, many more high-profile games in the last six years than they had in a lot of time building up to that. I really feel that they are (among) the nation's elite programs now."

KU-UK Panorama

A Panoramic Image from the Kansas-Kentucky basketball game. See the panorama >

The 29-6 Salukis, the West region's fourth seed, are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002 behind tenacious defense, the guard play of Jamaal Tatum and the coaching of 34-year old Chris Lowery, a former SIU player.

Photo Gallery

NCAA Tourney: KU vs Kentucky

"I'm a fan from afar. Chris has done a great job there, and they're as tough as any team in America," Self said. "They love grind-it-out games. The shot clock will go deep for both teams, I'm sure, many, many times in the game Thursday.

"I just feel like they're probably as sound defensively as any team in the country. They're very, very quick, they'll get up and under you. Very similar to the type of quickness - and maybe even more so - than what Bradley had last year, and Bradley gave us a lot of problems with their little guards.

photo

Tony Dejak/AP Photo

Southern Illinois' Randal Falker and Tony Young (15) celebrate their 63-48 over Virginia Tech on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, earning a Sweet 16 meeting with Kansas University.

"I haven't studied them totally," Self added, "but I know enough to know they make it hard to score."

The Salukis captured the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title this year and currently have won 15 of 16 games. They beat 13th-seeded Holy Cross, 61-51, in the first round before the 15-point win over Virginia Tech.

"I saw where they whooped Virginia Tech," KU sophomore Brandon Rush said. "I saw the score of that game and realized they're not a mid-major. They're one of the big-time teams like we are."

KU sophomore Julian Wright, a native of Illinois, knows about SIU too. When Wright was in high school, Lowery was an assistant at Illinois and tried to recruit the 6-foot-8 forward to the Illini.

"He's a really good coach, and he has them playing hard," Wright said. "They play really good defense.

"They have two good players in Tatum and (Randal) Falker. They have a one-two punch, so we know we have to guard and try and use our length to our advantage."

Audio clips

2006-07 March 18 KU-UK Hoops

NCAA Tournament

More like this

Comments

stujayhawk (anonymous) says...

I hope our guys won't try to look past the SIU. After reading the article, I really think our men have the focus to make it to the next round.

We gotta hit all our easy shots; Wright, Kaun, and Arthur all missed easy layups today vs. Kentucky. If we can keep our heads in the game, and continue to hit the outside shots, we can play with AND beat any team in the nation.

March 19, 2007 at 12:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

dagger108 (anonymous) says...

"They're very, very quick, they'll get up and under you. Very similar to the type of quickness - and maybe even more so - than what Bradley had last year, and Bradley gave us a lot of problems with their little guards."

That should be about all the motivation the 'Hawks need.

March 19, 2007 at 1:24 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkcafefan57 (anonymous) says...

As said somewhere else, it's a 2 game tournament in San Jose and build on what was accomplished in Chicago by playing one game at a time. This round is gonna be difficult. ROCKem CHALKem KU!!

March 19, 2007 at 1:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Atriol43 (anonymous) says...

Going to be very tough vs SIU.

I wish Va Tech had really challenged them.

March 19, 2007 at 2:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Amazing how in destiny's season, every possible weakness you might have and every possible mistake you have made in the past materializes sooner or later in your path to test you.

Niagara posed the risk of a team of three point bombers to start out the tourney, one of the things a high seed dreads most in the first round. Dispatched.

Next, versus UK, KU had to confront a tradition rich program and a coach, Tubbie Smith, that desparately needed to redeem itself in a trying season--a team that had considerable strength at one of KU's vulnerable points--the post. Dispatched.

Now comes SIU, the Salukis, the proud school that Iba Parrot protege Jack Hartman and the great Walt Frazier put on the map long ago, when they lead it to an NIT championship and thus cast in stone forever its legacy as a giant killer. SIU: the down state school that represents a part of Illinois that has always had an understandable chip on its shoulder about living in the shadows of Chicagoland and Champaign Urbana. To be dispatched...if destiny's season is to continue.

But this dispatching will have to overcome not only a typically very good and very underrated Missouri Valley Champ with quick guards, experience, and physical and mental toughness. It will also require overcoming some fantastically improbable bulletin board material.

March 19, 2007 at 6:51 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Bulletin board material is one of those hard-to-prove-it-has-an-effect factors that arise in basketball from time to time. It is said to fire up an opponent. In reality, most bulletin board material wouldn't fire up a box of kindling. But there is one type of bulletin board material that I have personally witnessed that can fire up an opponent--Goliaths talking down to Davids. The little guy always gets ticked off and plays harder. Its biblical.

So: who would have thought Coach Self, one of the most honey tongued coaches regarding opponents I have ever heard, would EVER have said anything that gave another team bulletin board material, even unintentionally?

Well, once while coach of the Illini, Self said playing the Illini was probably SIU's super bowl. Henceforth, SIU has probably collected stones for its sling.

As often occurs in destiny's season, what seemed trivial and lost in the past leaps into the present.

The big shot former coach of the Illini once talked down just the least little bit to the Salukis, probably without any malice whatsoever, probably because it was the truth at the time, and now its on the bulletin board.

To be confronted by the bulletin board material, Self's KU team had to have played in Chicago and it had to have been dredged up by some southern Illinois based reporter from five or more years back in his past. The chances of Self and KU being in Chi, facing that reporter, and KU having to play SIU have to be infinitesimal. But in destiny's season, no challenge is too improbable to arise and test Self and his Jayhawks.

The hero has a thousand faces, Joseph Campbell wrote, and a thousand tests, also.

Heroes were born to confront these tests.

And pass them.

March 19, 2007 at 6:53 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JayCeph (anonymous) says...

I'm actually pretty happy VTech didn't test the 'Egyptian Guard Dogs' very much. I hope they get a false sense of security and think they just have to put a scare in KU to make the Hawks fold up. I hope their heads aren't in it and they take this chance for granted.

I also hope KU doesn't look past this opponent (and I don't think they will... as long as they don't read their press clippings from this week) and treat them with the same level of business-like acumen that they have been addressing games for the past month and a half.

One game at a time...

March 19, 2007 at 10:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Nothin' could be fina' than to beat ol' Carolina.

March 19, 2007 at 11:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

coldsplice (anonymous) says...

Jaybate-
I hope you know how full of yourself you sound... You don't need 22 sentences and a Joseph Campbell reference to make your point. We're talking basketball here not greek mythology. Say what you have to say and move on.

March 19, 2007 at 11:59 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

Coldsplice...

Think of it this way. Jaybate's "exuberance" derives from his being an avid Jayhawk fan. I can't fault him for that. These boards have been coming together recently, almost an "era of good feeling", if you will. I don't know about anyone else but this time of year I'd like to see a little Jayhawk unity.

March 19, 2007 at 12:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kujayhawk (anonymous) says...

...so Bruce Weber was an idiot even before he became head coach of Illinois.

March 19, 2007 at 12:47 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

beebe1 (anonymous) says...

Hey, some of us like good writing. If you don't like it much, just skip the posting!

March 19, 2007 at 1:51 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says...

a good ball-passing is going to play a major factor once again for KU. SIU should be no threat at all.. we can do treys, inside, penetration, D, you name it.. i'm very confident (and even more so) at this point that we'll go all the way to cutting the Final net.
Go Hawks!!

March 19, 2007 at 1:54 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

beebe...well said. If I remember correctly, you are an elder statesman, arent you?

Im sure youve seen lots come and go during your time as a Hawk fan. How does this year's team rank amongst your favorites?

By the way, do you mind my asking your age?

March 19, 2007 at 3:50 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

CasperCorps (anonymous) says...

I think Rush, Wright, Chalmers, Robinson, Collins, Arthur, Kaun are keys to the next game.. If they do well I guarantee a win.. Rockem Hawks!!!

March 19, 2007 at 10:39 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

cap10d (anonymous) says...

OH yeah?Well I think Wright,Chalmers,Robinson,Collins,Arthur,Kaun,AND Jackson are keys to the next game,and if they do well Ill guarantee a win............Oh hold on,these 8 players get 99.9% of the playing time.Oh well,my bad.go hawks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 20, 2007 at 3:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

erey (anonymous) says...

Hawks have the size. Build a little lead on SIU and they can coast to the Elite 8.

SIU hasn't come close to playing a team this good. I'll gladly take the matchup of our O against their D.

March 20, 2007 at 4:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )