Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball unveils challenging 2005-06 slate
08/22/2005 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 22, 2005
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Chris Lowery isn't afraid of a challenge.
Armed with a roster that includes two returning starters and one senior (walk-on Kyle Smithpeters), Lowery and his staff put together an ambitious 2005-06 schedule that would challenge even a veteran squad.
The Salukis open the regular season at home against Louisiana-Lafayette (Nov. 18), a team that beat SIU a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. SIU then plays its next five games away from home with three dates at the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 24-26) and road games at Saint Louis (Nov. 30) and Wyoming (Dec. 3).
"We wanted to play tough opponents early," Lowery said. "We have a young team, and I want them to get a mindset that they have to be ready to play every night on the road."
After returning from Wyoming, SIU plays back-to-back games against Mid-American Conference schools when it hosts Kent State (Dec. 10) and travels to Central Michigan (Dec. 18). The Salukis welcome Arkansas-Little Rock on Dec. 22, and play at Murray State (Dec. 28) to round out the 2005 non-conference schedule.
If you do the math, Southern plays three, non-conference home games in the months of November and December versus seven non-conference games away from the friendly confines of SIU Arena.
When it comes to scheduling home games, the Salukis are a victim of their own success, Lowery said. SIU has the nation's second-longest home-winning streak at 24 games. When Lowery or his staff call a high-major team, the response is predictable.
"Most of the time, we don't get a call back," Lowery laughed. "When you win a bunch of games in a row at home, people aren't going to want to play here."
Lowery thinks the rigorous non-conference schedule will work to his team's advantage, though, hardening it for Missouri Valley Conference play.
"You can get so caught up in our winning streak at home, and the comfort-level of thinking we're always going to win at home," he said. "I want them to have that same comfort-level on the road."
With the revised Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) formula, which the NCAA put in place last year, teams are rewarded for playing road contests.
"The way the RPI is figured now, playing on the road can really help you, if you win," Lowery said.
SIU will again play home-and-home dates with the nine other members of the MVC. In addition, the Salukis will host an ESPN Bracket Buster game on Feb. 18. The opponent for that game will be determined by ESPN and announced in early February. Southern is 3-0 in previous Bracket Buster games, and all three games were nationally televised.
Although the 2005-06 television schedule has not been finalized, the Salukis will likely make more regional and national TV appearances than ever before. Two games are already confirmed on ESPN2 (Feb. 11 at Creighton and Feb. 25 vs. Northern Iowa). Additionally, ESPNU and Fox SportsNet could televise up to seven more games.
