Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball draws West Virginia in NCAA Tournament
03/12/2006 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2006
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
The last time the Salukis were an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament was 2002, and they advanced to the Sweet 16.
Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery is hoping to duplicate that feat this season after his team was awarded an 11-seed by the tournament committee and will play 6-seed West Virginia on Friday at approximately 2:55 p.m. ET in Auburn Hills, Mich.
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"West Virginia is a very formidable first round opponent," Lowery said. "They have basically the same team back from their Elite 8 team last year."
The Moutaineers (20-10) finished in third place in the 16-team Big East Conference and are led by first-team all-conference center Kevin Pittsnogle and forward Mike Gansey.
Pittsnogle may be the toughest matchup for SIU. The 6-foot-11 senior averages 19.4 ppg, and no Saluki starter measures taller than 6-foot-7.
Experience also tilts heavily in the Mountaineers' favor. They advanced to the Elite 8 last season, and their starting lineup features four seniors and a junior. Southern has no senior starters.
"They're exceptional on the offensive end, they change defenses a lot, and they're well-coached," Lowery said.
The Salukis (22-10) will make their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and Lowery said his team won't be starstruck when it takes the floor against a Big East opponent.
"We're pretty confident," he said. "We've played very well in the last four games. We don't want to get caught up in the awe of the NCAA Tournament."
Lowery admitted he expected a higher seed for his team.
"It tells you what level (the selection committee) still thinks we are," he said. "One thing I've learned about the NCAA Tournament, you don't complain, you just show up and play."
After a lengthy period of positive publicity in late February, the Missouri Valley Conference as a league has been hammered hard by pundits on ESPN and CBS the last few days. The MVC received four bids on Sunday, but only one team (Wichita State) fell in the top half of the bracket.
"The people who constantly say our league isn't as good as our RPI says -- we have to go and show them," Lowery said.
Especially surprising to Valley followers was the omission of Missouri State, which became the highest rated team in the RPI (21) to be left out of the tournament.
"Your heart goes out to Missouri State and Barry Hinson," Lowery sympathized. "I felt they did enough to get in the NCAA Tournament. It's just a shame."
Other MVC schools have tough first round matchups with #13 Bradley playing #4 Kansas, #10 Northern Iowa facing #7 Georgetown, and #7 Wichita State squaring off with #10 Seton Hall.
"This is not the time to worry about being disrespected," Lowery said. "We didn't get any favors with the match-ups, but if you want to be considered a big boy, you have to go up against them."
