Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball to play Purdue in Chicago Invitational Challenge
07/21/2010 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
July 21, 2010
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois will play Purdue in a marquee men's basketball matchup at the fifth-annual Chicago Invitational Challenge on Friday, Nov. 26, tournament organizers announced today.
The Boilermakers are led by former Saluki head coach Matt Painter, who is now in his seventh year at Purdue after guiding SIU to a 25-5 record in 2004, his only year at the helm of Southern. Purdue is coming off a 29-6 season and is projected as a Top-10 team.
The two teams have met only twice previously with Purdue winning at home in 1984 and at Carbondale in 1985.
"This is a great game for our fans and our program," said Saluki head coach Chris Lowery, who succeeded Painter at Southern Illinois. "As difficult as it is to schedule teams from the Big Ten, it's ironic that we'll play both Purdue and Illinois within a two-week period."
The contest is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. at the Sears Centre Arena and will follow the game between Richmond and Wright State. The winners will play each other in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 27, while the losers will square off in the consolation.
The first two rounds of tournament will be played at campus sites, and SIU will host Austin Peay (Nov. 21) and Charleston Southern (Nov. 23). The outcome of those games will not affect pairings in Chicago.
SIU opens its regular season at Illinois on Nov. 13.
Tickes for the games in Chicago can be purchased by calling the Saluki Athletic Ticket Office at 877-725-8547 or 618-453-2000. Fans may also download an order form from the official website (www.SIUSalukis.com) and submit it to the ticket office.
