Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball travels to Indiana State
02/25/2011 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2011
By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (12-17, 5-12) will travel to Terre Haute to play Indiana State (16-13, 11-6) at 12:05 p.m. CT on Saturday.
Head coach Chris Lowery met with the media before Friday's practice.
Q: "How do you motivate them to play for the last game of the regular season?"
"If you love the game you're gonna be motivated to play. Whether it was the emotion of Senior Night, we didn't perform at a level that we needed to, especially with us knowing what was at stake for them and having a chance to be a spoiler, but more importantly having a chance to win on Senior Night."
Q: "What do you tell Carlton (Fay) to get past that?"
"I think he was too emotional, he really struggled mentally that whole game dealing with the fact that this was his last game. We just told him it's over, we're on the road, get comfortable and have fun with it."
Q: "What are the biggest adjustments you have made since the last time you played Indiana State, especially defensively in the second half?"
"The biggest thing is that we can't turn the ball over. In that second half we had quite a few turnovers, which led to them getting going. And we didn't control the point guard situation. We did a very good job in the first half -- the first 11 minutes -- and then the way we played in the last nine minutes has been the foundation of our year, the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half, we've had struggles."
Q: "Does (Jake) Odum remain the focal point?"
"Without a doubt -- he's the head. He's playing so well right now as a redshirt freshman, his level of confidence makes them confident. And because he struggled early in our game, they struggled."
Q: "Can we assume we have seen the last of Gene (Teague) playing this year?"
"It's not up to me. When you are put under certain restrictions from not only the Athletic Department but academics and the university itself, that's not for me to decide anymore. That's up to them and him."
Q: "Does that mean that the university is preventing him from playing now?"
"No that doesn't. That just means things haven't been lived up to as far as his suspension."
Q: "Do you feel you have communicated clearly with them on what he needs to do to get back?"
"The bystanders and what was written and given to all three of those guys were that they had to do those things, according to the dean of students, along with athletics, so we were secondary."
Q: "With all these distractions how do you stay positive and how do you keep the team positive?"
"Understanding that it's not about a quick fix even at this late into the season, we have to still remain positive that the people that are here are going to be here."
Q: "The tournament next year was in Cancun, and it was recently announced that you're going to Hawaii -- do you know anything behind that?"
"Well, ESPN basically pulled out of Cancun? They did and moved us to Hawaii, and I think Kansas State, too. Two of the teams that got moved were in that Cancun deal, also."
Q: "Have you ever played there?"
"We played there my first year as head coach, we lost at the buzzer at Hawaii after winning the Las Vegas Shootout. It's a very prestigious deal because they take care of all the participants."
Q: "Is it good to have another game before the MVC Tournament after Senior Night to get back to where you want to be?"
"In the locker room it was emotional for those guys. On the floor I think they played that way -- with the weight of the world on their shoulders. So having the chance to get back at it again before you go to conference is definitely good for us."
Q: "What did you tell the seniors after the game?"
"I apologized to them because I've been a part of some very successful senior nights, and not the apology of saying that it was my fault, it was just because you don't ever want to remember your last anything in a negative light, and that's something they'll have to hold with them forever."
Q: "With your place locked in, is it just about momentum tomorrow?"
"Yeah, it's about momentum and it's about us moving on. Between all the adversity and all of the stuff that's happened to this point, it's frustrating because we know we have what it takes to win, but getting them to do it, that's been our biggest problem this year. And not from effort, but from a lot of mental mistakes that we've made down the stretch."
