Sry about another KU thread, Cochise. It is gameday, afterall. ;)
By Kevin Haskin
The Capital-Journal
Published Thursday, March 22, 2007
SAN JOSE, Calif. — To hear the reports coming out of HP Pavilion, the basketball staff at Southern Illinois will report to the Pentagon following the NCAA Tournament to advise the joint chiefs on national defense.
Suddenly, the noble Egyptian hunting dog known as a Saluki, could become the new mascot for the Department of Homeland Security.
At least that's the impression made by all the props Southern Illinois (29-6) received after advancing from its sub-regional by smothering Holy Cross and Virginia Tech. Those wins boosted SIU into the Sweet 16 for a 6:10 p.m. matchup against top-seeded Kansas (32-4).
"They take great pride in stance and position,'' KU coach Bill Self said while offering his own take on the Salukis' grinding defensive style. "Sometimes, late in the game or late in the clock, teams kind of revert back or get a little lazy. They are not lazy-minded at all. They anticipate helping the helper as well as anybody I've ever seen.''
The Salukis do so by refining their defensive principles with tough practices.
Asked to offer a description, junior forward Randal Falker called the workouts a "big, bloody mess.''
Southern Illinois isn't bashful touting its defensive prowess. At the press conferences Wednesday advancing the semifinal rounds of the West Regional, coach Chris Lowery wore a T-Shirt with the inscription, "Floor Burn U.''
"Other people might say it's ugly,'' Lowery said. "The way we play, our kids really enjoy that style. They really enjoy the fact they all need each other to play that way.''
The statistic everyone points to in illustrating the Salukis' defensive prowess is the 56.1-point scoring average they're allowing opponents. The mark ranks third nationally but also is a reflection of Southern Illinois' deliberate offensive tendencies.
Normally, the Salukis are efficient with their possessions and attempt to coax opponents into fouling.
"If we weren't good offensively, we wouldn't ever get this far,'' Lowery said. "We want to get fouled by taking the ball inside.''
Do so against Kansas, however, and Southern Illinois will run into a second line of defense the Jayhawks are attempting to construct as a potential trap.
"Our size and our speed makes our defense go, and if you get past the guards, you'll still have trouble with our bigs,'' said KU guard Mario Chalmers.
Check some of the stats. It's a worthwhile exercise, especially with the Southern Illinois defense being all the rave.
Kansas leads Southern Illinois in average blocks (6.6-3.3), steals (9.0-6.6), turnovers forced (16.8-15.3), and rebounds (40.4-29.9). Granted, some of those differences are generated by pace of play. But the Jayhawks also rank second nationally with a .373 defensive field-goal percentage, while the Salukis don't rank in the top 50.
Yes, it's possible to use statistics to make virtually any point. But the fact is KU deserves some credit, too, for its defense. Credit it may not be getting.
"Honestly,'' said KU junior guard Russell Robinson, "I think our defense is better. I think we've got a lot of tools. We've got to respect them, though. It will be a dogfight. We'll come out and fight. We've got tools and a lot more depth than them. I just think that we have the numbers to prove our defense is good, too.''
Quickness is a virtue that can't always be measured in numbers, but there's no question the Jayhawks will gamble for some steals and use them to score off breakouts to speed the tempo against the Salukis.
Although he fielded very few questions concerning KU's defense, Lowery is aware of the Jayhawks' capabilities.
"Their defense is the most overlooked thing to the way they're playing,'' Lowery said. "They're stealing the ball at a high rate and causing so many turnovers. The way to be a good defensive team is to do those things and be a good rebounding team, and right now, they're the best in the West Regional.
"It's pressure defense and you take risks. When you have guys with length and athleticism, you close on balls in a way teams haven't seen and it can be a shock.''
Kevin Haskin can be reached at (785) 295-1159 or
kevin.haskin@cjonline.com.
