3 posts tagged “salukis”

ST. LOUIS – Sandwiched in the CBS lineup between two of the biggest rivalries in college hoops, Kentucky vs. Florida and Duke vs. North Carolina, exists one of the most underrated rivalries – Creighton vs. Southern Illinois.

There is no hate lost between these two squads and their fan bases are the most active in the Missouri Valley Conference. It’s not as if the hatred isn’t seen on both sides. Southern Illinois fans wear shirts that say, “I H8 CR8ON,” and games at the Qwest Center against SIU have been big time student sell outs in recent years. No one likes the Salukis and the feeling from Carbondale is mutual.

Anyone who has been to a Creighton-Southern Illinois matchup in the past few years knows exactly what to expect: a hard-fought game, with a strong defense, clutch shots and a lot of energy. And, if recent history prevails, a close finish.

No matter how you slice it, this is the premier rivalry in the conference. Other teams want to knock off the Jays and the Salukis, but none have come close.

Today the entire nation has the chance to watch this matchup, which should be a good one. Nate Funk vs. Jamaal Tatum, Anthony Tolliver vs. Randal Falker. It should be a battle.

NOTES AND QUOTES:
-Creighton is 9-1 in 10 previous tournament title games, including seven straight victories. Three of those wins were against Southern Illinois and the Jays are 5-0 under Dana Altman, the all-time record holder for tournament victories by a coach.
-Creighton has won the MVC Tournament each of the last three times they’ve been the second seed.
-In all six previous MVC tournament meetings between Creighton and Indiana State, the winner of that game has gone on to win the tournament. And the last four times that the top four seeds made the semifinals (2003, 2002, 2000, 1999), Creighton went on to win the tournament despite facing a better seeded team in the final.
-"Both games, the one at Creighton and the one at Southern Illinois, were blood baths. They unfortunately had a game winner against us at home, and we couldn't come back at the end of the game at their place. I expect a real close game. I expect them to play tough defense like they always have. They're one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation and that's what we expect out of them," Nate Funk said.
-"I think the hardest part [of making the conference tournament final] is these first two games are always a grind, and then once you get in the championship, anything can happen, and you know, people think, you know, we get tired by the time the third game around, but you know, it's a championship game. You find energy. I don't know where it comes from. It's just pure adrenaline. I don't know what it is, but you find energy. So I think the toughest part, I mean, we're through. Now we've just got to play a game, one game and we're done. We're done with this tournament. Hopefully tomorrow we can come out and just play hard and see what happens," Anthony Tolliver said.

First, don't forget that tomorrow's Creighton men's basketball game is planned as a white out, so be there early and wear WHITE. The arena is currently sold out and the place should be packed.

I'm sure I don't really need to mention this but tomorrow's game is very important for the Jays. A win puts them a lot closer to reaching the NCAA tournament but a loss could be the final pin prick in the Jays' bubble, barring an MVC tournament championship. Read Nick's article about it here. The crowd will be ready and I am sure the seniors will be ready too. It's as much of a must win as the Jays have had all year.

With all of that being said, it's time to get a bit sappy. As a senior with many fond memories of Jays basketball over the past four years, tomorrow will be a very bittersweet moment for me. I'm happy to see the season end, ready for Arch Madness and all that St. Louis has to offer, and for the tantalizing prospect of an NCAA tournament appearance, but it could be one of the last Creighton games I see in person, at least for the forseeable future. Jays basketball has very much been a part of my time at Creighton. It's been four years of fun during one of the biggest growth periods during the program's history. I have seen Qwest Center crowds big and small, big victories and heartbreaking losses (Can any senior not hate the Salukis? 0-8 is definitely not fun) but, in the end, it was a great time, win or lose. I can remember going to games my sophomore year (2004-2005) with a half-empty student section and I remember 17,000-plus fans screaming at the Sycamores, Salukis and Dragons over the past few weeks. The Jays and student section have come a long way. So here are my top five Jays moments of the past four years:

5. Creighton 79, San Diego 44 - Jays win in the first game played at the Qwest Center Omaha. This was my first taste of Creighton basketball live and I was hooked.

4. Southern Illinois 61, Creighton 60 - Sure, it was a loss and a tough one at that, but it was also the most memorable game of the 2003-04 season and one of the most memorable in Qwest Center history. This was an ESPN2 game, students were waiting in line very early for this one and it was great game. The atmosphere at this game was one of the best over all four years.

3. 2005 Arch Madness tournament - The only tournament championship over the past three years also happened to be the only trip to St. Louis that I have missed (some say I am cursed at Jays games on the road, 0-3). This would probably rate higher but watching the game late on a Monday night at my aunt's house in Pennsylvania just doesn't hold the same muster as being there.

2. Creighton 70, Nebraska 44 - Creighton defeats Nebraska in a big way at home with only eight scholarship players suiting up. This win didn't really matter much when all was said and done, but bragging rights over the hated Huskers, and in resounding fashion, are always fun to have. This was one of the most fun games to attend at the Qwest.

1. Creighton 57, Wichita State 55 - Anthony Tolliver's buzzer-beater was one of the craziest moments in recent Jays memory. Everyone in the place went nuts, myself included. I had never seen a buzzer-beater live and it provided a bright spot for a year that ended rather dreary. This moment was great but I definitely hope that something over the next month will bump it off the list - MVC tournament championship, NCAA tournament win.

Maybe those dreams are a bit lofty for a team that appears to be running out of hope, but you never know. These four years have been great, to say the least.

Well, this has been a bitter pill to swallow, and I'm not just talking about last night's game. 0-8. That amounts to the Jays record against SIU during my time at Creighton. I have never seen a Jays win against the Dirty Dawgs and neither have any of the other seniors on campus. The Jays have lost those 8 games by an average of 5 points, including two heartbreaking home one-point losses.

I have much respect for the Saluki program, they know how to win and they manage to get it done, that is something the Jays just don't seem to have yet as a whole. Sure, Creighton could beat almost anyone on a given night, but they don't play with a confidence that it is their game to lose, that everything must go through them. This was the difference last night. Even when down the Salukis showed a swagger that the Jays have never shown.

Creighton had ample opportunities to win this game. In fact, if you would have talked with ANYONE from CU or even SIU and given them this box score before the game, blocked out the final score and asked them who won, Creighton would have been the choice everytime. The Jays shot well (54%), took 32 free throws, outrebounded them (23 to 19), turned the ball over less (17 to 22) and caused 12 steals. That sounds like a typical Jays win, especially against SIU (not that those are typical any more). But 10 missed free throws, including four misses on the front ends of 1-and-1's did the Jays in. And worst of all for Jays fans, 6 of the 10 missed free throws came from Anthony Tolliver and Nate Funk. Clutch was not in the equation for the Jays last night.

It was a rough loss but, in the end, it is just another game and the Jays should still be headed for the NCAAs, assuming they don't struggle down the stretch. Tuesday's game against UNI is big because UNI is backed into the wall, needing to win out and run strong in St. Louis to have much of a shot at the NCAA tournament. As long as the Jays can weather the Panthers storm, things should be fine.