On Friday, I got an email from someone who told me he believed the Jays would walk into Carbondale today and get a 20+ point win. In any other game against any other team, his reasoning would be solid. Bryan Mullins, their senior leader and the lone remaining link to the glory years, is injured and hasn't played in two weeks. SIU is down to eight players (Fay, Boyle, Bocot, Booker, Evans, Clemmons, Dillard and Hare) and will likely start three freshman today. They're beaten down, in serious danger of facing the Thursday play-in round in St. Louis, and are completely out of contention for postseason play for the first time in a decade (unless they win in St. Louis, of course, God forbid.)
But for these two teams, none of that matters. Come tip off, this will be a war, a bloodbath, a high-intensity defensive struggle for 40 minutes. It always is. Some of Creighton's best teams of the last 20 years have failed to win in Carbondale. They haven't won there since Kyle Korver's sophomore season -- February 10, 2001. Yes, I remember that date. When its your biggest rival and you haven't won in their building in seven tries, you remember.
So yes, the Jays have more players, more experience, more momentum and more to play for. But SIU has the always-hostile home crowd, which will be sold out as it always is for Creighton. They've owned us at SIU Arena since 2001, and both teams know it. If the game is close in the second half, doubt could start to creep into the Jays heads. That's what happens when you haven't won in a place in so long.
I could envision Kevin Dillard going nuts and scoring 30 points. I've had nightmares for a week that Carlton Fay will have an out-of-body experience and believe that he is Brad Korn for a day. Know this: SIU is not going to roll over and play dead. Not against Creighton. They'll leave it all on the court today, and if the Jays are to win, they have to want it more. They have to hustle, they have to be tough, they have to defend, they have to rebound.
Even then, it may not be enough if Bryan Mullins pulls a Willis Reed and comes hobbling out of the tunnel during a timeout in the second half, checks into the game and makes a couple of threes to beat Creighton one last time.
God help us all if that happens. There will not be enough mini donuts and Bud Light if that happens. There will not be enough.
One Big Paragraph With Lots O'Dots (TM): SIU has lost three of four and sits at 11-14 overall, 6-8 in the league. That puts them in a three-way tie for sixth place, just one game either way from finishing as high as fourth or as low as seventh ... Senior Bryan Mullins has a stress fracture in his foot and has missed three straight games, no doubt a huge factor in their slide in the standings. He's out indefinitely, but don't rule out a miraculous return for today's game. I'm pretty sure Carbondale still has licensed witch doctors, and who knows what healing power their magic beans have ... In the absence of Mullins, Kevin Dillard has emerged as the top offensive weapon. Dillard averages 12 points and 4 assists a game, shooting 45% from the field ... SIU is a surprisingly pedestrian 7-4 at home this year. The Salukis went four seasons without losing four games combined at home earlier this decade, so saying this is a down year may actually be an understatement ... Coach Chris Lowery, already in his fifth year as head coach (has it really been five years?? Wow) has been associated with the Saluki program for 11 season, having played for and later served as an assistant coach with them. He's been to the postseason each of those 11 years.
The Last Time They Played: Creighton still owns a 44-36 series edge over SIU, despite losing 9 of the last 13 meetings. Earlier this year, the Jays won a 73-72 overtime thriller in Omaha, their second consecutive win at Qwest Center against the Salukis after dropping four straight.
Jimmy The Greek Memorial Odds: Creighton is favored by 3.5, with the over-under being 131. Sounds about right to me.
Gratuitous Linkage: Recently, I've come to the conclusion that Bob Costas is an old fart, and that's a really disheartening thing for me. As a rabid baseball fan I've always admired his rare combination of vast knowledge of the game and an ability to convey it without sounding doucey. Most "baseball historians" that wax poetic about the game don't seem like guys you'd enjoy having a beer with. Probably because they never leave the library long enough to have a beer. Costas never seemed that way. Clearly, I was wrong, as his ignorant rants on blogs and new media have proven. Will Leitch in the latest issue of the New Yorker tells the behind-the-scenes story of his hilarious appearance on Costas Now. Read it.
Official Gametime Snack: Today is a day to Snap into a Slim-Jim!
The totally random song I'd play right now if I were still a radio DJ: The Theme from the Beverly Hillbillies. I'm disappointed that you'd even consider the possibility I'd play anything else. Come on now! (And for you SIU fans, hey, at least I picked the color version, as opposed to the earlier Black and White version -- that sort of cheap joke about people still using black and white TVs is not my bag.)
Prediction: There is no way in hell this game gets into the 70s. None. If the Jays can't dig down deep and find a way to win in Carbondale this year, they never will as long as I live. SIU is undermanned, on a losing streak, inexperienced and without their best player. This is the worst Saluki team in a decade, and they'll be tough again next year. If they Jays don't get 'em this time, it will be a while before they have another chance.
Jays had damn well better win this one. And they will.
Creighton 62, Southern Illinois 56
