Wednesday, December 30, 2015 7:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago
Not many expected the fast start the Salukis are off to in the non-conference season. Coach Barry Hinson’s team was picked to finish 9th out of the 10 teams in the league— only Bradley, under a new coach with six newcomers, rated lower. SIU didn’t do much to distinguish themselves in last year’s 12-21 campaign, where they finished 4-14 in league play. They beat the Ramblers in Carbondale in the last game before Milton Doyle sat out 10 games with an ankle injury, upset Illinois State at home, and they beat Missouri State in a 9-vs.- 8 Arch Madness game. But aside from having all-conference senior guard Anthony Beane back for his senior season, nothing portended the 11-2 start that SIU has put together to start 2015-16.
You might downplay SIU’s gaudy record by claiming it has been accumulated against weak competition, but they’ve played the games (all D-I competition), they’ve won all but two out of 12, they’re 4-0 in road games, and they’ve already got double-digit Ws before playing a single MVC foe. They’ve beaten a few quality teams—Air Force, Kent State, Oakland, and Murray State-- and only their two-point loss at home against SIUE has been a really bad performance. Significantly, the Salukis appear to be getting better and more confident as this season moves along to league play, with their last two outings being double-digit wins over Murray State and St. Louis on the road.
The Salukis are starting three guards (Anthony Beane, Tyler Smithpeters, and Mike Rodriguez) and two forwards (Sean O’Brien and Bola Olaniyan). The Ramblers have seen quite a lot of Beane since joining the MVC—he’s averaged 19.5 points per game in the four games he’s played in his career against the Ramblers. The 6’2” guard is averaging 20.5 points and 4.2 rebounds through the first 13 games of his senior season, and shooting with better accuracy (47% overall and 43% from distance).
Newcomer Mike Rodriguez is a 5’10” juco transfer from Marshalltown CC. Rodriguez has added a scoring option and impressive consistency in the backcourt, averaging 10.7 points and leading the team with 3.69 assists per game. After the season opener (where he scored 15) Rodriguez has scored between 8 and 13 points in each of the 12 games since. Smithpeters is a 6’4” junior known for his outside shooting; he has the rare distinction of averaging better on three pointers than twos in every year of his college career. Although he only averages 7.1 points overall this season, he averages 8.1 in SIU’s wins and only 1.5 in their two losses.
Beane has upped his scoring average by about 25% since last season, and Rodriguez adds a new scoring threat and consistency in the Saluki backcourt. But the most improvement on the team has come in the frontcourt, especially from Sean O’Brien. The 6’7” junior forward from Mundelein leads the team in blocks (15) and ranks second in both scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounds (6.7 rpg). O’Brien is shooting better (over 50%) from the field, getting to the line more often (4.4 trips per game) and scoring almost double his output as a sophomore. His mate in the frontcourt is another 6’7” junior forward, Bola Olaniyan, who leads the team in rebounds with 7.8 while chipping in 5.8 points on average.
Six-one junior guard Leo Vincent (7.8 ppg), 6’4” redshirt freshman guard Armon Fletcher (6.2 ppg), 6’8” freshman Austin Weiher (3.7 ppg), and 6’7” center Ibby Djimde (2.7 ppg) see most of the action off the bench. Two big men (6’9” freshman Rudy Stradnieks and 7’0” senior center Deng Leek) are available for minimal scoring and better rim protection, if needed in a pinch.
Like in previous seasons, the Salukis are forcing turnovers and making steals to get more shots than their opponents. SIU currently ranks in the top 50 among all Division I teams in steals, and they’re in the top 10 in forcing turnovers. Where they’re really improved (and where they’re racking up the Ws) is in their shooting percentage, up to 47.5% from the field as a team from last year’s anemic 41.9%. This year’s model of Saluki is also defending well against the three-bomb, limiting opponents to less than 30% from distance.
Handing a much-improved SIU a road loss (their first of the season) won’t be nearly as easy as it looked before the 2015-16 season tipped off. The Salukis prefer to get out and run, but they are able to win regardless of the game pace; they’ve won by nine points while scoring 97, and they’ve won by 13 points while scoring as few as 65. SIU-Edwardsville beat them in Carbondale by only two points after shooting 54% from the field and getting to the line 26 times. UTEP beat them 71-66 in November, while Olaniyan was suspended, by getting to the free throw line for 38 attempts.
When their starting backcourt struggles offensively, so does SIU; the starting guards scored 25 in the loss to UTEP, 32 in the loss to SIUE, and 32 in the one-point win over Portland--well below their average of 38.5. The best combination for a Loyola win is to keep the score below 70, keep the rebound margin respectable, win the turnover battle, keep the Salukis off the free throw line, and contain the total backcourt scoring (keep Beane under 20, single digits for the others).
Loyola game notes:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/loy ... 229aaa.pdfSIU game notes:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/loy ... a_silu.pdfTV/Streaming video: Comcast Sports Net
Vegas line: SIU by 1
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