Bucky Dent, who remarkably is still covering the team (for free??) on Facebook, since new Southern Illinoisan ownership even more remarkably is not covering SIU (???!!!) or much of anything else, reports that Ferguson has a stress fracture and likely will be out at least until after Christmas.
Not great news there, as he is missed in this ultra thin rotation. Seems like him trying to play in Cancun might not have been a good maneuver.
I hate the injury excuse when they have healthy bodies sitting on the bench. You kind of create your own injury excuse at that point. And if the players aren’t playable then that seems like a coaching/recruiting/development problem to me.
Woke up this morning hoping last night was just a bad dream -- nope. We still lost, at home, to a bad Austin Peay team.
Bryan Mullins has a very frustrating habit of using his personnel to oh so effectively play into the oppositions strengths. Peay is smaller and quicker than we are. Job well done, I guess. I don't get it.
Troy and Clarence both had bad games. Troy struggled on both ends and Clarence got beaten several times on key rebounds. Why Scottie played ZERO minutes in this one is a great illogical mystery. Could've used a healthy Cade too with coaching that actually made sense.
We miss AJ Ferguson. I thought it during Oklahoma St and the need seemed more glaring last night. Kennard has been very good for us, but right now AJ's offensive game is more polished and versatile. X has been terrific to say the least, but he's shouldering too much and when guys aren't making shots we're gonna lose. AJ's scoring helps with that. His defense is very good too.
Disappointing..
--Insert something witty here--
Getting outrebounded and XJ not sharing the ball as much in the 2nd half and trying to do too much, along with some sloppy play (amongst other things) cost this team a W. This next game is going to be BIG to show what this team is made of. I have little confidence in their ability to win on the road, so I'm hoping to be surprised.
That being said, the fact that so many are severely disappointed after this loss tells me that expectations have been rising. If you told me at the beginning of the season that we would be 6-3 after the first 9 games with wins over STL and OK St, I would have been happy. This team was picked 9th in conference. Even if SIU loses against Wichita St, they will likely be sitting at 9-4 after 13 games and very possibly 12-4 with a 3-1 conference record after 16 games. So while this WAS a painful loss, we're still without an improving and athletic starter in AJ so not all is lost. A surprise win at WSU would surely change the taste that's currently in our mouths.
Bucky Dent, who remarkably is still covering the team (for free??) on Facebook, since new Southern Illinoisan ownership even more remarkably is not covering SIU (???!!!) or much of anything else, reports that Ferguson has a stress fracture and likely will be out at least until after Christmas.
Not great news there, as he is missed in this ultra thin rotation. Seems like him trying to play in Cancun might not have been a good maneuver.
I hate the injury excuse when they have healthy bodies sitting on the bench. You kind of create your own injury excuse at that point. And if the players aren’t playable then that seems like a coaching/recruiting/development problem to me.
I’ll preface my main point by saying regardless of the injury situation, we should have won that game yesterday. We blew multiple double digit leads and let a couple of their guys go off. Black had a monster game (his best of the season) and while he hit some tough contested 3’s too many of them were late contests (losing him in transition, bad communication on switches, or just not getting hands up). We didn’t play great defense and despite our poor offensive second half, 68 points should be enough to get it done. Ebube not playing was a bit of a head scratcher, especially early to see how AP adjusted to his size.
Having said all that, to imply that a team should be deep enough to go to player 12 and 13 and not see a drop off is a pretty big ask. SIU is down 4 players right now (Hensley, Ferguson, Cade, and Sharpe) two of which would probably have major roles on this team. I also don’t think you are giving AP enough credit, they aren’t a great team, but they have some talent on that roster (two former MVC guys in Sharp and Black, White was a 3 star guy and Jones a transfer who averaged 13 a game) and talent can win you a game when they have a night like Black did. We still should have beat them despite all of that, but lets not act like not playing the guys at the end of your bench is somehow a recruiting/development issue (Believe me I haven’t been blown away by the recruiting so far). Every team has guys parked down there that just aren’t good enough right now for whatever reason.
My 2 cents worth...
X played way too many minutes and was gassed at the end.
Rebounding. Where do I begin...
OUTCOACHED... good coaches make adjustments... ours just stays with the same ole plan win or lose.
Why wouldn't you at least try another BIG?
Maybe the success at Loyola wasn't because of Mullins... OU is ranked #11 at 9-0
Sharp is healthy per the broadcast, it’s pretty clear he’s redshirting this year if he doesn’t get in before conference play continues again.
Ebube and McGee are healthy though, so you’re willingly sitting 2 healthy bodies and playing a 7 man rotation. That’s where I don’t buy the injury excuse.
This was definitely a disappointing loss, but give Austin Peay some credit for the way they played down the stretch. They made some tough shots when they needed them. Hopefully the Dawgs learn some things from this.
My take on the finish was the Dawgs quit moving on offense. There have been quite a few posts on here and other places about our defense at the end losing players, giving up open shots and second chances. Much of this was due to AP’s continued offensive movement, both ball and people. I thought Southern stopped moving late in the game and Xavier tried to do too much. We saw this happen last year quite often. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. Last night it did not.
We did not finish some shots at the basket and AP blocked seven shots. We definitely need to do better at playing stronger at the rim offensively. I think we sometimes go up hoping and expecting to be fouled.
Good Luck Saturday at Wichita. It will be interesting to see how we come back from this.
I have ZERO confidence in the men's basketball program anymore. I want to, but I don't. Only so many times you can go to kick that football and Lucy pulls it away. My trust has to be now earned back.
As an individual who never coached a day of basketball I keep asking myself how we can have two players for four years who are now having a significant impact in the BIG10(??) and we never sniff post season.
I then continue to see SIU constantly trying to adapt to the other teams style of play rather than setting the style WE want to play.
I come to the conclusion we may not have the staff with an open enough mind to be successful enough for post season consideration.
Last night screamed for a Big down low rather than chasing around a bunch of guards that were quicker than we were at almost every position.
And one more thing, who in the Banterra Center, including the opposing coaches and players, did not anticipate our “play” at the end of the game?
After viewing the first few minutes of this contest, something was amiss. Perhaps a bit of a let down after beating OSU, or the 7 day layoff contributed? The team, as a collective group, did not seem to have the focus or determination like other games. Student section, as well as the overall crowd, (4,400) did not seem as enthused for whatever reason. 7 players played for SIU, and 7 players played for AP. Curious if any of the local media asked Coach Mullins why Scottie, McGee, or even Sharp did not find playing time? Is it for discipline reasons, lack of training dedication, attitude, or just not good enough? When, if ever, will Cade play a full game in a Saluki jersey? Such a mystery with a lot of the decision making. However, I am not a part of the coaching staff, and therefore not a part of practices, training sessions, and individual meetings. There has to be some logical reason. At least we all hope. I really dislike the idea that I have very little confidence in a bounce back victory against the WSU Shockers on Saturday. Very much the same feeling when football travels to NDSU. Bad MOJO.
After viewing the first few minutes of this contest, something was amiss. Perhaps a bit of a let down after beating OSU, or the 7 day layoff contributed? The team, as a collective group, did not seem to have the focus or determination like other games. Student section, as well as the overall crowd, (4,400) did not seem as enthused for whatever reason. 7 players played for SIU, and 7 players played for AP. Curious if any of the local media asked Coach Mullins why Scottie, McGee, or even Sharp did not find playing time? Is it for discipline reasons, lack of training dedication, attitude, or just not good enough? When, if ever, will Cade play a full game in a Saluki jersey? Such a mystery with a lot of the decision making. However, I am not a part of the coaching staff, and therefore not a part of practices, training sessions, and individual meetings. There has to be some logical reason. At least we all hope. I really dislike the idea that I have very little confidence in a bounce back victory against the WSU Shockers on Saturday. Very much the same feeling when football travels to NDSU. Bad MOJO.
If you listen to the postgame radio interview with Mullins, Watson did ask about Ebube not playing. Mullins implied he has to show more in practice and that he probably could have played him a bit - a pretty vague and not particularly illuminating answer, but glad he was asked.
My interpretation, just an educated stab, is that it's a combination of Ebube not working on his deficiencies in practice as vigorously as the coaches would like, and Mullins' preference for playing smaller lineups, especially when the other team goes small.
Regardless of the rationale, a DNP for a guy with his size and traits a month into his third year on campus is disappointing.
Sharp is healthy per the broadcast, it’s pretty clear he’s redshirting this year if he doesn’t get in before conference play continues again.
Ebube and McGee are healthy though, so you’re willingly sitting 2 healthy bodies and playing a 7 man rotation. That’s where I don’t buy the injury excuse.
I’m not trying to start an argument here but, if you have watched McGee in his limited minutes, he’s a liability on defense. Guys blow right by him without much resistance. Ferguson is a much better defender (which is what we needed yesterday). You don’t think having him back would make you a better team? Allow you to spell some guys a few minutes here or there. Just because you have a healthy body doesn’t mean they will perform to the level you need. Ferguson was starting before he got injured and played 20+ minutes a game, scored 8 points with 3 rebounds. You are kidding yourself if you think they are the same player.
Ebube is still a bit of a conundrum at this point, maybe Mullins didn’t feel like he could guard their quickness b/c we were switching 1-5 for good portions of the game. I don’t know the rationale there.
In the end, eligibility issues and injuries are absolutely affecting this team. We should have been able to handle this game despite those issues. Just a poor 2nd half on both ends of the floor.
You can’t just dismiss adversity like that because there is a warm body on the bench not playing.
As an individual who never coached a day of basketball I keep asking myself how we can have two players for four years who are now having a significant impact in the BIG10(??) and we never sniff post season.
I then continue to see SIU constantly trying to adapt to the other teams style of play rather than setting the style WE want to play.I come to the conclusion we may not have the staff with an open enough mind to be successful enough for post season consideration.
Last night screamed for a Big down low rather than chasing around a bunch of guards that were quicker than we were at almost every position.
And one more thing, who in the Banterra Center, including the opposing coaches and players, did not anticipate our “play” at the end of the game?
Mullins was screwed by COVID. Last year, SIU should've been the oldest most talented team in the league by leaps and bounds. Instead, everyone else had guys in their 5th and 6th years that would not have been there if not for the extra year. Then we didn't even get the benefit because they both left the year we would've been the ones with the 5th year stars. For all his faults, Mullins could've never predicted that the timeline that was set up for SIU to win the conference would be altered by a pandemic.
As an individual who never coached a day of basketball I keep asking myself how we can have two players for four years who are now having a significant impact in the BIG10(??) and we never sniff post season.
I then continue to see SIU constantly trying to adapt to the other teams style of play rather than setting the style WE want to play.I come to the conclusion we may not have the staff with an open enough mind to be successful enough for post season consideration.
Last night screamed for a Big down low rather than chasing around a bunch of guards that were quicker than we were at almost every position.
And one more thing, who in the Banterra Center, including the opposing coaches and players, did not anticipate our “play” at the end of the game?
Mullins was screwed by COVID. Last year, SIU should've been the oldest most talented team in the league by leaps and bounds. Instead, everyone else had guys in their 5th and 6th years that would not have been there if not for the extra year. Then we didn't even get the benefit because they both left the year we would've been the ones with the 5th year stars. For all his faults, Mullins could've never predicted that the timeline that was set up for SIU to win the conference would be altered by a pandemic.
SIU was 23rd in the country in D1 experience last year, which was the most in the MVC. Drake was 29th and Bradley was 210th.
Indiana State is having no problem managing these tough circumstances and Schertz got the job 2 years after Bryan. They lost Neese, McCauley and Cam Henry and were able to reload with Swope & Cronwell.
