In order for SIU to win the Valley regular season this year, which is a tall order knowing what Drake, Loyola, UNI, and Missouri State all bring back, what conditions would have to be met?
To me, I think the following would have to happen if SIU finds themselves with a league title:
- Domask wins POY
- Marcus and Lance find themselves on the First Team, OR Marcus lands on the first team and we get two Salukis on the second team (Lance and Kyler?)
- SIU leads the league or is top-three in defensive efficiency
- SIU lands in top-3 in rebounding percentage
I think my darkhorse condition would be Lance winning POY: with all the attention Marcus will attract again this year, that gives Lance an opportunity to shine. If he can really drop his turnover numbers look out; IMO we have two legit first-teamers on the roster who can take over games.
Is it Tuesday yet?
With our shitty OOC schedule, "winning the Valley" isn't going to be enough, unless by "winning the Valley" you mean winning the MVC tourney. That is the only way this team will get into the tournament.
(Inflammatory political snark)
Need to do what Drake did last year. Everything needs to go right for them to have a chance to win the Valley. I don't see it happening personally, think the top 4 teams are too good. I do think there's a chance they can crash the party and get into the top 4 with other teams having injury problems or maybe Missouri State underachieves again with Dana Ford.
I think the opinions of the "experts" who pick teams and rankings preseason, as well as the majority of Saluki fans, fail to incorporate the X factor. In fact, let's call it the M factor, as in Bryan Mullins. SIU was picked dead last two years ago and what happened? It is my observation and opinion that Bryan Mullins gets more out of his teams than virtually any other coach in the league. This year, absent any major injuries, we will for the first time under Mullins have a deep team that can bring 40 minutes of intensity to the floor, especially on defense. Also, I have this sneaky suspicion that one of the freshman this year is going to "pull a Domask" and blow our socks off the way Marcus did his freshman year. We shall see.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
