@salukiworld are we headed down a dark path?
Depends how they respond at Indiana State really. If they get swept and go to 1-5, you're penciling in Thursday and you've killed nearly all the momentum that's been built over the last 2 years.
Drake is good but there's no excuse to be down 34 on national TV.
Who in the valley can compete with this Drake team? Loyola?
Loyola is very good. Drake is good but SIU is playing like sh!t. Indiana State played Drake close for 2 games (granted at Terre Haute), not encouraging when they're 0-4 and you play them next.
True. Indiana State is a talented team but have underperformed this season. Not excited about playing them next, they'll give us troubles I'm sure. Also not sure what Mullins is trying to prove right now still having starters out there.
There is a leadership vacuum on the team that needs to be addressed.
Teams with superior athletes and length will continue to give the Salukis fit until they change their recruiting model. This has been an ongoing issue dating back as long as I’ve followed SIU hoops. Always undersized at every position. The Floorburn U teams got away with it because of the type of D they played. I would’ve liked to see a scholarship or two given to big guards or wings with athleticism and the ability to jump out of the gym to match up with teams like Drake, Bradley, Missouri State. There’s a lot of roster redundancy on this team with Harvey, Brown, Verplanken, Banks, Jones, Butler, Long, etc. I would trade Verplanken or Butler or Long for someone with some length, bounce and athleticism just to mix up what we can throw at opponents and spark the effort off the bench. We get our shots blocked so often and have a hard time defending teams with bigger physical guards
I agree, there seems to be a trend in recruiting... we need some athletes.
Didn’t take long for the torches and pitchforks to come out.
what frustrates me is this is three games in a row now that there has been a complete lack of defensive effort. This is not the defense i expected from a BM coached team.
Offered to pay ESPN+ twice as much to watch the game, but I guess it's not Ebay so I can't watch, thankfully. Listening to Mike on the radio. He's been a bit disgusted with the lack of effort at times. I think it's really easy for a young team to lose heart when things go badly!
Defense is an attitude and a ton of hard work and a lot of technique can be learned. That said, it's also a talent - quickness, anticipation, athleticism, etc. I don't see anyone on this roster that can touch a Tony Young or Randall Falker at this point.
I thought Butler might be that guy. No idea what happens in practice, but he's getting near zero minutes!
@cowboydawg I wouldn’t say torched and pitchforks... I’m just genuinely concerned.
I agree, there seems to be a trend in recruiting... we need some athletes.
Mullins is recruiting at a high level. What we need is time to develop these young guys.
Didn’t take long for the torches and pitchforks to come out.
They're down 35 on national TV after losing by 20 last night on national TV, I think everyone has a right to be unhappy here. Drake is good but if you're not competing with the top of the MVC, you're in trouble.
Last two games and maybe the Evansville game seems to have exposed some weakness.
Stop panicking.... RELAX!! It is very, very early in Valley play and while they haven’t looked good, we will be just 3 games removed from the program’s best start since the 60s or whatever the stat it. I have complete faith that Mullins will get this team turned around. A couple weeks ago we were thinking NCAA tournament, and now some are comparing this to the Lowery era after 2 bad games against a mismatch nightmare. The truth is, we are probably looking at somewhere around a 4th place finish just like everyone predicted, so please chill out. We are adding significant size and athleticism next year and Filewich will be in year 2.
Panic....two beat downs in a row. Not to panic. Whoa!
Stop panicking.... RELAX!! It is very, very early in Valley play and while they haven’t looked good, we will be just 3 games removed from the program’s best start since the 60s or whatever the stat it. I have complete faith that Mullins will get this team turned around. A couple weeks ago we were thinking NCAA tournament, and now some are comparing this to the Lowery era after 2 bad games against a mismatch nightmare. The truth is, we are probably looking at somewhere around a 4th place finish just like everyone predicted, so please chill out. We are adding significant size and athleticism next year and Filewich will be in year 2.
I'm not seeing where you're seeing this. SIU still has to go to Bradley and Loyola this year. I think it's more likely they finish closer to 7th at this point.
