SIU @ Drake 1/4/2021 6:00 PM CBS Sports Network

Sometimes match up make things seem worse than they are. I would suggest we all calm down a little we are 7 and 3 everyone here would've taken that a month ago there is going to be growing pains but I like the approach of building a foundation of young people not a continuous rollover roster of transfers hard to long term successful with yearly turnover 

I am actually fairly proud of you guys. I was expecting a full scale meltdown.  The only person who crossed the line is gone and he will be gone every time he tries a new name. 

good things are coming. There are going to be rough stretches with a team this young. 327 I believe is what we are experience wise in all the NCAA.we are also missing our only real big man. Filewich as good as he has been is just supposed to be learning.  I do agree we need some more pure athletes. Foster Wonders is on the way folks.  It is tough today but I promise better times are coming . 

I think Ebube is gonna be an athlete and a force.  There's not many highlights of him on YouTube but the video SIU put together on him is impressive:

https://twitter.com/SIU_Basketball/status/1326573402128146433

First of all, I love our coaching staff and think they are doing a fantastic job on the recruiting trail.  That 6'5" athlete swing man people have been (rightfully) saying we lack....we had him and lost him in a freakishly bad turn of events.  His name was AJ Staton-McCray and he verballed to us before his AAU coach got a new job and stole him away from us.  And that inside big?  We had him, too, until JD Muila got hurt.  Help is on the way next year with Scotty Ebube, Troy D'Amico, and Foster Wonders.

Now for the current reality.  Compared to teams like Drake, we are weak at the 2, 3, and 5 positions.  Domask at 4 and Jones at 1 can hold their own against just about anybody.  D'Avanzo is playing out-of-position, so we give him a pass.  He's much better suited for the 4 or 3 spot.  Trent Brown has improved a bunch, but he's still only 6'0" tall.  He's not going to match up with the big, athletic wings of good teams.  I don't know where Ben Harvey spent his redshirt year, but it wasn't in the weight room.  He's really good on offense, but he's killing us on defense.  Opposing wings are blowing by him every game and all he can do is grab them on the way by.  If he doesn't work to get stronger and more athletic, Foster Wonders is going to take his job next year.

We don't really have the option of going bigger with our line-up, but we could go more athletic.  Dalton Banks was the lone bright spot in today's game.  I would start him over Brown.  Then the first time Harvey's guy blew by him for a lay-up, I would put Brown in.  The future is bright, but right now we have some warts.  And they were exposed big time today (and yesterday).  Just my humble opinions.  

I hate making excuses but the back to backs are the opposite of what this team needs.  SIU is a team that doesn't have much depth and is built on going all out every game and that's not a team built for back to backs.  I'm pretty confident that even if this team ends up a Thursday team in St Louis that next year with a normal Valley schedule, full stadiums hopefully, and more depth added; this team should take that next step.  I mean you can just look at Drake who took a step back last season after an impressive first season.  They built off momentum from last Arch Madness.

Congrats to Drake - they are the real deal.  We still have a pretty good team - they are young, but there is talent there to compete in the upper part of the Valley.  Coach Mullins will have them firing on all cylinders by the end of the year.

A few weeks ago, SIU was 7-0 coming off a great win against Butler and we were all excited about the chance of competing for a chance for a Valley Championship.  Now are 7-3, and some are jumping off the bandwagon already.  Some people are dissing the Mullins recruiting.  Put it in perspective a little bit.  When was the last time that we were upset about being 7-3?  Heck, when is the last time that we even started as good as 7-3?

We will be fine.  The Valley is better this year, and Drake is a top 25 NET team.  The Valley may be even better next year, but so will SIU.  We have 3 very talented players coming in and maybe some extras after the season.

One thing about SIU's schedule this year:  They play all the tough teams on the road and the easier teams at home.  The key to salvage this season is to win at home.  Evansville can't happen again.  If they can steal a win on the road now and then, that would help tremendously.  We will be fine!

We will be fine.  Patience.  Patience is a virtue that carries lots of wait.  The most important thing is progress.  Games like the last three can all be turned from negatives into positives if there is enough learned and digested to help improvement and move forward.  I have trust that this coaching staff knows that and will use them to do that.  I am sure they (the coaches) learned a lot 🙂 

Posted by: @bleacher-bum

Are we 3-7 or 7-3?  Calm down.

UK is 2-6 with the highest payroll in D1. 

You want the huckster back?  

If not then just settle down and stop acting entitled like a shocker fan.

There are always 2 sides to an "argument".  I could easily point out programs that are considered lower than ours who have better records for comparisons sake.  This team has lost 3 straight conference games, and could have lost all 4.  They didn't even compete in either of the Drake games.  I think fans have every right to be upset and/or concerned.   I think other fans have every right to be optimistic (in Mullins). 

I myself, not having been able to watch the game, am still disappointed.  In the few highlights I did see, I noticed a couple key players not hustling back on defense.  I also saw a different (defeated) attitude from the players.   It's easy to have energy when you're doing well, where is that same desire and energy when there are struggles ?  

I am not near any ledge.  It's obvious this team is not ready for prime time just yet.  Would I be shocked if they finished in 4th or 5th?  NO.  Would I be shocked if they played on Thursday in the Conf Tourney? NO.   Now that my expectations have been greatly diminished, I can watch the remainder of the season and enjoy the team rather than expecting them to win.  It's sad and relieving at the same time.  

Posted by: @salukiworld

I hate making excuses but the back to backs are the opposite of what this team needs.  SIU is a team that doesn't have much depth and is built on going all out every game and that's not a team built for back to backs.  I'm pretty confident that even if this team ends up a Thursday team in St Louis that next year with a normal Valley schedule, full stadiums hopefully, and more depth added; this team should take that next step.  I mean you can just look at Drake who took a step back last season after an impressive first season.  They built off momentum from last Arch Madness.

Agree with your premise here. This is a year that really calls for depth, and with SIU not getting much off the bench outside of Banks and Filewich, it's going to be hard to keep guys (especially Domask) fresh throughout the season. Long and/or Butler really need to emerge and give the team 10-12 decent minutes most nights, but I don't know how realistic that is based on what we've seen, or not seen, to date.

Ill say this, I love that Mullins just shouldered every bit of the blame in his post game.  That is why I am confident things, long term, will be okay... However, I think this team may struggle for the reasons I have already suggested.  A schedule where you play the best 3 teams on the road 6 times is a totally unfair way to determine a champion and is an unfair way to judge a team of fresh and sophs and new D1 players.  If SIU wants to avoid Thursday I believe they need to go undefeated at home the rest of the way.  That is their ticket to being a dangerous team in STL, or wherever Arch Madness is.

As Coach Watson pointed out, the SIU coaching staff will take that loss harder than the team. The Game Plan seemed to be built for best case SIU 3 point shooting, getting some Drake starters in foul trouble, and holding off a second half onslaught, leading to a Butler-esque outcome. In retrospect and given the first game's outcome, that was overly optimistic and SIU, now knowing who they were facing, went out with little energy. The coaches did make some adjustments at halftime, but it wasn't going to be enough. Perhaps the match up was just too much for the very young and inexperienced SIU team. Drake is a fine example of a well coached, deep and talented team playing a wide open game while hammering the offensive boards. A team that would be difficult to slow down even with the experienced SIU 2007 team. Player Mullins running a his "one man trap" would have helped. 😉

Defense: Trying to play a matchup Zone vs. Drake's 3 point shooting caliber combined with 2nd (and third) chance conversion success off Offensive rebounds adds up to a 30 point differential pretty quickly.  

Offensive: SIU players were running to their spots along the base line and standing there while Drake was implementing a two man trap on the ball handler. The lack of plan for Offensive Rebounding guaranteed a pounding. At a minimum let one of the base line players go to the paint and leave a guard to sweep at 10 feet and then provide some nominal pressure on the the far side of the center line to slow down the attack. Drake does this very well. On occasion SIU has a well. 

And in defense of Mr. Harvey; he was trying; a team leader in rebounds (again) while taking pull up jumpers which ultimately opened up some back door plays. He did dribble too much a couple of times but at least was trying to make something happen with three teammates glued to their spots on the floor. you shouldn't have to dribble 8 feet toward a corner hugging stationary target to make a pass. Perhaps those who were taking very public shots at him might give him the benefit of the doubt. He was the primary player (with some similar effort from MD) trying to transcend the deficient game plan. The Coaching Staff did make adjustments and gave him some real minutes this game. 

That said, this series was a character building exercise for the players and coaches.  Losses to Drake and Evansville this year are not going to be remembered as failures. They will be tuition paid for better SIU basketball in the future. 

And how about having a Head Coach that takes full responsibility for back-to-back blowout losses with grace, dignity and knowledge that the team will build on this as they move forward?  .

Everyone has your back, Coach Mullins. We are very excited for the future. 

Thought I'd wait a bit before weighing in on last night's game. Two Eagle Rare's helped a bit.

Yeah, it was a combination Hindenburg, Titanic and Great Train Wreck of Nashville on a basketball court and excruciating to watch. I agree with most comments, pro and con. There's a lot of improvement needed, a lot to take away and learn from, but this happens to a young team and young coaches. And, as has been pointed out, Drake is a VERY good team.

As stated before I like these guys and they will rebound, pun intended. Yes, they do need to rebound, no doubt. But another flaw, it seems to me, is Jones' continued ridiculous drives to the hoop with no thought about distributing the ball. Yes, he's talented and can score, but it was just another of many painful observations. Don't mean to single him out, just top of mind and hoping he and the entire team improve on the fundamentals.

Go Salukis!

small picture.......besides the obvious roster limitations, is the fact that in the second game of both these match-ups we have performed worse.  small sample size, but with this schedule, that's a trend that needs to improve.  adjustments are going to play a huge difference this year.

big picture......no concerns.  thrilled where we are heading.

What's with all the "we will be fine?"  If you're talking about next year and beyond, yes we should be better than fine.  We have a lot of young talent and more on the way.  

But if you're talking about THIS year, no we will not "be fine."  Unless you think finishing lower-middle-of-the-pack is fine.  Starting off 1-3 in the conference with back-to-back blowout losses is not exactly a recipe for success.  But if you're just talking about the grand scheme of things (players getting an education, healthy competition, sportsmanship, etc.) then sure...we'll be fine.