Don't know if it fits here or not but talking about never overlooking an opponent but future opponent Alcorn St went and beat Shockers today in Wichita
I'm not worried about this game, particularly with how the guys just completely destroyed Little Rock and had the poise to storm back and win on the road against Oklahoma State. Every road game is tough, but I think we win this by 10+.
I'm worried about this game. Ebube is a bigger loss than I think most realize. Kid was dominant in his short 8 minutes against Little Rock. If Muila is out, you're extremely thin in the front court against a team more suited to playing small than OK St. It'll be tougher to spread out this USI team with small lineups than it was against the Cowboys.
Against a motivated team in a hostile environment, if SIU isn't locked in and focused for 40 minutes they'll be going back to C'dale with their first L.
--Insert something witty here--
They've said the Alabama game prepared them for the Oklahoma State win but I think it might have better prepared them for this game. Oklahoma State was a mostly empty gym with no energy. I think playing in front of the students against a talented Alabama team might come into play here.
I'm not worried about this game, particularly with how the guys just completely destroyed Little Rock and had the poise to storm back and win on the road against Oklahoma State. Every road game is tough, but I think we win this by 10+.
I'm worried about this game. Ebube is a bigger loss than I think most realize. Kid was dominant in his short 8 minutes against Little Rock. If Muila is out, you're extremely thin in the front court against a team more suited to playing small than OK St. It'll be tougher to spread out this USI team with small lineups than it was against the Cowboys.
Against a motivated team in a hostile environment, if SIU isn't locked in and focused for 40 minutes they'll be going back to C'dale with their first L.
Agree on Ebube being a big loss, not only for the team but in slowing his development. Has to be quite frustrating for him coming off the redshirt year.
As for Muila, Mullins indicated they hope to get him back in another week or so if his lower back cooperates. Sounds like the SoCal Shootout could be realistic if his PT progresses well. But I’m expecting a lot of smallball, maybe even once he returns.
@siudawgs Spreading teams out and making them try to cover all our shooters while keeping Lance out of the paint seems to be our current go-to. No complaints so far. Its working.
Ebube's presence was missed Thursday though and his absence will continue to be felt until he returns. He's an x-factor and gives us a legit alternative option in times we need to size up on the blocks. Unfortunate what happened.
Hopefully we get Muila back soon. We'll need his defense and rebounding.
--Insert something witty here--
Ah, gotcha. What I meant is we don't really know how big the win is going to turn out to be, as we don't know whether OSU is all that good.
But you're right: a win on the road against a P5 team is a big deal for us, especially after 15 years of mediocre and sometimes even bad teams. Point taken.
(Inflammatory political snark)
Rodney Watson with Southern Indiana Head Coach Stan Gouard:
Just glad we have a game to watch. There are no easy games, so i hope Mullins has this team ready to play. Would like to see more Foster Wonders...but finding minutes for everybody is a good problem for Mullins. I think this is going to be a tough game, but hopefully our 3 pt shooting won't be as horrendous today as it was Thursday at OSU.
They've said the Alabama game prepared them for the Oklahoma State win but I think it might have better prepared them for this game. Oklahoma State was a mostly empty gym with no energy. I think playing in front of the students against a talented Alabama team might come into play here.
In all fairness, Ok St had over 5k fans at that game, more than we had at our first home game. IT looked empty because that arena holds like 14k
I would love to see a 3rd big scoring threat begin to emerge soon. We know about Lance and Marcus and all they can do, beyond that I don't know who I would put next.
I would love to see a 3rd big scoring threat begin to emerge soon. We know about Lance and Marcus and all they can do, beyond that I don't know who I would put next.
Likewise. If an Ebube or Rupert turn into that 3rd scoring threat then to me that gives us the best possible outcome this season; my guess is it will be Newton with a dark horse in Wonders. Banks and D'Amico could be up there too
D'Amico is playing solid minutes. He is a sneaky scorer, reminds me a bit of Doug McDermott in his tenacity around the basket. Troy is a bit shorter (6-7 compared to McDermott's 6-8) but he has that same build.
With Ebube and Mulia both out, I worry a bit about who will guard USI's big man Kiyron Powell, a transfer from University of Houston, and Trevor Lakes, a transfer from Nebraska, who scored 18 at Missouri.
I assume D'Amico and Rupert will split time. Hopefully we don't get in foul trouble early.
