#15 Southern Illinois vs. #12 Butler: Mid Major Game of the Year

Today the Butler Bulldogs host the Southern Illinois Salukis in Indy’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Based on their pas success in the NCAA tournament and their success this year, this is likely the biggest game this season between two mid major squads. Butler led by guards A.J. Graves and Mike Green, are looking to bounce back after a Horizon league loss to surprising Wright State. In November they shocked everyone by winning the NIT season tip-off, beating Indiana, Tennessee, and Gonzaga to win, and have thus far dominated the Horizon Leauge. The Salukis, led by guard Jamaal Tatum and forward Randal Falker, are the best team in the tough Missouri Valley Conference, having won 8 straight games.

4:04 pm: Southern Illinois is playing a press defense. This can end up going very well or very badly for the Salukis, depending on how prepared Butler is for it.

4:05 pm: Hinkle Fieldhouse is an intimidating place to play. It has more history than Cameron Indoor, more than twice as big, and the student section is just as rowdy. If they played in a major conference (say Big East) it would likely be considered the toughest place to play in college basketball.

4:08 pm: Mike Green draws first blood, driving into the lane and hitting a tough shot in the paint. 2-0, Butler.

4:10 pm: 2-2. The Bulldogs play a different but equally effective style of defense, a zone in which the only put pressure on players with the ball. Both teams average about 56 points allowed per game.

4:11 pm: 4-3, SIU. Tatum hits a short jumper from the left baseline to take the lead back. So far this game is going at a fairly slow pace. To be quite honest, I wouldn’t want UNC to face either of these teams in a potential Sweet 16 matchup. This kind of defense and games pace is a serious weakness for the Tar Heels. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am EXTREMELY partial to the team in Chapel Hill.

4:15 pm: 9-3, SIU. Tony Young hits the three, and on the next possession Tatum hits a tough basket driving inside. Butler is not hitting their shots right now. They just shot an airball.

4:18 pm: 9-6, SIU. Pete Campbell hits Butler’s first three of the game. SIU has challenged the perimeter all game long, but Campbell has hit 58% from the arc in conference play.

I know Butler is in Indy, but what is a Butler student doing in the front row wearing a Colts Edgerrin James jersey? Insane.

4:21 pm: 12-9, SIU. Clemmons of the Salukis gets 3 the hard way, but then Mike Green gets 3 the easy way for Butler.

4:22 pm: 12-11, SIU. The bulldogs have played good defense, and it pays off with a turnover, and Willie Veasley gets an easy dunk to cut the lead to 1.

4:26 pm: 13-12, Butler. The Salukis’ defensive weakness might be inside penetration. They were too busy defending the perimeter, and Butler patiently waited for them to waver and got an easy dunk inside to take the lead.

4:29 pm: 17-15, SIU. The Salukis get two quick baskets, including a three, before Brian Ligon gets his second basket inside.

4:30 pm: 18-17, Butler. Brandon Crone gets a big 3-pointer off another nice A.J. Graves pass to give Butler the lead again.

4:35 pm: 22-18, SIU. Forward Matt Shaw give the Salukis the lead back with free throws, and then hits an open three on the next possession. I don’t think that there’s any player on either team who can;t shoot the three, which is an asset considering the defense in this game.

4:37 pm: 24-20, SIU. Crone somehow manages to tip in a miss by Green. He has to do it behind two SIU players. Ligon follows with an easy inside shot on the next possession to make it 24-22.

4:39 pm: 27-22, SIU. Tony Young hits another 3-pointer to extend the Saluki lead to five.

4:40 pm: Bizarre ad: Yup, that’s me.

4:45 pm: 27-23, SIU. Unbelievable. Falker tackled a guy and the Butler player got called for the foul. I can even hear the Butler fans chanting “BULL—-! BULL—-!”

4:47 pm: 27-25, SIU. This has been a great game so far. I love the hustle of these two teams. They’re fighting for the ball like Bruce Bruce and Rosie O’Donnell for the last slice of pizza backstage.

4:49 pm: 30-25, SIU. Jamaal Tatum hits another three pointer to end the half. Southern Illinois leads by five at halftime. Both of these teams are playing great defense, and the Salukis are right where they want to be. Butler needs to hit more of their perimeter shots to win in the second half.

4:59 pm: UPSET WATCH: Missouri 75, Okla. St. 64, Final; Alabama 67, Kentucky 61, 2nd half.

5:03 pm: During this game, I happened to wonder, what exactly is a Saluki? According to this article, a Saluki is a Sighthound, originally bred in Ancient Egypt that uses sight rather than smell to hunt. They are one of the more intelligent modern breeds of dogs.

5:08 pm: The Hinkle Fieldhouse has a plastic chainrope separating the fans from the court. Like that’s going to stop them from storming the court after a win.

5:09 pm: 30-27, SIU. Butler gets the first basket of the second half and cuts the lead to 3.

5:11 pm: 34-27, SIU. REJECTED! Falker emphatically blocks a Butler layup, and Shaw dunks on the other end. If you can believe that’s only the second basket in transition for both teams in the entire game, and the first for SIU.

5:13 pm: 37-29, SIU. Shaw hits his second three pointer of the game, and he has 5 points in the second half already. However, Falker is on the bench in foul trouble.

5:19 pm: 37-32, SIU. Campbell hits a three for the Bulldogs sprung by his own inbound pass. A great play, but but for some reason I’m fixated on a box behind Gary Lickliters head that says POP-CORN! I have no idea why.

5:20 pm: 39-32, SIU. Graves isn;t having a great game, but he makes a great defensive play, taking contact from Tatum, jarring the ball loose, saving it from going out of bounds and calling a timeout.

5:23 pm: 39-35, SIU. Graves’ effort is rewarded by another huge three-pointer by Campbell.

5:25 pm: 40-35, SIU. Butler is called for another foul, and again the fans are chanting “BULL—-! BULL—-!”

Now would be a good time to tell you that the refs are from the MVC, Southern Illinois’ league.

5:28 pm: 44-35, SIU. Tyrone Green hits a shot off an offensive rebound to extend the lead to 9, and then Butler turns the ball over. Believe it or not, that’s only their 4th turnover of the game.

Rick Majerus is an excellent commentator; he’s called this game extremely well. It’s too bad that his health is keeping him away from being a coach again. But you know what? I would pick him over Bruce Bruce and Rosie O’Donnell in the fight for the last slice of pizza. He’s craftier than they are.

5:34 pm: Falker and Tatum come back into the game. Can you believe that SIU has extended the lead in their absence?

5:36 pm: The clear-cut sign A.J. Graves is having a bad day: he is a 96% FT shooter and misses. Just as I say that, he hits his first shot of the game, a three. 45-38, SIU.

5:38 pm: 47-39, SIU. The Salukis get a basket inside, but Falker is back on the bench with his 4th foul.

5:43 pm: 48-45, SIU. Campbell hits two straight threes, the first thanks to great passes by Streicher and Graves. The Dawg Pound is absolutely loving it.

5:46 pm: 49-47, SIU. Each team gets a questionable foul call. Mike Green makes his free throws to cut the lead to 2.

5:49 pm: 50-48, SIU. Young gets his fourth foul, forcing Falker back into the game for the Salukis.

5:50 pm: 53-48, SIU. Mullins is double-teamed by the Bulldogs, leaving Matt Shaw open for the three.

5:51 pm: 53-50, SIU. Crone drives the lane and gets a nice shot inside, as the SIU defense doesn’t send help in the paint.

5:53 pm: 54-52, SIU. Butler drives inside again, and this time Mike Green gets the basket. Campbell comes back in the game for the Bulldogs.

5:55 pm: 58-52, SIU. Tatum likes to drive to the left, and he gets a two free throws and a nice fadeaway jumper with four minutes left.

5:58 pm: UPSET WATCH: Michigan 52, Indiana 51, 2nd half.

6:00 pm: 60-54, SIU. Butler ans Southern Illinois exchange free throws.

6:02 pm: Every time I hear the annonuncer says Falker’s name, it grabs my attention. Maybe it’s because his name sounds like something else.

6:03 pm: A.J. Graves fouls out of the game. The Salukis are doing a great job of drwing fouls.

6:05 pm: 63-57, SIU. I don’t think that a single field goal has been made in the last two minutes of playing time, or in the last 10 minutes of real time.

6:07 pm: 63-60, SIU. Butler plays great defense, and then do a great job of passing to get Crone an open look for three. It’s a one pssession game with a minute left.

6:10 pm: 65-60, SIU. Young hits two free throws.

6:11 pm: 65-62, SIU. Veasley is fouled and hits his free throws, but Green fouls Tatum in the inbound pass.

6:14 pm: 67-64, SIU. Tatum hit his free throws, and Butler draws a foul on the other end. Crone makes his free throws, and Southern Illinois is forced to call a timeout off the inbound pass, with 11.8 seconds left.

6:15 pm: 67-64, SIU. I don’t believe it. ESPN’s clock is obstructed by a cheerleader’s pom-poms. How is that even possible. This is supposed to be the World Wide Leader!

6:18 pm: Butler loses control of the ball, Southern Illinois takes the ball and allows the clock to run out. The Salukis win, 68-64. This was an excellent game, perhaps one of the best games this season so far. It certainly exceeded my expectations. Both of teams have proven that they belong as two of the best teams in the nation. Especially considering their style of play, I would be very concerned if UNC drew them in a potential Sweet 16 matchup. The Salukis in particular are an unexpectedly deep and fit team, and they would not get as tired during a game against the Tar Heels as most teams we have faced.

6:25 pm: UPSET WATCH: Michigan 58, Indiana 55, Final.

Live Blog: Virginia vs. Florida St.

1:19 pm: UVA 13, FSU 10. Just tuning in. I was expecting to blog the Florida-Vanderbilt game, but CBS decided to instead show Wake-Miami, the two worst teams in the ACC. Fortunately, this is on digital cable. When I first watched it was UVA leading 13-4, but Florida State hit two quick 3-pointers, the last by a suddenly hot Ralph Mims. Personally, I’m rooting for Florida State, because 1) it helps UNC toward an ACC Championship and 2) FSU is on the bubble and this would be a big win for their tournament resume.

1:26 pm: 13-12, UVA. Florida State gets its first layup of the game. Neither team has attacked the basket thus far, which is puzzling for these two teams considering their tendencies.

1:27 pm: 15-15. After JR Reynolds hits two free throws, Isaiah Swann hits another 3-pointer to tie the game. So far this game seems to be going pretty slow.

1:28 pm: 19-15, UVA. Singletary gets his first basket, a mid-range jumper, and Joseph follows to extend the lead to four.

1:29 pm: 19-18, UVA. Al Thornton is by far Florida State’s best player. So why hasn’t he touched the ball yet?

1:30 pm: 22-18, UVA. Singletaryt drives into the lane, FSU collapses on him, and then he kicks it out to the baseline and a wide open Adrian Joseph. UVA is finally attacking the lane, but there still haven’t been any points in the paint. The Seminoles aren’t even trying to get the ball inside; they’ve shot two airballs already, and the home crowd is loving it.

1:35 pm: This is the first time I’ve gotten the chance to see the Cavs’ new arena. It’s very nice, done in Jeffersonian architecture, but the crowd hasn’t been as loud as I expected so far. Soroye tips it in (the game’s first points in the paint) to make it 24-20, UVA.

1:37 pm: It’s bad enough that the Noles are just chucking up threes at this point. Their big problem is that they aren’t boxing out for rebounds on either side of the ball. This has to change if they want to win in a hostile environment, or more importantly, please the NCAA selection committee.

1:40 pm: Okay, it’s official: commercials have ceased to make sense.

1:42 pm: 26-26. Florida State hits two more quick threes, the second by Al Thornton to tie the game. The first half is almost over and this is the first I’ve heard of him.

1:43 pm: 28-26, UVA. Singletary is finally driving and it’s paying off. This time he gets a nice layup.

1:46 pm: 31-26, UVA. Joseph hits another three to extend the lead to five. I haven’t seen him miss a shot yet. Singletary hits a three of his own to make it 34-26 with less than a minute in the first half. FSU respects him in the lane, and therefore didn’t expect him to pull up.

1:50 pm: UVA leads 34-28 at halftime. The have not been attacked in the middle yet. If Florida State drives the lane consistently in the second half, I think it will catch them off guard. Both teams, especially the ‘Noles, have to defend the perimeter better in the second half in order to shut down their opponent.

2:07 pm: 36-30, UVA. Singletary and Swann exchange baskets to start the second half.

2:10 pm: 42-32, UVA. Sean Singletary hits two straight three pointers from nearly NBA range to extend UVA’s lead to 10. FSU hasn’t had an effective means of stopping him the entire day. Maybe the fact the the ‘Noles don;t have a real point guard doesn’t help.

2:13 pm: 44-32 UVA. The Cavs continue to dominate the offensive end on the second half as JR Reynolds dishes it to…some white guy with a long last name, who gets an easy basket inside.

2:15 pm: 44-37, UVA. Florida State hits their seventh three of the game, as Echefu is open at the baseline. They still haven’t tried the paint yet, and I have no idea why.

2:20 pm: 46-38, UVA. Reynolds gets his first basket of the second half, the rare mid-range jumpshot.

2:22 pm: 46-41, UVA. FSU continues to shoot the three. Swann hits another, but they’re 8 of 22 at this point.

2:23 pm: 46-43, UVA. Thornton finally gets an inside opportunity and takes advantage. Echefu goes to the line and suddenly the 12 point UVA lead has benn reduced to 1. More importantly, the life has been sucked out of the Cavalier crowd. When the going gets tough, good crowd are supposed to get louder, because the Cavs need their sixth man now more than ever. And they call UNC a wine and cheese crowd.

2:29 pm: 51-47, UVA. Singletary gets a tough basket off an offensive rebound, and then hits another three after a FSU basket to give UVA a four point lead.

2:32 pm: 54-51, UVA. There have been only 18 points in the paint today. If the Seminloes lose, it could be a big strike against them. Singletary hits another three, but FSU are finally getting some baskets inside.

2:34 pm: 57-53, UVA. Bizarre ad alert: God plays pinball with Earth as his giant board.

2:39 pm: 58-55, UVA. Jerel Allen hits a nice jumper to cut the lead to 3. I haven’t heard much of him today, but he has a sweet shot.

I stand corrected. Allen just threw up the kind of brick that breaks bulletproof glass.

2:40 pm: 61-57, UVA. Adrian Joseph is on fire, that’s all I can say right now.

2:43 pm: 61-58, UVA. Apparently I haven’t been paying attention. Al Thornton is having a career day, with 20+ points and 16 rebounds.

2:44 pm: 62-60, UVA. FSU steals the ball from Reynolds, and on the other end Thornton makes an unbelievable shot to cut the lead to two.

2:45 pm: 65-60, UVA. Joseph hits yet another three to bring the Cavs back to a two possession lead with less than four minutes left.

2:49 pm: Virginia is playing good defense right now, forcing bad shots and not letting Thornton get good looks.

Jason Cain gets what I think is his first basket of the game and UVA now leads by 7.

2:52 pm: Thornton comes very close to being injured as Cain almost takes his legs out. He hits his foul shots and it is now 67-62, UVA with 90 seconds left.

2:53 pm: Singletary does a good job of eating clock, letting the shot clock ruin down, shoot and get his own rebound, and a foul sends Reynolds to the line.

2:55 pm: 69-62, UVA. FSU takes a timeout, and I happened to see a clipboard on the FSU bench with a giant “PRINCETON” on it. watch out for a backdoor cut on this possession.

2:56 pm: But alas. The Seminoles chuck up another three, it goes begging, and UVA rebounds. It looks pretty much over for Florida State.

Thornton hits a three to reduce the lead to four, but it is likely too little, too late. Florida State can’t let a 25 point, 16 rebound performance by Thornton go by the wayside. The worst part? I barely noticed Thornton for most of the game.

3:01 pm: UPSET WATCH: Vandy 76, #1 Florida 63, 2nd half.

3:03 pm: Thornton hits a three at the buzzer, but Virginia wins, 73-70. The Cavs improve to 9-3 in the ACC, while the Seminoles fall to 5-8 after three straight tough losses. Their final three conference games are all winnable; they must win those remaining games and 1 ACC tournament game, in my mind, to guarantee an at-large NCAA bid.

3:21 pm: UPSET WATCH: Vandy 83, Florida 70, Final.