Projected Starters
SIU Salukis PPG RPG MPG
0 F Mamadou Seck (6-7, 220, Sr.) 12.9 7.7 30.6
35 G Treg Setty (6-9, 200, Fr.) 4.5 2.6 16.4
15 F Dantiel Daniels (6-6, 225, Fr.) 8.9 4.9 24.6
2 G Kendal Brown-Surles (5-10, 170, Jr.) 8.0 2.3 25.5
23 G Justin Bocot (6-4, 170, Sr.) 5.1 1.4 16.7
Key Reserves
22 G Jeff Early (6-3, 185, Jr.) 8.4 3.6 21.7
12 G T.J. Lindsay (6-3, 175, Jr.) 7.4 2.3 22.0
24 G Diamond Taylor (6-4, 170, So.) 4.6 1.4 14.0
34 C Harry Whitt (6-11, 220, Fr.) 1.8 1.1 7.3
11 G Kourtney Goff (6-0, 180, Jr.) 1.5 1.0 15.3
Drake Bulldogs PPG RPG MPG
1 F Jordan Clarke (6-8, 254, Jr.) 6.4 6.8 23.6
2 F Aaron Hawley (6-8, 197, Jr.) 7.1 2.6 21.6
10 F Jeremy Jeffers (6-6, 213, Fr.) 6.6 2.7 24.6
11 G Karl Madison (5-10, 182, Fr.) 5.1 1.6 24.1
24 G Rayvonte Rice (6-4, 240, So.) 16.4 5.6 33.3
Key Reserves
3 G Kurt Alexander (6-0, 193, Sr.) 8.1 2.0 18.4
22 F Kraidon Woods (6-9, 225, Sr.) 3.5 4.3 16.8
25 G David Smith (6-4, 208, So.) 0.9 1.2 8.9
4 G Judd Welfringer (6-5, 201, Fr.) 1.7 1.9 13.3
- SIU senior forward Mamadou Seck can only do so much.
Seck, the Salukis' leading scorer and rebounder entering tonight's 7:05 p.m. game at Drake, comes off a career-high 26-point performance at Ball State Saturday. Frontcourt mate Dantiel Daniels played a pretty good second fiddle, scoring 11 points to go with four rebounds, a block and two steals, but if SIU is to end its four-game skid, it needs more help out front, according to coach Chris Lowery.
With two regular-season games remaining, including tonight's game at the Knapp Center, the Salukis are still in search of a double-figure scoring guard, not to mention a better effort, defensively, at what is the first line of a system that brought SIU six straight NCAA tournaments between 2002-07.
"We're playing hard enough and in the guts of certain games, we've played very hard. It's to maintain a level of consistency, and that's one thing you can't teach," Lowery said. "Mamadou has been great and his leadership has been great. We need another person, and that's what we've needed all along another person with him because leadership is not a one-person thing, it's an everybody thing. Everybody can be a leader at some point during the game and everybody can lead at some point during the season.
"And he's been the only one, whether it's by example or by talking or by being in the right position at the right time and being a good person."
SIU (8-20, 5-11 Missouri Valley Conference) lost 71-62 at Ball State Saturday to tie the school record for losses in a single season. A loss tonight will break the record shared by SIU's 1980-81 squad, which went 0-16 in the league and 7-20 overall, and the 1985-86 team that finished 8-20. The Salukis finish the regular season Saturday against Northern Iowa (17-12, 7-9 MVC).
The Salukis' top-three scoring guards were outscored 46-20 by the Cardinals' top three Saturday. Kendal Brown-Surles made 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line in the first half for nine points but finished with 12. Jeff Early, a former starter, scored five points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench. T.J. Lindsay, another former starter who came off the bench, made 1-of-4 from the field and scored three points in 14 minutes.
Fifth-year senior Justin Bocot made 1-of-5 from the field in his first start since the Diamond Head Classic. Bocot was part of Lowery's 14th different starting lineup of the season.
Drake (15-13, 8-8 MVC) hopes to return to its original starting lineup with the return of junior forward Ben Simons. Simons has missed the last five games with mononucleosis, but might be cleared to play tonight, Bulldog coach Mark Phelps said Tuesday during the league coaches teleconference. Simons was evaluated by Drake's athletic training staff Sunday, worked out on his own Monday, and was expected to be re-evaluated Tuesday.
SIU Salukis PPG RPG MPG
0 F Mamadou Seck (6-7, 220, Sr.) 12.9 7.7 30.6
35 G Treg Setty (6-9, 200, Fr.) 4.5 2.6 16.4
15 F Dantiel Daniels (6-6, 225, Fr.) 8.9 4.9 24.6
2 G Kendal Brown-Surles (5-10, 170, Jr.) 8.0 2.3 25.5
23 G Justin Bocot (6-4, 170, Sr.) 5.1 1.4 16.7
Key Reserves
22 G Jeff Early (6-3, 185, Jr.) 8.4 3.6 21.7
12 G T.J. Lindsay (6-3, 175, Jr.) 7.4 2.3 22.0
24 G Diamond Taylor (6-4, 170, So.) 4.6 1.4 14.0
34 C Harry Whitt (6-11, 220, Fr.) 1.8 1.1 7.3
11 G Kourtney Goff (6-0, 180, Jr.) 1.5 1.0 15.3
Drake Bulldogs PPG RPG MPG
1 F Jordan Clarke (6-8, 254, Jr.) 6.4 6.8 23.6
2 F Aaron Hawley (6-8, 197, Jr.) 7.1 2.6 21.6
10 F Jeremy Jeffers (6-6, 213, Fr.) 6.6 2.7 24.6
11 G Karl Madison (5-10, 182, Fr.) 5.1 1.6 24.1
24 G Rayvonte Rice (6-4, 240, So.) 16.4 5.6 33.3
Key Reserves
3 G Kurt Alexander (6-0, 193, Sr.) 8.1 2.0 18.4
22 F Kraidon Woods (6-9, 225, Sr.) 3.5 4.3 16.8
25 G David Smith (6-4, 208, So.) 0.9 1.2 8.9
4 G Judd Welfringer (6-5, 201, Fr.) 1.7 1.9 13.3
- SIU senior forward Mamadou Seck can only do so much.
Seck, the Salukis' leading scorer and rebounder entering tonight's 7:05 p.m. game at Drake, comes off a career-high 26-point performance at Ball State Saturday. Frontcourt mate Dantiel Daniels played a pretty good second fiddle, scoring 11 points to go with four rebounds, a block and two steals, but if SIU is to end its four-game skid, it needs more help out front, according to coach Chris Lowery.
With two regular-season games remaining, including tonight's game at the Knapp Center, the Salukis are still in search of a double-figure scoring guard, not to mention a better effort, defensively, at what is the first line of a system that brought SIU six straight NCAA tournaments between 2002-07.
"We're playing hard enough and in the guts of certain games, we've played very hard. It's to maintain a level of consistency, and that's one thing you can't teach," Lowery said. "Mamadou has been great and his leadership has been great. We need another person, and that's what we've needed all along another person with him because leadership is not a one-person thing, it's an everybody thing. Everybody can be a leader at some point during the game and everybody can lead at some point during the season.
"And he's been the only one, whether it's by example or by talking or by being in the right position at the right time and being a good person."
SIU (8-20, 5-11 Missouri Valley Conference) lost 71-62 at Ball State Saturday to tie the school record for losses in a single season. A loss tonight will break the record shared by SIU's 1980-81 squad, which went 0-16 in the league and 7-20 overall, and the 1985-86 team that finished 8-20. The Salukis finish the regular season Saturday against Northern Iowa (17-12, 7-9 MVC).
The Salukis' top-three scoring guards were outscored 46-20 by the Cardinals' top three Saturday. Kendal Brown-Surles made 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line in the first half for nine points but finished with 12. Jeff Early, a former starter, scored five points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench. T.J. Lindsay, another former starter who came off the bench, made 1-of-4 from the field and scored three points in 14 minutes.
Fifth-year senior Justin Bocot made 1-of-5 from the field in his first start since the Diamond Head Classic. Bocot was part of Lowery's 14th different starting lineup of the season.
Drake (15-13, 8-8 MVC) hopes to return to its original starting lineup with the return of junior forward Ben Simons. Simons has missed the last five games with mononucleosis, but might be cleared to play tonight, Bulldog coach Mark Phelps said Tuesday during the league coaches teleconference. Simons was evaluated by Drake's athletic training staff Sunday, worked out on his own Monday, and was expected to be re-evaluated Tuesday.
