Jack Piatt
Daily Egyptian
After the mess the decision on exempt tournaments left, the SIU men's basketball team is slowly piecing together next season's schedule.
The now-exempt tournaments allowed the Salukis to play extra games last season and compete against high profile conference schools. A federal judge in Ohio decided against extending the tournaments another year, leaving huge gaps in team schedules across the nation.
The phones have been ringing nonstop since the decision as SIU basketball coaches work to complete the upcoming season's non-conference schedule.
SIU basketball assistant coach Rodney Watson said the team has one more slot to fill and the non-conference schedule will be complete.
Once the non-conference schedule is finished, the task of completing the conference schedule is passed on to the Missouri Valley Conference.
"Very few conferences will wait until non-conference scheduling is finished to begin conference scheduling," Watson said. "Most conferences make you schedule around conference games, so it is a great benefit to this program."
SIU also benefits from owning the SIU Arena, which helps in scheduling conflicts. Teams such as Creighton, Evansville and Bradley do not own their facilities, putting them at the mercy of the scheduling of others.
All the non-conference games will not be given the final nod until the last game is scheduled. According to SIU basketball head coach Bruce Weber earlier this summer, the Salukis are slated to play eight non-conference games this season.
Among the teams scheduled to play SIU this season is Cal-State Northridge, which finally agreed to come to Carbondale Dec. 22 to honor a home-for-home contract signed last year.
The Salukis will also meet Saint Louis University, Southeast Missouri State, Murray State, Colorado State, George Mason University and the University of Illinois-Chicago.
"The toughest non-conference games this season will most likely be against Saint Louis, Colorado State and UIC," said star guard Kent Williams.
The final non-conference game will be in February on ESPN's Bracket Buster event. ESPN has created a nine-game event that will give mid-major teams the opportunity to play against other high profile teams at the mid-major level. Teams such as Gonzaga, Western Kentucky, Kent State and Marshall will be included in the field.
ESPN has guaranteed SIU a home game, giving the Salukis a good chance for exposure toward the end of the season.
Watson said the team has to look at the Bracket Buster event as a great opportunity, and winning the game will give the NCAA committee one more reason why SIU should be in the NCAA Tournament.
"The Bracket Buster event brings risk and opportunity," Watson said. "With the team we have coming back, the opportunity far outweighs the risk."
Reporter Jack Piatt can be reached at jpiatt@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
