The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

A few things to watch

It is a period of mass fan apathy. Saluki players, hitting a few baskets occasionally, have managed to secure a few victories against the evil Valley Empire.

During the last season, SIU spies managed to steal the secret plans for the Valley tournament, something they have been excluded from during the 21st century and an entity powerful enough vault to a team to the NCAA tournament.

Pursued by the Valley's sinister agents, Paul Kowalczyk races home aboard his starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save his women's basketball team and restore winning to women's basketball.

It would have been nice if the above text could have scrolled semi-horizontally away from you, something Star Wars nerds who are reading would have understood, but what can you do? The important thing is the aura of hope surrounding women's basketball this season.

Luke Skywalker, I mean Dana Eikenberg, has brought hope to a program on life support and under the masterhood of the Missouri Valley Conference. From her unbelievable contacts, her previous record and the five transfers, there is much reason for optimism.

But there is also a chance Eikenberg, like Luke, may be tempted by the dark side of basketball that is complacency and losing.

No one really knows which Luke Skywalker Eikenberg will be - the one from The Empire Strikes Back who had his hand cut off and frustrates Yoda with his lack of faith, or the one from Return of the Jedi who resists the Emperor, saves his father, restores balance to the Force and stops kissing his sister.

Luckily, there are ways of telling early so that no one is forced to sit through a bad movie like the one featuring the heresy that was Jar Jar Binks.

Here a few things to watch this Sunday:

Offensive logic

For Eikenberg to conquer the losing tradition she has to avoid the main trait of Han Solo in Episode IV - selfishness. If you see the point guard mindlessly throw up a shot with 25 seconds on the shot clock, one can expect a ton of losing.

Also, watch the players when they don't have the ball. If they are just standing around, there will be no turnaround. And if this is going to be a winning team, you will not see the team it mindless turnovers and shrug it off like it isn't important.

Defensive tenacity

This is how the men have won here for so long, with hard-nosed, physical defense. If Eikenberg is as good as she seems to be, the SIU players should also have better footwork and defensive fundamentals.

Remember, Luke faced that flying zapper thing long before he confronted Darth Vader.

Defensive fundamentals were the approach Jerry Kill took with the football team, and it has produced the best defense in Division I-AA. Once Kill was hired the team suddenly learned how to tackle, among other things.

Once they grabbed a guy he was finished, and look for the same type of thing from women's basketball.

Energy

Last year, women's basketball seemed to come into every game knowing they were going to lose. It just seemed to be expected and there was little sense of urgency.

SIU will lose games this year, and like Vader's said about his death at the end of Jedi, nothing on Earth can help that.

But look to see how it loses. If players are panting and sweating up a storm down by 30 points, help is on the way and the program is going in a positive direction.

If a team gives up, especially early, it has already accepted the culture of losing that has plagued sorry franchises like the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Clippers.

For a team with a winning attitude, every single loss hurts, and the way the team responds to losses this year will forecast how the team will do the next 10 years. May the Force be with them, always.