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."

SIUC, Illini hoops series 'probably' will happen

A game between the SIU and Illinois men's basketball teams is in the works.

SIU head coach Chris Lowery and Illinois head coach Bruce Weber are in discussions about a future game that would bring their teams to Chicago's United Center.

"It's probably going to happen," said Lowery, who was in the middle of practice and couldn't elaborate.

Specific dates and details have not yet been finalized.

The Windy City matchup would be part of a two-for-one deal with a game in Champaign and Chicago before the Fighting Illini make their way to the SIU Arena.

"They have a great following up here," Weber told the Champaign News-Gazette. "It might make a difference of 4,000 or 5,000 people. And then they'd get their game in Carbondale."

Weber coached SIU from 1998 to 2003, leading the Salukis to two straight NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen run in 2002.

He is now in his second season at Illinois where he has gotten the Fighting Illini off to a 9-0 start, and presides over just the third Illinois basketball team to be ranked No. 1, and likely the first to hold that spot for longer than one week when the new rankings come out today.

Lowery served as an assistant under Weber for two seasons at SIU and last season at Illinois before taking over the reins of the program.

Lowery has a 5-2 record through the first seven games of his head coaching career, including a Las Vegas Invitational championship, the first non-conference tournament title since 1991.

Lowery played an integral role when former Saluki head coach Matt Painter and Weber attempted to schedule a SIU/Illinois game last season.

Illinois would be the first big name opponent to visit the SIU Arena since Indiana in 2001.

In that Dec. 1 game, the Salukis shocked the basketball world and maybe even themselves with a 72-60 victory against the Hoosier team that would eventually advance to the NCAA Tournament Championship.