ESPN announcers framing this as a huge upset. Wrong. SIU entered with 4 wins over ranked teams and played in the toughest FCS league in the country. This is not an upset. Salukis expected to win, and did.
James (Bucky) Dent
73.6K posts
James (Bucky) Dent
@writingump
Full-time freelance sportswriter, covering mostly SIU sports. Umpire, jack of some trades and awesomely sarcastic according to a friend.
Johnston City, IL
Joined March 2014
- Murphysboro was termed inferior competition for Bishop McNamara by the Kankakee paper. That inferior competition will travel to Effingham next Saturday for a Class 4A semifinal.
- NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth just heaped praise on Nashville product Royce Newman, a rookie who's become a fixture in the Packers' O-line. Says Newman is a guy who doesn't get enough credit. Lauded him for his drive-blocking.
- So it's OK to make Southern Illinois athletes, coaches and fans drive 6-plus hours to DeKalb every other year for the state football finals but it's not OK to hold one state championship south of Charleston? Just wondering ...The IHSA's decision to keep Carlyle as the host of the state finals for bass fishing has not gone over well in some quarters. “I guarantee quite a few schools will be pulling out of IHSA bass fishing,” Batavia coach Brian Drendel said. buff.ly/35TAPre
- SIU wins 61-60. What a celebration below me. Salukis get it done in Stillwater.
- Kind of hoping Texas Tech makes the Final Four just so I can see what a neck tattoo of Gate City looks like.
- Abby Brockmeyer of SIU is the MVC Player of the Year, as she should have been. First time a Saluki has won the honor since Amy Rakers in 1990.
- Nashville's Royce Newman has just been selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round with the 142nd overall pick. Newman, an offensive tackle, ceded just 3 sacks in 859 career snaps at Ole Miss.
- Troy D'Amico blocked a shot but got called for a T after the ball went out of bounds with 10.9 seconds left. Antinio Petty apparently thinks everyone came to Banterra Center to watch him make critical calls. That in no way should have been a T.
- The Bryce Bultman show continues. The 6-5 guard just went end to end with a missed shot for a layup and his 20th point with 4:43 left in the third period, giving Nashville a 35-16 lead over West Frankfort. Division II McKendree is getting a polished player next year.
- Illinois State coach Ryan Pedon on Monday's MVC Zoom call when asked about Xavier Johnson: "I don't think he's getting enough credit nationally for the type of season he's having. He's having an All-American type of season."
- Elizabeth Warwick is that woman. Grand slam in the bottom of the 7th. SIU 4, Illinois State 2. Salukis play for the MVC title at 1:05 tomorrow.
- Start the Maddia Groff hype train now. The SIU freshman just tossed a perfect game in San Marcos, TX in a 3-0 season-opening win over Creighton. 8 strikeouts. Oh, and Jackie Lis homered, too. Salukis play UTSA at 2:30.
- I have some personal news to announce: I have been hired by @thesouthern to cover prep sports and the Miners. So I'm on the same team as @LesWinkeler and @THefferman. Hope they can carry this "rookie." First day is July 30.
