Gameday Pick ‘em #17: Southern Illinois (7-9; 2-3)

The Pundits

“Bluejays say flying united is best route” (OWH)
“Southern might be down but not out” (OWH)
“Dawgs hope the worst part is over” (The Southern)
“Guards lead way into Omaha” (The Southern)

The Picks

There are a few sure-fire ways to get any die-hard Jays fan riled up. Many of those tactics involve muttering the names of recent Southern Illinois Saluki players. From February 2002, when Mike Sanzere blew a whistle (and the call) on Super Bowl Sunday at the Civic Auditorium, until last February at the Phone Booth, Creighton has gone 5-12 against SIU (including 8 straight from February 2004 to March 2007). Granted, the Jays have seemingly won when it mattered most — 3 of those 5 wins were for championships at Arch Madness — but that doesn’t change the fact that for the better part of a decade the Salukis have had Dana Altman and his team’s number.

Did things change last season? While CU dropped a 4-point game in Carbondale (after posting a double digit lead in the second half), P’Allen Stinnett and the boys railed SIU during a “White Out” game last February. It left Jays fans with many lasting images, including the following two highlights from Stinnett and a Phantom Flipping Off of the officials by head Dawg Chris Lowery.

P'Allen vs. the Salukis, #1



P'Allen vs. the Salukis, #2

The names Kent Williams, Jermaine Dearman, Darren Brooks, Brad Korn, Stetson Hairston, Jamaal Tatum, Tony Young, Randal Falker, Matt Shaw, and Mullins are enough to make a CU fan want to vomit. And while Mullins is still around, C-Lo’s team is relatively unknown to the majority of the 15,000-plus Jays fans that will brave chilly temperatures tonight and venture to the Qwest Center for arguably the most popular home game of the Bluejays season each and every year.

The Salukis are really young, save for familiar faces Mullins, Tony Boyle, and Wesley Clemmons. So are we; only one player (Josh Dotzler) has played more than two games against SIU in his career. These players are new to the rivalry, as well, and would like to capitalize on the solid performance registered in the last game against SIU.

The names may have changed, and the position of these two teams in the standings might not be the same as in past showdowns, but those facts mean nothing today. It is SIU Gameday, and you can bet players and fans have a little extra pep in their step as they wait through the day for tonight’s big game.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (12)
Dance Cam Guy: Kenny Lawson (20)
Panon: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Witter (20)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Antoine Young (15)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 4
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8
Panon: Jays by 10
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 7
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 12