Southern Illinois fans can't get too excited about the NIT—not after six straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. With three starters back from a Sweet 16 team, they did not expect to watch the Salukis play in the NIT this season.
Those expectations turned out to be too high. SIU was overmatched early by a tough schedule and never recovered from a rough start. SIU couldn't close out close games, couldn't score and never put together a consistent stretch of good basketball.
SIU showed its potential in the NIT. The Salukis, without point guard Bryan Mullins, handled Oklahoma State 69-53 in the first game. With Mullins still out, Arizona State was too much in the next round. ...
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