Southern Illinois Salukis

From Hoopedia

Southern Illinois University (SIU) is located in Carbondale, Illinois. It ahs an undergraduate enrollment of 20,000 students.

Southern Illinois basketball teams are called Salukis, and the team colors are maroon and black. Salukis are the oldest pure-breed dogs in the world with records dating back to 3600 B.C. In ancient Egypt they wree known for their speed and hunting skills.

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball team has made six consecutive NCAA Basketball tournament appearances (2002-2007). Only 16 College basketball teams in the nation hold this distinction. The Saluki men's basketball team garnered national attention for the school by advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in 2002. The next two years, the team was eliminated in the NCAA Tournament first round, each time by one point.

In the aftermath of each loss, the incumbent basketball coach left for a Big Ten school. Bruce Weber left to take the head coaching job at Illinois in 2003; Matt Painter left to become the top assistant and designated successor to Gene Keady at Purdue the following year.

Part of the SIU Saluki men's basketball team's 2003 season was chronicled in MTV's True Life: I Am A College Baller.

Chris Lowery is the current coach of the Salukis and led the team to the NCAA tournament every year since 2004. Lowery has also been the youngest head coach in the tournament in each appearance. In 2006-2007 year, the Salukis reached their highest position in the AP Coaches Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Poll with a position of #11. SIU dropped to #14 prior to entering the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid.

In the 2007 NCAA tournament, the Salukis (seeded #4 in the West region) decisively beat Holy Cross in the first round, 61-51. The Salukis then whipped Virginia Tech, a five seed, 63-48 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.