ST. LOUIS — I’m channeling my inner Kevin Garnett, because anything is possible.
And the SIU men’s basketball team hopes the Gateway to the West is the gateway to a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship.
The Salukis, as well as the six remaining seeds, enter what could be the most wide-open Valley tourney anyone has seen in a long time. What was once considered not too long ago as the renaissance mid-major conference was filled with parity during the 2008-09 season where on any given day any team could beat another.
Perennial cellar-dweller Indiana State beat an Illinois State team that features the conference’s preseason player of the year (Osiris Eldridge), the conference’s best newcomer (Champ Oguchi) and one of the nation’s up-and-coming coaching prospects.
Did I mention the Sycamores beat them – twice?
After losing its first conference game to the professional giant slayers of Indiana State, MVC co-champs Northern Iowa won 11 straight games to take the Valley by storm. But the Panthers stumbled down the stretch losing three of their last five games, placing them squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
A bubble that could be easily popped by a hot-shooting team that has a little bit of luck on its side.
And that’s what the Salukis will need at the Scottrade Center: a little bit of luck.
The talent is there, even if I am not wearing maroon-tinted glasses.
Freshman of the Year Kevin Dillard led the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game overall, and 13.9 points per game against MVC foes. Take away the clunkers in which he failed to reach double figures and his average jumps to 16.9 points per game.
Dillard has enough offensive firepower to carry his teammates through a scoring drought. But he should not be alone in handling that burden because again, there is talent to be had.
Sophomore guard Justin Bocot scored 28 points in a win at Missouri State. Forward Carlton Fay scored 17 points against Duke, one of the nation’s best defenses. Anthony Booker posted his first double-double on Feb. 18, an 18-point 11-rebound performance in a 78-72 loss against Indiana State. Tony Boyle has two 20-point performances under his belt this season, including a 20-10 game on Senior Night, which proved how badly he does not want to end a sour season on a sad note.
On the bench, behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses is Chris Lowery, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year recipient.
Despite a season of shortcomings, Saluki fans should feel a little more confident heading into St. Louis with the team on a two-game win streak against a beatable Bradley Braves squad.
Because even though anything is possible ... a wise man once told me not everything is probable.
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