No. 20 Salukis ready for 'Bows
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
CARBONDALE, Ill. — For now, this is a quiet little town.
It should change dramatically tonight when the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team plays No. 20-ranked Southern Illinois in the marquee game of ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday.
"This place seems real friendly," UH senior guard Michael Kuebler said after last night's practice in the SIU Arena. "But we all know what's coming."
For anybody who didn't know, there are signs everywhere. The most prominent is the one proclaiming: "SIU vs. Hawai'i — Game Sold Out."
All remaining tickets were purchased yesterday, and 10,000 raucous SIU fans are expected to fill the arena tonight, even though the game will tip-off at 11 p.m. (7 p.m. Hawai'i time) to accommodate the ESPN broadcast.
"I'm a little surprised it sold out, actually," SIU head coach Matt Painter said. "The fact that we can get 10,000 fans in here to watch a game that's probably going to finish after 1 in the morning says a lot about both our program and Hawai'i's."
The Salukis are having one of the greatest seasons in the program's history.
They are 21-2 and on a 13-game winning streak. They have clinched the regular-season championship of the Missouri Valley Conference at 15-0.
As Painter put it: "Basketball is king right now at Southern Illinois. We are the main attraction."
That, combined with the late start and the marquee match-up with Hawai'i, apparently has SIU officials concerned. Painter appeared in an ad in the SIU student newspaper yesterday, asking the fans to "show sportsmanship" tonight.
Hawai'i is 17-6 overall and tied for second place in the Western Athletic Conference at 9-4.
After a disappointing 74-57 conference loss at Boise State on Wednesday, the 'Bows made the long journey to Carbondale on Thursday. After a four-hour flight to St. Louis, the team boarded a bus for another two-hour drive through the farmlands of Illinois before reaching their destination.
"It kind of reminded me of the movie Hoosiers," senior co-captain Phil Martin said. "There wasn't much to look at, but we knew we were coming in for a big game."
In almost Hoosiers-like fashion, simple signs like "Go Salukis" and "Beat Hawaii" were posted all along the roads.
However, the 'Bows are aware that there is nothing small-time about the Salukis. Before yesterday's two-hour practice, the UH players and coaches reviewed video of SIU for nearly one hour.
"They're very much legit," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said.
In the absence of starting center Haim Shimonovich — who is still in Hawai'i nursing a sprained right knee — and because of the Salukis' athleticism, the 'Bows worked on several new schemes yesterday.
"We may try to change things up," Wallace said. "I wouldn't feel as apprehensive if Haim were here in that middle. But he's not, so we may have to do some different things defensively, maybe show some zone here and there."
In any case, it was a spirited practice that started off with a dunking exhibition and ended with the 'Bows asking the Salukis for 15 extra minutes of court time (which the SIU coaches granted).
"We're more fired up than we were for that Boise game," Martin said. "I don't know if it's because we're going to be on national TV or because we're playing a Top 25 team, but we're up for this challenge."
More Kuebler honors: UH senior guard Michael Kuebler was named to the Academic All-District 8 first team yesterday.
Kuebler has a 3.67 grade point average with a major in business administration. As an all-district selection, he is now eligible for Academic All-America honors.
Tooth talk: Sophomore forward Julian Sensley said the area where he had a tooth removed on Wednesday was still hurting yesterday. On the day of the Boise State game, he had a lower right molar removed.
"It's still bothering me, but not like before," he said. "I'm ready (to play)."
Hawai'i section: Thanks to a midwest connection, the 'Bows will have at least 80 fans in attendance for tonight's game.
Head coach Riley Wallace was raised in Jerseyville, Ill. — which is about a three-hour drive from Carbondale. At least 40 of his friends and relatives are expected to attend the game.
Reserve guards Jake Sottos and Jason Carter are also expecting to have about a dozen family members each in the stands. Sottos is from Monmouth, Ill.; Carter is from Gary, Ind. Several other boosters from the Mainland are expected to attend.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
