CARBONDALE, Ill.
One month ago, Southern Illinois lost at home to a one-win Southern Illinois-Edwardsville team, which is a little like Wichita State losing to the Hughes Metropolitan Complex. SIU won six straight after that disappointment to coax a sellout crowd to SIU Arena for a progress-check against the Shockers.
Wrong opponent to sell skeptics on the rebirth of Salukis basketball.
Wichita State controlled the game, slicing through an unorganized SIU defense for a multitude of open shots on its way to an 83-58 win on Saturday. A strength of schedule ranked No. 292 nationally did not prepare SIU for WSU’s blend of talent, size and skill.