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SIU men to face Div. II school at 2K Sports Classic

By Todd Hefferman, The Southern

Friday, October 3, 2008 1:32 PM CDT

CARBONDALE - In an odd twist, Southern Illinois University's men's basketball team might have to beat a portion of the defending 2K Sports Classic champions to reach the tournament semifinals.

The Salukis drew Div. II California University of Pennsylvania in its semifinal of the four-team Carbondale Regional Thursday, as the tournament field was announced. SIU and the Vulcans square off at 7:30 Tuesday, Nov. 11, at SIU Arena.

Arkansas-Monticello, a Div. II school out of the Gulf South Conference, plays Massachusetts in the other semifinal. UMass' new coach, 35-year-old Derek Kellogg, spent the last eight years as an assistant at Memphis, which won last year's 2K Classic over Connecticut, 81-70.

"UMass is a great opponent, simply because they got second in the NIT and have several players back," SIU coach Chris Lowery said. "They have a good young coach in Derek Kellogg, so it's exciting. They've had a lot of history. They've been to the Final Four in the past, so it's a great, great team to have come in here."

UMass finished 25-11 overall last season. The Minutemen were 10-6 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and made it all the way to the finals of the NIT, where they lost to Ohio State. Kellogg could return five players that started at least one game last season and four of the team's top seven scorers.

UMass and the Boll Weevils of Arkansas-Monticello square off at 5 p.m. Nov. 11 at SIU Arena. The winners of the two games will meet Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. for a trip to Madison Square Garden in New York City against the winner of the Durham (N.C.) Regional. The two semifinal losers of the Carbondale Regional will play at 3:30 Nov. 12.

For tickets to the Carbondale Regional, contact the SIU ticket office at 453-2000 or stop by the office at SIU Arena between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Single-game tickets can also be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (866) 646-8849 or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet.

Duke, which finished 28-6 last season and was ranked as the No. 4 team in the country in Lindy's preseason magazine, hosts the Durham Regional. UCLA and Michigan are the other host schools in the tournament. UCLA finished 35-4 and reached the Final Four for the third straight year last year. Michigan finished 10-22 and 5-13 in the Big Ten Conference.

The 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer resumes in New York City Nov. 20 and 21st at Madison Square Garden. The two semifinals Nov. 20 will both air on ESPN2 at 6 and 8 p.m., with the finals on the same network Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.

Three of the last seven NCAA tournament champs have begun their seasons in the 2K Sports Classic.

SIU finished 18-15 last season, reaching the second round of the NIT, and return three players that started at least one game last season. Point guard Bryan Mullins was the Missouri Valley Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and is one of five returning lettermen.

The Salukis signed six newcomers along with redshirt freshman center Nick Evans and walk-on Brandon Allen, which make up what Lowery has called one of the best recruiting classes in school history.

Prior to the 2K Sports Classic, SIU is set to host Div. II Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist in exhibitions.

Lowery said the Salukis will continue to search for one more home game to make up for California (Pa.) moving into its pod for the tournament. That could be a tough sell, considering SIU went 13-3 at home last season and the Salukis had the best home-court winning percentage in the country since 2001 entering the 2007-08 season.

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087