Shaw questionable for SIU today

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Shaw for SIU questionable today

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Shaw misses practice; questionable for today's matchup


COLUMBUS, Ohio -Prior to Friday's game against Holy Cross, Chris Lowery had one vital message which he wrote down for his team to see: stay together.

Even Lowery had no idea how important that message would prove to be.


During the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team needed more of a team effort than ever before. When Matt Shaw got injured just before halftime, the Salukis needed

But, in Lowery's words, the Salukis stayed together.

"For these kids to do that, stay together, and really have a kid play a whole second half without being in foul trouble, executing on both sides of the ball the right way like Tony Boyle did today, that was phenomenal,"

Lowery said following Friday's game.

Now, the Salukis may need to do it again.

After suffering a high ankle sprain just as the halftime buzzer sounded on Friday, Shaw is questionable for today's game against Virginia Tech. And considering Shaw to be questionable is about the best-case scenario.

On Saturday, Shaw did not practice and said his ankle was still sore, but that he was hoping to play today. Lowery, meanwhile, said Shaw would be evaluated again today prior to the game, but certainly didn't sound optimistic about the chances of Shaw being on the floor for tipoff.

"If we had to play (Saturday), he probably wouldn't play. He needs more time," Lowery said. "So right now, we're just going to kind of see how he does and judge that (today).

"(Today), when we play, we'll go forward and act like he wasn't there and I think that's the best thing to do. He's going to be the biggest cheerleader on the bench and our kids will continue to play hard."

That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of Shaw's condition, although the junior forward was slightly more optimistic.

"There is nothing I want more than to play in the game," Shaw said. "I am doing everything I can to play in it."

If Shaw is not able to play today, Boyle would likely earn the starting nod.

That would leave Jamaal Foster as the only forward with much playing experience off the bench for the Salukis -although they may not even turn to Foster for much help.

Virginia Tech has more size than the Salukis, but still generate most of their offense from the perimeter and by slashing into the lane. Without many true post-up players to guard against, Lowery said it's likely the Salukis would spend time in a four-guard set, with Wesley Clemmons, Tyrone Green and Josh Bone all candidates to guard some of Tech's forwards.

If Shaw can't go, it would also be the first time this year that SIU has been without one of its starters due to injury. After Jamaal Tatum missed the season opener while serving a suspension, the Salukis have used the same starting lineup for the past 33 games.

The only significant injuries to SIU came in the preseason, a Bone suffered a broken foot and Christian Cornelius tore an anterior cruciate ligament.

Cornelius has missed the entire season, while Bone sat out 15 of SIU's first 16 games.

Outside of Bone, however, the nine other players in SIU's rotation this year have missed zero games because of injury or sickness.

"Obviously, it's always great when you can go through a whole season without losing a player," SIU point guard Bryan Mullins said. "For the most part, we've been pretty healthy."

But even f that string of good health and good fortune ends today, and Shaw is not able to play, the Salukis still have plenty of confidence in their ability to survive and advance in the tournament -and in their ability to stay together.

"We're going to see what Matt feels like," Mullins said. "We're still going to go out there and other guys will step up.

"Every time someone's had a bad game this year, when we needed someone to step up, body has. So we're looking forward to seeing who's going to step up