SLU-SIUC (personal memories)

One of the days that I always look forward to on the SLU schedule is when we take on Southern Illinois.
It has been a great regional game for so many years. The games have been competitive for the most part and the fans from both sides really get into the action as you might expect.
What I've really enjoyed about our rivalry with the Salukis has been the relationships and friendships that I have been able to develop with the coaches over the years.
From head coaches Rich Herrin, Bruce Weber, Matt Painter and current coach Chris Lowery have all been good friends over the years as have assistant coaches such as Ron Smith (now at Iowa State), Rodney Watson (head coach at Southern Illinois), Paul Lusk (assistant at Purdue).
These are all good guys who I always look forward to talking to whenever our teams get together. Because of that friendship, I find myself following the teams where they are currently employed, such as Illinois, Purdue, Iowa State, Southern Indiana and the Salukis for every day except for one, of course.
What made the relationship even stronger was that the SIU coaches made a living in St. Louis recruiting our players. They enjoyed great success in recent years with what Chris Lowery called the "St. Louis Salukis."
Young men such as Darren Brooks, Stetson Hairston, Bryan Turner, Randal Falker, Michael Dale, Tony Boyle and Josh Warren from the STL metro area helped put the Salukis on the national map with several Missouri Valley Conference titles and a couple of Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
It's always fun when the guys return to St. Louis in March for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. It makes it much easier when you can just sit back and enjoy them and root for them instead of against them when we play. Watching the local boys represent "The Lou" in the NCAA Tournament all of those years really made me proud.
There have been some great memories from the SLU-SIU series over the years if you are a Billiken fan. Who could forget that night in the late 1990's when the two teams played a late-night game that was broadcast on ESPN. SLU guard Orlando Stewart hit a last-second shot to give the Billikens a one-point victory.
However, that highlight of that game came during a time-out when SLU assistant coach John Mulroy went over the broadcast table and watched on the monitor as SIU coach Rich Herrin designed his play. Mulroy was busted for his investigative work by ESPN's Dan Patrick, who was doing the game that night.
I can also remember a late rally in 1990 when the Billikens edged SIU when Saluki forward Rick Shipley inbounded the ball right to SLU's Anthony Jones, who laid in the last second shot for the victory.
In 1991, the Billikens won only five games in what was a most trying season. However, one of those wins came in the Arena against the Salukis when freshman Julian Winfield drove the lane and scored on a layup just before the buzzer to give SLU a one-point win.
One of my greatest SLU-SIU memories came right after Christmas during the 1993 season. The Billikens got out of the gate quickly after an 8-0 start. SLU was still averaging about 10 to 11,000 a game and a big curtain covered one side of the Arena. When the Salukis came to town for a Dec. 28 game, thousands of people showed up out of nowhere. The curtain was suddenly removed and a crowd of more than 17,000 turned out to see the Billikens take a thrilling 100-85 victory. For the next two years, the SLU crowds were routinely in the 19 to 20,000 range. It was a glorious time.
In December of 1997 in a game in Carbondale, the Bills trailed the Salukis for much of the game. Southern led by about nine points in the last three minutes, but SLU super-freshman Larry Hughes simply went off. With Larry leading the way, the Bills scored the last 17 points of the game to take an improbable road victory. Larry finished with 37 points that night, the final two coming on an emphatic, game-clinching dunk with Larry pointing at the hundreds of blue-clad Billiken fans after he landed.
Those are just a few of my best memories of the SLU-Southern Illinois series. Let me hear some of yours in the comments section. I'd also like to hear from some Saluki fans as well. There have been many SIU highlights as well. I just tend to block those out. Maybe, you can refresh my memory for me.
I will have the actual game preview later.
Go Bills