Go Salukis!

It was supposed to be the seniors that led the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team to a tournament run. It was supposed to be Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young pacing the way.

Instead, it was one of the Salukis' sophomores who carried the team into the Round of 32 -and it's only because of an injury to one of SIU's starters that he even had the chance.

With Matt Shaw sidelined for the entire second half with a sprained left ankle, Tony Boyle came to the rescue for SIU. Boyle responded with a career-best game, lifting the Salukis to a 61-51 win over Holy Cross during the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday. The Salukis, seeded No. 4 in the West region, will face No. 5 Virginia Tech Sunday at 1:40 p.m.

Boyle scored a career-high 14 points and grabbed a career-best five rebounds - all in the second half. He also played the entire second half until being subbed out with 36 seconds remaining.

America loves a hero coming in from the bench -- let's hear it for Tony Boyle!

And for the record, my love of SIU is based upon the fact that I, like most members of my family who have attended college, spent at least some time taking classes in Carbondale. Oh, yeah -- and the fact that my father and aunt are both retired SIU professors.

Posted by: Greg at 04:01 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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