SIU Emerges From Middle of the Pack to Win ILLHoops Tourney

Jeff Early led the way for SIU, netting 23 and 15 in SIU's championship win

After going 10-14 in conference play, the Southern Illinois Salukis were able to pull off an improbable run in the inaugural ILLHoops Tournament. This run included knocking off #1 seed Illinois State and trouncing their First Round opponent, #9 UIC. Now they can add a 66-60 victory in hostile territory to the story of this crazy run. Now they are champions.

The win was led by senior guard Jeff Early, who scored 23 points and 15 rebounds and was named Big Prairie Conference Tourney MVP. DePaul's struggles at the guard position made Early unstoppable as no Blue Demon point was able to check him as he rained shots from all over and controlled the boards. Desmar Jackson also had 10 points despite going 3-11 from the field, and Jalen Pendleton contributed 10 off the bench.

DePaul's effort was a strong run, as the trio of Melvin-Young-Crockett willed their team in this tight game. Crockett had 15, Young had 14, and Melvin had 11 points and 8 rebounds. But in the end, it wasn't enough to control Jeff Early and his dominance.

For Southern Illinois, this championship earns them an automatic bid in the 2013 Coliseum Invitational. Their seeding will be determined in the coming days.

Until then, the Salukis can relax and celebrate the win. After a rough start in conference play, SIU has powered through and they are now ILLHoops champions.

ILLHoops Tournament: Semifinals

Jeff Early grabbed 14 rebounds in #9 SIU's win over #5 Bradley

The ILLHoops tourney continued at Redbird Arena, even after host Illinois State was knocked out in their first game of the tourney by a surging Southern Illinois squad. Would the Salukis run continue or would the Braves be courageous enough to stop them in their tracks? Below is a recap of each game:

#2 DePaul 67, #3 Western Illinois 47

Despite 12 rebounds and 10 assists from Terell Parks and an additional 10 from Ceola Clark, the Leathernecks struggled on offense and could not control DePaul's athletic wing players on defense. WIU shot 35.8% from the field, while DePaul shot 45.3%. Both teams took 53 shots, but the Blue Demons made five more than WIU. For DePaul, they out-rebounded Western 40-28. Brandon Young led all scorers with 13 while Cleveland Melvin added 12 points and 9 rebounds. Jamee Crockett also had 12.

#9 Southern Illinois 63, #5 Bradley 58

SIU's run continues. This time it was both Jeff Early (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Desmar Jackson (13 points, 6 rebounds) taking control for the Salukis in their win over Bradley. Bradley falls despite strong scoring efforts from Walt Lemon (15 points, 9 rebounds), Dyricus Simms-Edwards (15 points), and Jordan Prosser (10 points). However, as a team, SIU out-rebounded Bradley 37-28 and shot better from the field (46% to 41%).

So the table is set for the inaugural ILLHoops championship. #2 DePaul and #9 Southern Illinois. The game takes place at the home court of the higher seed, so McGrath-Phillips Arena will be the site where we will see who gets the bid into the 2013 Coliseum Invitational.

ILLHoops Tournament: Quarterfinals

Desmar Jackson's 22 and 11 helped #9 SIU upset #1 ISU in Normal

The scene moved from the campus sites to Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University for Friday's Quarterfinals. As ISU was the regular season champion, they earned the chance to host the Quarterfinals and Semifinals of the ILLHoops Tournament. The Redbirds went 10-2 at home, but would the home-court advantage be enough to help them advance to the Semis? Below are the results of each quarterfinal matchup:

#3 Western Illinois 62, #11 Chicago State 46

Western was able to control the tempo and stop Chicago State's shooters in route to the victory. After scorching Loyola for 17 points, Quinton Pippen was held to 10 in this game on only 8 shots. For Western, Terell Parks pulled down 19 points and 13 rebounds while Ceola Clark chipped in 13 points of his own, with three of his four field goals coming from beyond the arc.

#2 DePaul 69, #7 Northwestern 61

This game went down the wire, but in the end DePaul was able to pull out the W. While Cleveland Melvin picked up a double-double (15 pts, 12 rebs) and Donnavan Kirk chipped in 11 and 6, the real spark came off the bench. Worrell Clahar lead all scorers with 16 points off the bench, going 6 of 10 from the field. For Northwestern, Reggie Hearn was held to 12 points after exploding for 32 in the First Round. Alex Olah pulled down 12 and 9 along with 4 blocks. Tre Demps (11 pts) and Dave Sobolewski (10 pts) also made big contributions for the Wildcats in the loss.

#5 Bradley 68, #4 Illinois 59

Despite 14 points each from Brandon Paul and Joseph Bertrand, Illinois was undone by the Bradley Braves in Normal. The Braves played tough defense forced several Illini to shoot poorly, including Tracy Abrams and DJ Richardson going a combined 2/14 from the field. Bradley also used their length to control the game, with Will Egolf pulling down 14 boards and both Tyshon Pickett and Jake Eastman coming up with 12 points each. Also awaken: Walt Lemon. After scoring 8 in the First Round, Lemon would go on to lead all scorers with 16 points off of 6/13 shooting.

#9 Southern Illinois 76, #1 Illinois State 68

In what will probably go down as the upset of the tournament, SIU was able to knock off #1 Illinois State in what was essentially a road game, stunning the Redbird Arena crowd. The Salukis can give all their thanks to Desmar Jackson, who exploded for 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals. While he was a force by his self, SIU as a whole shot 49% from the field as a team. That isn't to say, ISU didn't play well, as they picked up big contributions from Jackie Carmichael (11 pts, 11 rebs), Tyler Brown (16 pts), Johnny Hill (13 pts), and John Wilkins (12 pts). In the end, however, it was the Salukis - more specifically Desmar's - offensive explosion that helped Carbondale stun Illinois State in their own arena.

With those results in place, Saturday's semifinals matchups are as follows:

#2 DePaul vs. #3 Western Illinois

#5 Bradley vs. #9 Southern Illinois

ILLHoops Tournament: First Round

Reggie Hearn went ballistic!
His 32 pts helped Northwestern pull past Eastern.

On Thursday the ILLHoops Tournament kicked off with its First Round of games. The 4th through 13th teams squared off for a chance to advance to the Quarterfinals on Friday. Below are the results of each game:

#4 Illinois 63, #13 Northern Illinois 46

The game was a blowout, but it wasn't as bad for NIU as it could have been. Illinois shot poorly, going 21/54 (38.9%) from the field, but managed to go 34.6% from three. Brandon Paul (13), Joseph Bertrand (12), Tracy Abrams (11), and Tyler Griffey (10) all scored double-digits for the Illini. For Northern, Abdel Nader pulled down a double-double, scoring a game-high 20 and pulling down 13 boards. Darrell Bowie also had a decent game with 7 points and 9 rebounds. In the end, though, it wasn't enough for the Huskies, and a 2-23 tournament mercifully comes to an close.

#5 Bradley 65, #12 SIU Edwardsville 54

Bradley put up a solid effort in their home win over Edwardsville. Bradley outshot (43% from three to the Cougars' 35%) and outrebounded (42-31) SIUE by convincing margins. Dyricus Simms-Edwards lead the way for the Braves with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Tyshon Pickett was right behind him with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Jerome Jones paced SIUE with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

#11 Chicago State 61, #6 Loyola 56

Christian Thomas' 13 points and 14 rebounds and Devon Turk's 13 points were not enough for Loyola to pull off the home win. Instead, it was the pinpoint accuracy from deep that helped Chicago State pull off the upset at Gentile Arena. Quinton Pippen lead the way, going 4 for 7 from three and finishing with 17 points. Corey Gray also came off the bench and hit two of three. in the end, the Cougars went 7/13 from three (53.8%). Jeremy Robinson also contributed 9 points and 9 rebounds.

#7 Northwestern 72, #12 Eastern Illinois 66

Everybody came to work for EIU. Josh Piper's 20 points lead the way, Sherman Blanford had 12 points and 8 rebounds, and Morris Woods pulled down a double-double with 11 and 10. The Panthers grossly outrebounded their opponent 36-19. But for Northwestern, all it took was Reggie Hearn. Hearn scorched EIU for 32 points, including 4 of 6 from three. Tre Demps also chipped in 11 points, but in the end Reggie was all the Wildcats needed to get the win.

#9 Southern Illinois 60, #8 UIC 45

SIU came out to play and UIC couldn't keep up. The Flames shot 30% from the field and 22% from three. Their only double-digit scorer was Josh Crittle, who picked up 10. For Southern, it was Jeff Early leading the charge with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Anthony Beane had 11 while Kendall Brown-Surles had 12 to go along with 6 assists.

So with those results in place, here are the matchups for Friday's Quarterfinals in Normal:

#1 Illinois State vs. #9 Southern Illinois

#2 DePaul vs. #7 Northwestern

#3 Western Illinois vs. #11 Chicago State

#4 Illinois vs. #5 Bradley

Introducing: The ILLHoops Tournament

With the NCAA Tournament underway, I wanted to hold a tournament of my own to see who was the best basketball team in the state of Illinois. In most cases, one would simply look to the rankings to answer that question. However, things such as injuries and the lack of intrastate matchups during the season keep us from being absolutely certain just who reigns supreme in the Land of Lincoln.

With that, I figured I would use the SimMatchup tool over at whatifsports.com to settle the score. Over the next few days, you will see the results unfold as I find out who the best in the Prairie State truly is.

Today, I simulated a round robin. All thirteen schools faced one another in a home-and-home. I used the rosters as they were on the site, meaning almost everyone was playing at full strength. However, Northwestern's roster lacked the presence of Drew Crawford. If I am able to add him during the tournament phase, I will let you know. With that aside, below are the results:

1. Illinois State: 19-5 (10-2 home, 9-3 road)
2. DePaul: 18-6 (9-3 home, 9-3 road)
3. Western Illinois: 18-6 (9-3 home, 9-3 road)
4. Illinois: 15-9 (9-3 home, 6-6 road)
5. Bradley: 14-10 (6-6 home, 8-4 road)
6. Loyola: 14-10 (7-5 home, 7-5 road)
7. Northwestern: 12-12 (7-5 home, 5-7 road)
8. UIC: 10-14 (6-6 home, 4-8 road)
9. Southern Illinois: 10-14 (5-7 home, 5-7 road)
10. Eastern Illinois: 9-15 (5-7 home, 4-8 road)
11. Chicago State: 8-16 (5-7 home, 3-9 road)
12. SIU Edwardsville: 7-17 (3-9 home, 4-8 road)
13. Northern Illinois: 2-22 (2-10 home, 0-12 road)

DePaul held the tiebreaker over WIU due to beating them 2-0 in their matchups. After splitting their series and having identical records against the top two teams, Bradley beat out Loyola because they went 1-1 against 3rd place Western while the Ramblers went 0-2. UIC beat out SIU because they went 1-1 against DePaul while the Salukis went 0-2.

With these standings in place, these schools will now face off in a single elimination tournament. With the top three teams receiving First Round byes, the opening matchups will be as follows:

#4 Illinois vs. #13 Northern Illinois; winner will face the Bradley/SIUE winner in the next round

#5 Bradley vs. #12 SIU Edwardsville; winner will face the U of I/NIU winner in the next round

#6 Loyola vs. #11 Chicago State; winner will face Western in the next round

#7 Northwestern vs. #10 Eastern Illinois; winner will face DePaul in the next round

#8 UIC vs. #9 Southern Illinois; winner will face Illinois State in the next round

The First Round will be tomorrow at the campus sites of the higher seed. The Quarterfinals on Friday and Semifinals on Saturday will be held at Illinois State. The Finals will be on Sunday at the site of the highest remaining seed.

The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic bid into the Coliseum Invitational, which will basically be the national version of this.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. I really like doing these simulation tournaments at the end of each college basketball season. It will be fun to see where this thing leads.