March 11, 2007

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A packed house at the Copper Dragon restaurant erupted when the words "Southern Illinois" flashed across the screen alongside the No. 4 seed during the CBS Selection Show on Sunday.

The Salukis (27-6) were assigned to the West Region and will play No. 13 seed Holy Cross (25-8) on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. The game time will be at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET.

If SIU wins, it will play the winner of the game between No. 5 Virginia Tech and No. 12 Illinois on Sunday.

However, the first order of business for the Salukis will be to familiarize themselves with the Crusaders, who won the Patriot League with a 13-1 record and won their conference tournament by beating Bucknell last Friday.

"I don't really know too much about Holy Cross yet," said Saluki point guard Bryan Mullins. "We'll watch some video and get to know them a little better, but all we're focused on is Holy Cross. The first game of the tournament is always the toughest."

Holy Cross is led by Patriot League Player-of-the-Year Keith Simmons. The 6-foot-5 senior guard averages 17.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg to lead his team.

Saluki head coach Chris Lowery likewise refused to speculate on a potential match-up with his mentor -- Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, saying his team had its hands full with the Crusaders.

"We never let our kids get ahead of themselves, and I'm not going to do it now," he said. "I'm focusing on Holy Cross."