SIU basketball set for Thanksgiving in Vegas
After their Aug. 4 to 11 pre- season trip to play the Cuban national team, the SIU men's basketball team immediately will begin planning for a Nov. 22 to 23 trip to play at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
The tournament actually starts the week before, as the four big teams each will play two lower-level D-I teams at their campus sites before flying to Vegas.
For example, on Nov. 16, the University of Massachusetts will play Howard, and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock will visit Nevada. On Nov. 19, the Minutemen face Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Cal. Baptist (D-II) will visit the Nevada Wolfpack in Reno.
SIU has yet to release who it will play during that week, but the Salukis are scheduled to meet the Minutemen at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving at Orleans Arena, to be followed by a game between Nevada and Tulsa.
The Thanksgiving Day losers play each other Nov. 23, and the championship game between the Nov. 22 winners starts at 3:30 p.m.
Nevada is projected to be rated as a top-10 team in pre-season national polls. It returns three starters from its Sweet 16 team that was eliminated by the Missouri Valley's Loyola.
Tulsa had 19 wins in 2017-18 and is led by senior point guard Sterling Taplan. And SIU's first-round Las Vegas opponent, U-Mass, returns big scorer Luwane Pipkins.
The Minutemen also bolstered their 13-20, 2017-18 squad by bringing in four top-notch transfers and three highly rated freshmen. These guys should not be taken lightly since they have a great winning tradition.
SIU brings back 83 percent of its scoring, 77 percent of its rebounding and 79 percent of its assists as a team. The Dawgs feature Armon Fletcher, Sean Lloyd, center Kavion Pippen, point guard Marcus Bartley, Aaron Cook and Thik Bol. SIU also will have assistant coach Anthony Beane Sr.'s son, Darius Beane, available. Darius just started practicing with the team last week.
The Dawgs also may have a new big man, Sekou Dembele, who has been offered (according to his Twitter) a scholarship for 2018.
If Dembele does not sign with SIU, the scholarship may be pocketed for 2019 recruits to use.