Embrace a Mid-Major: Southern Illinois Salukis

The Fundamentals:

Name: Southern Illinois Salukis
Conference: Missouri Valley
Last Year's Record: 22-11 (12-6) and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to West Virginia
This Year's Record: 19-5 (10-3)
This Year's Current RPI: 9
Mascot: The Saluki (an ancient Egyptian hunting dog)

Big Wins: Virginia Tech (neutral site), St. Louis, Wichita State (twice), Missouri State, Creighton.

Notable Losses: Arkansas (overtime, neutral site) and by 10 to Indiana (on the road). Indiana and Arkansas are the two highest RPI teams the Salukis have faced, and they've lost both of them.

Player You Should Know: Randal Falker is a force on both ends of the floor. He's very efficient offensively, shooting over 60% from the floor for over 13 points per game. He's an outstanding finisher at the rim. He brings down 7.2 rebounds, too ... and that's to say nothing of his defense, where at 6'7", he can handle most guys in the post and controls the paint. He's 32nd in the nation in blocked shots, averaging over 2 per game.

Outlook: They've won seven straight and have just springboarded into both the AP and Coaches Top 25s (21 and 20, respectively). They're a lock for an NCAA tournament spot, even if they don't win the MVC tournament, and barring a streak of poor play, should be a 6-seed or better. They sometimes struggle against zones, which is something they need to address.

Previously on Embrace a Mid-Major:

Northern Iowa Panthers
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Drexel Dragons
Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
Missouri State Bears