Hulman Center is home of the Salukis over the next two days as much as it is the Sycamores. Tonight the SIU men visit, tomorrow, SIU’s women come to Terre Haute.

First off, no one has confirmed it, but I think Harry Marshall might give it a shot tonight. He’s participating in pre-game warm-ups now. ISU coach Kevin McKenna has been hedging Marshall’s status with everyone, including yours truly during yesterday’s practice, and he was non-commital with ISU’s radio crew in their pregame interview.

Marshall warmed up for a few minutes, then went to the ISU bench 15 minutes before the game to get checked. He returned back to the floor shortly after.

Presuming Marshall plays, the next question is to what extent will he play like himself? I’m no athletic trainer, but I imagine his style would tax a hamstring, with his jump steps and physical manner of play. Perhaps we’ll see. I would imagine ISU will take pains to be careful with his minutes.

ISU assistant coach Greg Lansing and SIU assistant coach Rodney Brown have traded some jokes about whether Marshall will start. Brown has stationed himself at the scorer’s bench, waiting for ISU’s decision.

McKenna is coaching barefoot tonight as part of the Samaritan’s Feet charity drive to donate shoes to children in need. Good for McKenna. A carpet has been put down in front of the ISU bench so he can roam without too much discomfort.

Meanwhile, SIU’s graduate assistant is none other than Tony Young, a standout SIU guard who exhausted his eligibility last season. It makes me feel old when players I covered take to the bench. Speaking of which, I think Mike Tomlin is the first professional coach younger than me to make it to the championship of his respective sport in my lifetime.

Depressing. Let’s get to the game.

[] Marshall will start. Lansing just turned in the starting lineup. That makes this game much more interesting.

First half
[] ISU has dropped the throwbacks for the time being and are back in their default home whites. ISU lost both games in the throwbacks last week, for what it’s worth.

[] Isiah Martin is starting in place of Brant Leitnaker, who is with the team, but who did not practice all week because of the flu. He is joined by Marshall, Rashad Reed, Aaron Carter and Carl Richard. SIU starts Kevin Dillard, Bryan Mullins, Ryan Hare, Tony Boyle and Carlton Fay.

Jay Tunnell has been hit by the flu. He looked ashen in the pregame huddle.

[] SIU 9-4, 16:28. ISU is struggling defensively. Dillard scored an uncontested layup after Tony Boyle squelched the defense with a nice down screen. Fay just hit an uncontested three, something ISU emphasized in practice.

[] SIU 15-9, 11:13. My once-nightly wireless fade took out one of my posts.
SIU has not missed a shot, the Salukis have made 6 of 6, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range. ISU is hanging in there because when SIU doesn’t make a shot, it turns it over. The Salukis have 7 turnovers.

[] SIU 15-9, 10:37. SIU finally missed a shot as Dillard missed a runner.

Harry Marshall’s little brother just won $200 with a half-court shot. He walked off the court like it was nothing.

[] SIU 17-9, 7:57. This game isn’t shaping up to be much more watchable than the Evansville game was. ISU is struggling from the field, shooting just 28.6 percent from the field. SIU is shooting 70 percent, but has 9 turnovers.

SIU is doing a good job jumping out on ISU’s shooters. ISU is doing a good job getting into SIU’s passing lanes. If ISU can get its shooting going, it should be OK.

[] SIU 22-15, 3:51. ISU seems stuck in the mud. It’s as if the team is waiting for someone to be a catalyst, but no one is able to do it.

SIU is getting mileage out of drive and dishes to the perimeter. A Ryan Hare 3-pointer off of that briefly put the Salukis up 10.

[] SIU 27-24, :33.3. Well, ISU got its energy boost. Josh Crawford got the crowd and his teammates fired up with one of the most emphatic dunks seen by an ISU player in some time. He was fouled by Fay on the way up and posterized Nick Evans on the way down. Impressive.

Later, Carter made a 3-pointer to cut ISU’s deficit to three.

Unfortunately, Marshall appeared to tweak his hamstring on a turnover at the minute-mark, but he is back on the floor.

[] SIU 27-24, hafltime. Fay missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. ISU’s zone got better as the half went along as the Salukis struggled in the last four minutes to get a shot off.

SIU shot 52.4 percent for the half as ISU’s defense obviously improved after the Salukis didn’t miss early in the game. Ryan Hare has 8 points to lead SIU.

Carter has 6 points to lead a balanced attack for the Sycamores. Eight different ISU players have scored. The minutes are balanced too, perhaps by necessity due to the flu and Marshall’s hammy.

ISU still needs to shore up its turnover issues. It has nine giveaways, with SIU scoring 10 points from them. The Salukis have been sloppy with 11 turnovers, even the usually unflappable Mullins has a pair.

ISU made it a good game with a late-half push. The Sycamores need more.

Second half
[] Same starting five for the second half for both teams.

[] SIU 32-25, 15:36. ISU’s slow starts are going to prove to be their undoing. ISU is 0-for-7 from the field, negating a good defensive effort so far.

Even when ISU seemingly has an easy bucket, something goes wrong. Marshall stole the ball and led the break, dishing it to Reed on the right side of the basket. Instead of going to the hole, Reed passed it out to Tunnell at the top of the key, who then over-threw Printy on the wing. An easy scoring chance lost and SIU made ISU pay with a Mullins three on the other end.

[] SIU 36-27, 13:28. Missed opportunities abound for ISU. Leitnaker missed an open layup that could have cut ISU’s deficit to five. On the other end, Justin Bocot missed a jumper, but Evans outleapt Leitnaker for the rebound and converted.

McKenna called a timeout. Those types of plays are the difference in the game right now.

[] SIU 38-27, 11:47. Martin at the line for ISU. Ugly half for the Sycamores as they have scored only three points. It has to be maddening for ISU observers … the Salukis are playing no better than OK, yet, the Sycamores can’t take advantage.

Dillard is heating up for SIU with a couple of nice buckets in traffic.

[] SIU 46-33, 7:59. ISU at the line. ISU cut its deficit to eight, but hasn’t been able to make a field goal since the 11:09 mark. SIU’s defense has been good, plus, it has got away with some hand checks. Not the first time that’s happened, but to be honest, SIU gets the benefit of the calls often times not just because they’re more aggressive, but they’re smart about how aggressive they are.

Nonetheless, I’m sure McKenna wouldn’t want to hear that reasoned explanation right now. He was warned by official Randy Heimermar for complaining about SIU’s hand checks.

[] SIU 49-39, 5:32. ISU has been pressing since the 10-minute mark and has forced some turnovers. However, it hasn’t been able to convert many of them. SIU is in the double bonus, but even there, ISU isn’t taking advantage. The Sycamores have missed four of their last five free throws.

[] SIU 52-40, 3:27. Hare at the line for SIU. The game has dengenerated into some sort of purgatorial limbo. Neither team is really doing anything right with fouls aplenty on both ends. Neither is really shooting free throws well so no gap is being wiped out or created.

ISU’s shot selection has been questionable in the second half. It shows with a bad 3 of 19 shooting performance in the second half, another 15.8 percent clunker, akin to the game at Evansville.

[] SIU 56-47, 1:13. ISU has got its deficit under double-digits, but barring a miracle, it’s too little, too late. ISU’s poor start in the first half and no-start in the second half are going to determine its fate.

[] SIU 58-47, final. ISU was 5 of 27 from the field in the second half. ‘Nuff said.