COLLEGE BASKETBALL: SE RIVAL SIU WILL PAY VISIT TONIGHT

Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball team has been up and down through the first six games of the season, with a few solid performances mixed in with several sub-par outings.

But Southeast coach Gary Garner knows the Indians better be a lot more up than down tonight if they hope to have any chance of finally beating regional rival Southern Illinois.

The Salukis (3-1) have won seven straight meetings against the Indians (4-2) entering the 7 p.m. matchup at the Show Me Center.

"I think it's going to take a great performance for us to beat Southern Illinois," said Garner. "They're a heck of a basketball team. We're not there yet, but I still think we're going to have a good basketball team."

Southeast has not beaten SIU since the 1982-83 season, when the then-Division II Indians upended the Salukis 55-50. Since the series resumed in 1993-94, SIU has won every time. And during Garner's previous three seasons at Southeast, the Indians have lost to the Salukis by an average of 17 points per game.

"We just haven't played well against them since I've been here, and this is by far the best Southern Illinois team since I've been here," Garner said. "It's the first time we've got them on our home floor, but I don't know if that will make a difference or not in a rivalry game like this."

One thing Garner hopes will make a difference is a lineup change designed to increase the Indians' rebounding success. Making their first starts tonight will be center Terry Rogers and power forward Monte Gordon, replacing Nyah Jones and Drew DeMond, respectively.

"It's mainly the rebounding," said Garner of the changes. "We're way down the line in rebounding in the Ohio Valley Conference (ranking eighth out of nine teams). We're just giving up too many opportunities. Our two best rebounders in minutes played are Terry Rogers and Monte Gordon."

SIU began the season with three decisive home wins over solid programs, rolling past Long Beach State, Saint Louis and Ball State. But the Salukis were brought back down to earth Saturday in their first road game as Indiana romped 85-63.

"We were embarrassed Saturday and I hope we'll come back with a vengeance," said SIU coach Bruce Weber.

Weber said he didn't necessarily think the Salukis would beat the Hoosiers, but he certainly expected them to be in the game. That never happened. And now he's a bit concerned that his players won't give what he considers to be a solid Southeast team its proper respect.

"Since we've beaten them the last two years, I'm not sure our players realize how good they are," he said. "It's going to be a very tough game, no doubt. They play well at home. They play well anywhere, but I know they're especially tough at home.

"We've beaten them soundly the last two years and I'm sure they'll be very motivated. Hopefully we'll be as motivated."

Weber acknowledged that this is his most talented team since he took over a struggling SIU program three years ago, which is saying something since the Salukis went 20-13 last year and earned an NIT bid. But Weber also emphasized that it remains to be seen if the current Salukis can eventually find the chemistry that last season's bunch had.

"There's no doubt, we're much stronger, much more athletic than we've been," he said. "But we still have to show we can do the other things it takes to be a really good basketball team."

The run-and-gun Salukis were averaging more than 90 points per game before being slowed down at Indiana, but they're still scoring nearly 85 points a contest.

Leading the way for SIU are 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Kent Williams (15.8 points per game) and 6-8 sophomore center Jermaine Dearman (15.5 ppg).

Williams, an exceptional shooter who can also take the ball to the hole, was one of the nation's top freshman last year. The quick, explosive Dearman does most of his damage around the basket.

SIU's other double-figure scorer is 6-4 senior swingman Joshua Cross (13 ppg), who is also the team's leading rebounder at 6.5 per game.

"They are very athletic and they really get up and down the floor," said Garner of the Salukis. "They're very good at penetrating, getting to the basket and either getting fouled or pitching it out. Defensively, they're very good, and they're very well coached."

Garner, like Weber, will be looking for his team to bounce back from a dismal performance as the Indians are coming off an 83-77 loss at Mississippi Valley State Wednesday.

Asked whether he considers tonight's contest to be a pivotal one for the Indians, Garner said, "It's too early to call it a pivotal game, but it's an important game. Any game coming off the Mississippi Valley State game would be important because we played very poorly.

"If we can win this game, it tells us we're capable of having a heck of a year. But if we lose, we can still have a good year."