Madness too much for HC
Crusaders bit by Salukis
Michael Fensom, '07
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: Sports
Less than one hour after the announcement on January 11 that they would be playing Southern Illinois in the West Regional of this season's NCAA tournament, Holy Cross' coaches and players were already preparing for the school's first tournament bid since the 2002-2003 season.
In a room deep in the sinuous halls of the Hart Center, coach Ralph Willard is introducing his team to its first round opponent, the Southern Illinois Salukis. Southern Illinois enters this game as the 4 seed in the West, while the Crusaders, having captured the Patriot League regular season and postseason tournament titles, are the 13th seed.
The silence in the film room is a sharp contrast to the raucous atmosphere that this Crusaders team has grown accustomed to lately.
The only sound that can be heard now is Willard's voice as he analyzes Southern Illinois, outlining how to attack them and what to expect on Friday.
The team is watching video of the Southern Illinois victory over Western Kentucky from December 9, 2006. Within the first five minutes of film study, Willard has mentioned the physical nature of the Salukis defense three times already.
Known for the defense-first nature of his teams, Willard seems to constantly have defense on his mind. Certainly, he respects a Southern Illinois team that ranks third in the nation defensively, allowing a paltry 56.5 ppg entering the NCAA tournament, and is aware of what they can do to a less than potent Holy Cross offensive attack.
After taking 2nd, 1st, and 3rd seeds down to the wire in its last three NCAA tournament appearances, Holy Cross relished the chance to play a 4th seed and a fellow mid-major.
"We're pretty excited," sophomore forward Alex Vander Baan explains. "It seems this is the team we wanted."
For the casual basketball fan, Southern Illinois is exactly the kind of name you want to see across from your own in an NCAA tournament bracket. Playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Salukis do not carry the clout of household names and national powerhouses like North Carolina, Kansas, or Duke. Yet, that is the exact company in which Southern Illinois belongs. Of course, the Holy Cross coaching staff knew this and immediately tried to emphasize that this game would not be easy.
In a room deep in the sinuous halls of the Hart Center, coach Ralph Willard is introducing his team to its first round opponent, the Southern Illinois Salukis. Southern Illinois enters this game as the 4 seed in the West, while the Crusaders, having captured the Patriot League regular season and postseason tournament titles, are the 13th seed.
The silence in the film room is a sharp contrast to the raucous atmosphere that this Crusaders team has grown accustomed to lately.
The only sound that can be heard now is Willard's voice as he analyzes Southern Illinois, outlining how to attack them and what to expect on Friday.
The team is watching video of the Southern Illinois victory over Western Kentucky from December 9, 2006. Within the first five minutes of film study, Willard has mentioned the physical nature of the Salukis defense three times already.
Known for the defense-first nature of his teams, Willard seems to constantly have defense on his mind. Certainly, he respects a Southern Illinois team that ranks third in the nation defensively, allowing a paltry 56.5 ppg entering the NCAA tournament, and is aware of what they can do to a less than potent Holy Cross offensive attack.
After taking 2nd, 1st, and 3rd seeds down to the wire in its last three NCAA tournament appearances, Holy Cross relished the chance to play a 4th seed and a fellow mid-major.
"We're pretty excited," sophomore forward Alex Vander Baan explains. "It seems this is the team we wanted."
For the casual basketball fan, Southern Illinois is exactly the kind of name you want to see across from your own in an NCAA tournament bracket. Playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Salukis do not carry the clout of household names and national powerhouses like North Carolina, Kansas, or Duke. Yet, that is the exact company in which Southern Illinois belongs. Of course, the Holy Cross coaching staff knew this and immediately tried to emphasize that this game would not be easy.
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