Southern Illinois Salukis – Syndication Server

Takeaways: Alijah Martin drops 32 as Florida basketball moves to 6-0

Alijah Martin exploded for 32 points and single-handedly cured Florida’s three-point woes in a blowout win over Southern Illinois on Friday.

Things stayed competitive for a bit between Florida and Southern Illinois, but then [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] got hot and led the Gators to a 93-68 victory over the Salukis Friday night.

Martin led all scorers with 32 points and nearly posted a double-double with nine rebounds. [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] set a new career-high with 19 points, adding seven rebounds and four blocks to his tally. No other Gator finished in double figures, but Martin’s performance was more than enough to carry the team to a sixth-straight win.

Florida lost the rebound battle for the first time this season thanks to 20 offensive boards from SIU, but the Gators ended with single-digit turnovers for the second game in a row.

Once again, the Gators played worse in the second half, marking a third-straight contest with that issue; however, it was a much more dominant win than the past two games against Florida A&M and Florida State.

Career night for Alijah Martin

Martin was the sparkplug in this victory. Point totals aside, he came up big when the team needed him the most. Florida has been atrocious from three-point range all season, so Martin took things into his hands and drained eight of 13 attempts from deep.

It wasn’t the long ball that sparked the big run, though. Martin slammed a dunk home to cap off a two-possession run of explosive finishes, and the floodgates opened up from there on out.

Perhaps even more encouraging is that Martin wasn’t looking to explode in the points column. When he had a chance to tie his career high of 34 from under the rim, he made the extra pass to Haugh to give him a new career high instead. It’s that kind of unselfishness that’s going to win Florida games — of course, dropping 32 points helps too.

Martin also led the team in rebounds (9) and assists (5), so he’s a guy who can do it all for the Gators at the “3” position. Talk about a breakout performance.

Haugh makes a strong argument to start

Taking nothing away from [autotag]Rueben Chinyelu[/autotag], who starts alongside [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] in Florida’s frontcourt, [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] deserves to see the court more often.

He got some extra minutes with [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] out against Florida A&M and led all of Florida’s big men with 25 minutes tonight. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] does a great job rotating his forward in and out, but Chinyelu doesn’t have the stamina to stay out there long, forcing Haugh into starter minutes.

Perhaps it would be wise to start with Haugh on the court alongside Condon, who is one of his best friends. There’s untapped chemistry there, and Alexis and Chinyelu would remain a formidable duo off the bench. There is an element of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it here, but it’s hard to deny the impact Haugh has made on the court over the past week.

He might be the team’s best defensive big and he routinely fights for boards that Condon isn’t always positioned for.

Great assist-to-turnover ratio

The mark of a good basketball team is the assist-to-turnover ratio, and Florida posted a season-high 25 assists while turning the ball over a season-low six times. That’s 4.67 assists per turnover, which would dwarf Utah State’s NCAA-leading 2.41 ratio coming into tonight’s games.

Florida isn’t going to play FAMU and SIU every week, but it’s a really positive sign to see the Gators clean up the turnover problems after giving the ball away 19 times to Florida State just a week ago.

Clayton (25 assists, 14 turnovers) and Martin (21 and 10) are the two main ball distributors on the roster, but Condon (12 and 5) has some court vision too. [autotag]Alex Klavzar[/autotag] could also help in that statistical category with five assists and just one turnover through three games.

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Here’s what BPI predicts for Florida-SIU matchup Friday night

ESPN’s BPI predicts another double-digit win for the Florida Gators tonight inside the O’Connell Center.

The Florida basketball team returns to the collegiate parquet on Friday night to host the Southern Illinois Salukis for its sixth game of the 2024-25 campaign. So far, the Gators own a perfect 5-0 record with every coming in double-digits.

Using the Basketball Power Index, ESPN predicts another dominant victory for the Orange and Blue, giving Florida 94.2% odds to beat Southern Illinois with a 17.5 predicted point differential. ESPN also gives the matchup a quality rating of 57.7, putting it among the upper third of Friday night’s hoops schedule.

“BPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” the site reads. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is… Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”

ESPN BPI Season Projections

The Gators are currently ranked 32nd on the Basketball Power Index with a 12.8 index, while the Salukis are 159th with a -0.4 BPI. SIU is better defensively than offensively — but both are very middle-of-the-pack — while Florida features a top-25 offense (8.1, 22nd).

ESPN projects Florida to finish the season with a 19.1-10.9 overall record and an 8.7-9.3 record in conference play based on results to date and BPI-based projections for remaining scheduled games. The Gators only have 0.8% odds to win the conference, down from 1.3% a week ago.

Todd Golden’s gang faces the 26th-toughest schedule moving forward with two weak non-conference opponents out of the way.

How to watch Florida-Southern Illinois

The Gators and Salukis tip off at 7 p.m. ET inside the O’Dome on Friday night. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.

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LSU softball run-rules Southern Illinois to advance to super regionals

LSU advances to a super regional for the 10th time in program history and first since 2021.

LSU’s breezy run through the Baton Rouge Regional continued on Sunday. The Tigers shut out Southern Illinois 9-0 in run-rule fashion as they took the opening game of the regional final and advanced to the super regionals next weekend.

[autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] got the scoring started in the bottom of the first, connecting on a two-out RBI double to right field as LSU led 1-0 early. [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] added to that in the second with an RBI single with two runners on base.

After a sacrifice flyout from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] really broke the game wide open with a three-run homer as the Tigers put up a five-spot in the frame to go up 6-0.

The flood continued for LSU in the third, with [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] hitting a two-run bomb followed by a solo shot from Petty. [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] wrapped up the one-hit complete game in the fifth, earning a shutout win while striking out six batters.

Now, LSU advances to the super regional round for the 10th time in program history and first since 2021, where it will either travel to face No. 8 national seed Stanford or host Cal State Fullerton in Baton Rouge.

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LSU softball breezes past Southern Illinois into Baton Rouge Regional final

LSU is now one win from securing a berth in a super regional.

LSU softball is just one win away from a berth in a super regional after it won its winners’ bracket game against Southern Illinois 4-1. Coach Beth Torina’s team moves on to the regional final, where its opponent hasn’t yet been determined.

The Tigers started out hot in the first inning when [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] hit a two-run bomb to take the early lead, and it nearly added to it in the second inning but stranded a pair of baserunners. But in the third, [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] hit a two-out RBI single as LSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

The Salukis managed to cut into the lead in the sixth inning, though it was just one run as they trailed by two entering the final frame. However, that margin didn’t last as a sacrifice fly from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] in the top of the seventh put the Tigers back up three runs.

[autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag], who allowed just four hits and one run while striking out eight in a complete game, retired the side in order to secure the win in the bottom of the seventh.

Now, Southern Illinois faces the winner of an elimination game between Cal and Jackson State. The winner of the subsequent elimination game will face the Tigers in Sunday’s regional final needing to win two in a row.

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Vikings hire Southern Illinois asst Dalmin Gibson as asst special teams coach

The Vikings continue to add assistants to their coaching staff, this time going to the FCS ranks to do so

The Minnesota Vikings are continuing to re-work their coaching staff after losing six assistants this offseason and they have found a replacement for former assistant special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica.

According to On3 Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Vikings are hiring Southern Illinois special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach Dalmin Gibson as an assistant special teams coach.

Prior to accepting the job with the Vikings, Gibson was a graduate assistant at Colorado and an analyst at Michigan State. While with the Spartans, a source tells Vikings Wire that he was a massive part of punter Bryce Baringer’s success.

Wide receiver Jayden Reed was also an all-Big Ten punt returner in his last year with the Spartans in 2021. That could be a connection to keep in mind come April’s draft.

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Meet Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois’ dynamic defensive weapon

Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Southern Illinois defender Jeremy Chinn

Every year, the NFL draft features a few small-school prospects who dominated in college, and have the skills to do the same thing at the game’s highest level.

Jeremy Chinn made big plays all over the field for Southern Illinois, no matter where he lined up, and he’s got the talent to make the same kind of impact in the pro ranks.

One of the top defensive prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft class, Chinn recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his impressive college career, his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, and what kind of player he’ll be at the next level.

JM: 13 interceptions, 31 pass break-ups and six forced fumbles. You spend a lot of time around the football. What is it about your game that lead to that ball production?

JC: I’m always looking for the quickest route to the ball. I take a lot of pride in that production. I’m a high effort player. I believe there’s only one way to play the game, and that’s fast and physical. The game evolves around the ball, so I might as well get my hands on it by any means possible.

JM: How do you look back on your time at Southern Illinois?

JC: I progressed a lot throughout my time there. I was able to get into the starting lineup as a true freshman. My production seemed to take a step forward every year. I got smarter and better on a consistent basis. I made less and less mistakes as the years went by. It’s really all about instincts for me at this point.

JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?

JC: It was cool. I’m a local, I’m actually from Indianapolis. To actually get a chance to go to the combine, it was the coolest experience in the world for me. I enjoyed getting around all of the different coaching staffs, scouts and general managers. All of the big decision makers were definitely in attendance. I finally hit the field on the Sunday and I was ready to go.

JM: First of all, the measurements are off the charts. You stand in at 6-3 and 221 pounds. Your arms measured in at over 32 inches. When it came to the testing, you hit a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and a 138-inch broad jump. Did you expect to test as well as you did?

JC: Yeah, I actually expected to run a little faster in the 40. Throughout training, my 10-yard and 20-yard splits were a bit faster than what I actually tested at. I planned on running faster. I planned on jumping a little higher as well. I was pretty happy with my broad jump though.

JM: What were the splits looking like in training?

JC: My 10-yard split was about a 1.50 flat and I ended up getting a 1.55 at the combine. It may seem like a small difference, but it can be the difference between the 4.45 I hit in the 40 and the 4.40 I was running in training.

JM: Taking every aspect of the combine into account, what do you think is the overall impression you left out there?

JC: I think everybody out there realized that I love to compete. I love the game of football. That’s the impression I was hoping to leave out there. I’m a competitive guy. Like I said earlier, I believe there’s only one way to play the game. That’s how I approach the game every single time I hit the field. I’m gonna come in and make the team better. I’m gonna live around the ball. It doesn’t matter how they choose to use me, I’m gonna positively impact the game for us. I’m coming in ready to work. I’m ready to win.

JM: What’s your favorite part about playing the safety position?

JC: I had a really great defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois. When you watch the film on me, you see me moving all over the place. I played in the slot, I played single-high, I played in the box. During my junior year, I actually played a lot of cornerback on the outside. I love being able to play so many different spots. That’s my favorite aspect of playing the safety position. I’m rangy enough to play up high and make those interceptions, or I can come down in the box and blitz or impact the run game. There’s so many beautiful aspects to playing the safety position. I get to do so much on the field.

JM: Do you have a preference when it comes to impacting the run game or passing game?

JC: I can’t say that I have a preference. I’m a competitor. Whenever I’m on the field, it doesn’t matter which spot I’m playing, I feel like it’s my time to shine and make a play. I’m always looking to make an impact.

JM: You mentioned playing a little cornerback on the outside. Do you approach a smaller, shiftier receiver any differently than you do a bigger, more physical one?

JC: Yeah, I definitely approach those guys a little differently. Thankfully for me, I have the athletic ability. When they first see me, I’m a 6-3, 220 pound guy, they don’t think I can run fast but I’m just as quick and fast as anybody out there. I don’t have a problem matching their speed. I really try to get my hands on those smaller guys. You have to disrupt them a little bit. Most of them don’t like it when you’re physical with them, especially since I’m a big guy. I understand how to use my arm length and reach to my advantage.

JM: We’ve touched quite a bit on your defensive coordinator, and how he was creative in the way that you were utilized in the defense. What can you tell me about the overall scheme?

JC: We primarily ran a quarters defense. We had two high safeties most of the time. We played a lot of Cover 3 as well. I played all over the field and often roamed the middle. I really played everything.

JM: Were you able to get any private visits or workouts in before COVID-19 shut everything down?

JC: Everything started to shut down immediately after my pro day. I wasn’t able to get any of those private meetings in unfortunately. I’ve been able to stay in contact with teams through FaceTime and Zoom.

JM: Which teams have you met with via FaceTime and Zoom?

JC: Out of respect for the teams, I’m choosing to keep that information private at this time. I will say that from the Senior Bowl to now, I’ve met with all 32 teams in some capacity.

JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?

JC: I didn’t get asked anything too strange. Somebody asked me if I was more like a cat or a dog. I just said I was more like a dog. I’m always in attack mode. I can be a bully or a protector.

JM: Throughout all of your team meetings, has anyone brought up the small-school competition? If so, how did you answer that?

JC: No team has really brought that up. I think when you turn on the film, you can see the type of player that I am. When we played against the big schools, schools like Ole Miss and Memphis, those were two of my best games throughout my career and I played against those guys during my junior and sophomore years. I don’t think anybody will really question me because of the level of competition. The film speaks for itself.

JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent?

JC: I don’t know that I can pick just one way (laughs). I’m always prepared for my opponent. I’ll say that. It’s important to study the film before going up against that team. I’m always ready to outwork my opponent. I’m more physical than you are. It’s a physical game. I’m not gonna let my opponent win the physical battle.

JM: When a team uses a draft pick on Jeremy Chinn, what kind of guy are they getting?

JC: They’re gonna get a leader. They’re getting a high impact player. I love the game of football and I love learning new things. I’m always working to get better. I love the work that comes with it. That’s really what I’m most excited about as I continue to prepare for the next level. I can’t wait to get better.

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