CARBONDALE, Ill. — In the same way that Byron Eaton has dictated Oklahoma State's season, Bryan Mullins has been Southern Illinois' go-to guy. The same way OSU came charging back with a five-game winning streak, late in the season the Salukis strung together five wins in a row.
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Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery attributed the late charge to Mullins' play, much the way OSU coach Sean Sutton credited Eaton's improved play with the Cowboys' wins down the stretch.
But when Eaton and the Cowboys travel to Carbondale, Ill., tonight to take on the Salukis in first-round NIT action, Mullins will be sitting on the sidelines with an injury while Eaton tries to advance his team to the next round of the tournament.
"I think he's a big key to what they do,” Sutton said of Mullins. "He's certainly tough. I know that he was limited in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament whenever he played up there in their conference tournament, so I'm not sure where he will be health-wise, but he's certainly a big key and a big factor to their team.”
Mullins has been struggling with a stress fracture for a month and a half, Lowery said, but he played all the way up to the conference tournament.
"Bryan Mullins was our leader and he took the reins and that's why we were able to get a five-game winning streak going late,” Lowery said. "But physically, he was done. It was to the point where he could barely walk. He quit practicing for a month. He was just playing in games the last month of the season.”
His loss is obviously tough because he was the starting point guard, playing 35 minutes a game and serving as one of the Salukis' best on-ball defenders. But Lowery said Monday it's also brutal because on a team with a lack of leadership "He was the guy who stood up and said, ‘Hey, I'm going to do it.' ”
"Obviously Bryan has exclusively handled the ball for us,” Lowery said. "Now we are going to have to do it by committee. We just have to figure it out and it's a very short time to figure it out.”
Everything about the turnaround time for tonight's game in Carbondale has been short. OSU traveled on Monday, hoping to arrive by 8 or 9 p.m. If OSU wins tonight, the team will likely travel directly to Tempe, Ariz., if Arizona State beats Alabama State. If Alabama State wins, OSU would host the next round.
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Arron, those were some fine posts there, amazing in fact, its also amazing how the osu fans are still on here defending booger pickens and their teams, if it were me I would be watching that MVC beat down, come on puke fans go down with the ship
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - Mar 19, 2008 at 8:53 am
That was sad display. Not the game mind you. Aaron, sitting at home by himslef and posting to no one for hours on end. Seriously, the guy has like 10 posts in a row that span hours. I feel bad for the dude. That can’t be a fun life. I mean, I don’t like OSU either, but damn. I’ve never been a fifth as obsessed about them as poor lonely Aaron.
That was a shame. The NIT wasted their time believing the Cowboys would give them any effort in their tournament. 2 years in a row. Nice tradition Cowboys.
I do feel pity for Sean Sutton. I think he tries very hard, and his players just don't play for him like they did Eddie. He doesn't look like he is having any fun. Surely that isn't the Cowboy Way.
Danny, in these men's quest for an education sounds to me the pointing out of the education to inflict misery on fellow man was their intent. Maybe one day their education will awaken them to the happiness that is being sooner born and sooner bred. We can only hope. Saluki's are ahead at halftime.
Arron-I would ask you the same question as to why Mr. Pickens doesn't still live in his hometown of Hooterville...er, I mean...Holdenville, except I already know the answer. It's because he has gone on to be a huge success in life and you will forever be stuck in Hooterville. Mr. Pickens may not live in Stillwater, but he spends a lot of time there in support of all OSU athletics as he is very proud of his alma mater. When was the last time he showed up in Hooterville?
there arent that many alumni anyway from osu, we are getting bashed by half of them right now, you could put 2 booger pickens stadiums in Gaylord Family Stadium, the differences are like night and day, their most powerful offence in the nation, sucked last year, but still it was the most powerful offence in the nation! They have been to the college world series like 18 times, only won it twice, their magical 48 national championships are trumped by the 34 in wrestling, now no sarcasism here, but that is pretty amazing. Take away the 10 or so in golf, that leavs 4 in the rest of athletics, do they teach ratios at osu?
In the wrestling and golf world osu pretty much rules, and a few posts down, I could have swore that osu people were bashing OU for football and basketball, if you are going to do that, you will look like a fool. Are you brainwashed in thinking osu is a better learning institution than OU? the enrollment should tell the story, well i will go for now, until something else comes from the rude osu people on here, have a wonderful day
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - Mar 18, 2008 at 7:47 pm
so what all of you are saying is, the branches on an osu tree goes straight up? Everyone of you who bashed me should be ashamed of yourselves, you contradicted everything you so pathetically tried to defend, "honor, great institution" T. Boon would be so ashamed, and to think a person has to go to a specific school to root for it, ill bet that only a percentage of the bashers on here actually went to osu. All I said was that osu should be in the NAIA, or division 2 or 3. What is so threatning about that? If you were there, you wouldnt have to put up with all of us OU people that are sick of hearing about osu, your school does not deserve to be in the big 12, what exactly is a "poke", now to an average person its something that you would do with your finger, but to an osu person i understand it means something else. The good thing here is, I have successfully pissed each and everyone of you off, kudos to me! If the roles would have been reversed, I would have blown all the bashing of OU off a long time ago, ignoring what people like I do on here would be so much more of a pleasure than the idiotic remarks each and everyone of you have made, typical typical typical, deep down inside i really dont dislike osu, people dont bash osu for no reason, people bash osu to put the arrogant fans back in their places, dont act like champions when you are a lonely little state school. I await the spelling jokes, the Cameron jokes, and the bashing jokes, but the one thing I havent seen on here is the OU jokes, must suck to be osu
have a great day
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - Mar 18, 2008 at 7:34 pm
No one cares about OSU's wrestling and golf national championships and no one cares about OU's gymnastics national championships(except the actual players and close friends and family). When it comes to college, football and basketball is what most people care about. And OU football will always trump anything in this great state of Oklahoma. It always has and it always will. That's just the way it is. OU football reigns. OSU fans can't stand that. That's why OSU fans will always be envious and have that hatred towards OU. Every college team has bandwagon fans. You're stupid if you think that you have to be an alumni to be a fan. Maybe that's how it is for OSU but OU has national fans all over the country. Most big time programs have fans from all over.
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In the wrestling and golf world osu pretty much rules, and a few posts down, I could have swore that osu people were bashing OU for football and basketball, if you are going to do that, you will look like a fool. Are you brainwashed in thinking osu is a better learning institution than OU? the enrollment should tell the story, well i will go for now, until something else comes from the rude osu people on here, have a wonderful day
have a great day