After wrapping up a 75-69 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces on Sunday, March 8 the Salukis women’s basketball squad now turns their attention to Hoops in the Heartland, the Missouri Valley Conference’s postseason tournament to decide who gets to go to the NCAA Tournament.

The Dawgs’ path is littered with obstacles, the most notable being a team hasn’t won Hoops in the Heartland after playing in the first round since at least 2013.

SIU start their journey as the eight seed, taking on the ninth-seeded Indiana State Sycamores in the very first game of the tournament. In late January, the Salukis beat the Sycamores 86-74 in the Banterra Center in a game that was much more lopsided than the score indicates. The Sycamores got their win back a month later, beating SIU 81-73 in Terre Haute. 

The biggest difference between the two contests was Indiana State’s 3-point shooting. In Carbondale, they shot 2-17 from distance, good for a measly 11.8%. On their home floor, they shot a greatly improved 9-21, which adds up to 42.9%. If the Dawgs can keep them closer to the first number than the second, then they have a chance at extending their season for one more game.

If they succeed against the Sycamores, they set a date with the mighty Murray State Racers the next day. The Racers are currently in the midst of one of their best seasons in school history, finishing 28-3 in the regular season with losses on the road against South Dakota State, Illinois, and Northern Iowa. They also sport a win over the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Boston College.

Now that’s not to say the Racers are an unbeatable foe. The Salukis nearly knocked off Murray State in a 79-75 nailbiter on Jan. 29 in Murray. The Dawgs were also only down nine points heading into the fourth quarter when the two teams faced off in Carbondale. 

The key to a possible victory over the Racers is limiting the damage from others. Guard Halli Poock, forward Sharneccie Currie-Jelks and guard Haven Ford are going to do well on offense. If SIU can keep the rest of the team, such as guard Katelyn Secrist, from scoring, they might have a fighting chance.

If the Dawgs knock off Goliath, their path doesn’t get much easier from there. Their closest game against the Northern Iowa Panthers, their most likely opponent, was 25 points. Their other possible opponent, the Bradley Braves, would seem to be a much easier matchup. They were a Jeniah Thompson 3-pointer at the buzzer away from going to overtime against the Braves in Carbondale.

The Salukis sport five wins against possible championship game opponents, but are 0-6 against their three most likely foes.

SIU has a chance to turn Hoops in the Heartland on its head, but it’ll take everything they’ve got. They start their journey in Coralville, Iowa on Thursday, March 12 at 3:30 p.m. against the Indiana State Sycamores. 

Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram @hoovermakesart

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