When the SIU men’s basketball team runs onto the SIU Arena court Sunday, it will be greeted to a sea of white-clad supporters cheering, chanting and singing ‘Go Southern Go.’

The Salukis hope the ‘White Out’ game against Missouri Valley Conference rival Bradley will end better than the ‘White Out’ they experienced in Omaha, Neb., which resulted in an overtime loss.

SIU (7-10, 2-4 MVC) will only go as far as its highly touted freshman class will take it, and Wednesday against Creighton, it almost carried the short-handed Salukis to victory.

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Freshman guard Kevin Dillard, who averages 17.8 points per game against Valley foes and is the team’s leading scorer overall, dropped 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 18 second-half points.

His two free throws with 10.4 seconds remaining in regulation gave SIU a three-point lead. But his heroics were not enough as he fouled Bluejays guard Cavel Witter during a 3-point attempt with 3.3 seconds remaining in the game.

It was a freshman mistake that turned what would have been a key road win against a strong conference opponent into an overtime thriller. Then, his turnover late in overtime helped spark Creighton’s game-winning rally.

Dillard and the Salukis will look to rebound from Wednesday’s loss and avenge an earlier loss to Bradley (11-6, 5-1) in the process.

The Braves, who beat the Salukis 79-63 on Dec. 28 in Peoria, are tied for first place in the MVC with Northern Iowa and will be looking to extend its lead in the standings with a win at the SIU Arena.

A feat the team has not accomplished since 2001.

The leaders of the Valley feature a trio of dynamic scorers, led by forward Theron Wilson.

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Wilson averages 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and is one of three Braves who averages at least 10 points per game.’ Add guard Chris Roberts and his 9.1 points per game and the Saluki defense will likely have its hands full.

And while the Saluki defense will try to contain an offense that almost scored 80 points in its previous meeting, the Braves defense might also need to focus on making some key defensive stops if it wants to secure a road victory.

Bradley ranks ninth in scoring defense as it allows opponents to score an average of 66.5 points per game. The Braves weakness has been on the defensive end all season, allowing at least 73 points six times this season.

SIU has scored at least 70 points in each of its last three games as its offense has found some consistency since adding Dillard to the starting lineup and the defections of Torres Roundtree and Christian Cornelius.

The Salukis have already shown they can overcome the loss of teammates midseason, but Sunday’s game will go a long way in determining whether or not they can persevere and rebound from a disheartening loss.

Luis Medina can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 256