With the SIU men’s basketball home opener a little more than a week away, the Salukis are fighting to get back into game day form.

The team, which has not been seen in meaningful action since its March 22 loss to Kansas in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, has been practicing daily in preparation for a season that coach Chris Lowery called one of the toughest schedules he’s ever seen.

Senior forward Matt Shaw said the team is really coming together since last season ended on the down note of the last-second, 61-58 loss.

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“It’s been going really good so far,” Shaw said. “Obviously with new guys it’s going to be a little slow, but as we practice more and more things are going a lot more smooth.”

This season, the Salukis are looking to defend their Missouri Valley Conference regular season crown and repeated success in the NCAA Tournament.

The Salukis have made it to the Big Dance every year since 2001, putting them in company with national powerhouses, such as Duke, Kentucky and Kansas.

Shaw said with this program, seniors are expected to be leaders and will do everything possible to fill the void left by departed starters Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young, who accounted for nearly 40 percent of the team’s scoring last season.

Lowery said Shaw, along with senior forward Randal Falker, will have to embrace the leadership role and provide consistency for the team.

“It’s their turn. I think that’s the biggest thing with anything you do with a program or business, guys that have been through the wars and now expect things – they understand what it takes,” Lowery said.

Junior guard Bryan Mullins said intensity has picked up in practice as the games draw closer.

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“In the first couple days of practice, people were unsure of their roles and it was just a different atmosphere,” Mullins said. “These last couple of days we have really picked up things.”

Mullins said he has seen improvements in everyone’s game, and it shows that everyone – from seniors to freshmen – worked hard to get in shape during the offseason.

The Salukis will face a tough non-conference schedule this season, including a game at home against Indiana, an ESPN BracketBuster game with an opponent yet to be determined and the Anaheim Classic from Nov. 23 to Nov. 25, where they may match up against opponents from USC to Mississippi State.

The Salukis will start the season at home with a Nov. 3 contest against King scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

Megan Kramper can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 282 or [email protected].