The Missouri Valley Conference season is just beginning and the SIUC men’s basketball team is hovering at the .500 mark. It must be about time for coach Rich Herrin to look forward to next year, right?

Not so fast. A closer look shows these Salukis passed one of their toughest tests of the season with flying colors in December. And continued improvement could put fear back into their opponents’ eyes come late February.

Saturday’s 105-70 loss to Illinois State University was an embarrassment, but it should also serve as a wake-up call. If they didn’t know it before, the Salukis now know they can’t compete with the league’s top teams when they don’t come to play their best for 40 minutes.

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But when they do show up and play together as a team, as they have done for 90 percent of this season, the Salukis have the ability to return to their championship form of the past.

Here are my three reasons why SIUC has a solid chance for a return to success in the Missouri Valley Conference season.

The Salukis played their toughest non-conference schedule in recent years one that has prepared them for a style of play similar to the MVC.

SIUC’s eight non-conference opponents had a combined record of 34-19 at the end of the Salukis’ opening stretch. That mark included undefeated starts by the University of Miami (8-0), St. Louis University (7-0) and the University of Hawaii (4-0).

Hawaii earned the most impressive win by a Saluki non-conference opponent. The Rainbows, who defeated SIUC 80-66 Dec. 7 in the championship of the Power Bar Invitational, knocked off No. 2 University of Kansas 76-65 to capture the title of their own Rainbow Classic Dec. 30.

But most importantly, the Salukis did not suffer a blowout loss during the non-conference season. In each of their four losses, SIUC had a chance to win the game only to falter after halftime.

Herrin may not have wanted to play such a tough non-conference schedule, but his team is already reaping the benefits.

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Last year, the Salukis had two five-game losing streaks primarily because they had no depth. This season, Herrin has the luxury of calling on 10 different players for quality playing time.

The Salukis have been able to play an up-tempo, full-court pressure game while giving short rests to their starters. The result has been a team that has 10 players playing hard for 40 minutes, rather than a team that is forced to play six tired players for the entire game.

The loss of sophomore center Derrick Tilmon to a stress fracture in December hurt, but juniors James Jackson and James Watts filled in nicely. Now that Tilmon has made his return, look for the Salukis to combine a fast-paced offensive attack with impressive work on the backboards.

SIUC has been nothing but dominating on the backboards this season, and the increase in rebounds makes this team a contender for an MVC Tournament championship.

Heading into Monday night’s battle with the University of Evansville, the Salukis have outrebounded each of their 14 opponents this season, an outstanding feat for any mid-major Division I team.

But the accomplishment is even more impressive considering SIUC’s starting frontcourt has one 6-foot-9 player (Chris Thunell) and two 6-foot-7 players (Rashad Tucker and James Jackson). Tilmon, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, has seen increased playing time off the bench recently, while the 6-foot-8 Watts also has contributed .

Last year’s team was not much different than this year’s squad, but the extra depth off the bench has paid off big time. The Salukis have been as consistent as any conference team in their rebounding effort.

Now, the Salukis must continue the effort to have a shot of playing for a conference crown in March. A showing like Saturday night will spell certain doom in the postseason. But consistent play from the entire team can prevent a repeat of last year’s disappointing first-round exit in St. Louis.