Southern Illinois shoots for second MVC title, NCAA bid

Mar 4, 2007 - 6:21 PM By PA SportsTicker

Jamaal Tatum and Southern Illinois have a chance for a rare double.

The 11th-ranked Salukis can become the sixth team to collect an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament when they face Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference championship in St. Louis on Sunday.

The top seed in what is highly regarded as the best mid-major conference in the nation, Southern Illinois (27-5) carries a 13-game winning streak into its second straight league title game.

The Salukis are 17-3 against MVC opponents this season. They swept the season series with the Blue Jays, including a 72-68 home win February 10.

With another victory, Southern Illinois can become the first MVC team collect the league regular-season and tournament titles in the same season since Illinois State in 1998.

The Salukis also would reach the NCAAs for the sixth consecutive year. Southern Illinois is one of 15 teams to reach the "Big Dance" in the past five seasons.

Even if Creighton does prevail for its second tournament title in three years, Southern Illinois is still expected to receive an at-large bid when the NCAA Selection Committee announces the 65-team field on March 11.

The Salukis had to squeak out their latest victory, needing a follow shot by Matt Shaw with 3.2 seconds left for a 53-51 triumph over Bradley in Saturday's semifinals. Tatum, the MVC Player of the Year, scored 20 points.

The Blue Jays (21-10) advanced to their fourth appearance in the MVC title game in the last six years with Saturday's 75-58 victory over Missouri State. Leading scorer Nate Funk netted a career-high 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

Since the MVC Tournament began in 1977, Creighton is 9-1 in the championship game.

Five teams have clinched automatic NCAA Tournament berths. Four were decided Saturday, with Winthrop, Belmont, Davidson and Eastern Kentucky all winning their respective league tournaments.

On Friday, Pennsylvania claimed its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and the Ivy League championship with an 86-58 victory over Yale.

The Ivy League is the only one of 31 conferences that does not use a tournament to determine its champion. The 34 at-large selections will be announced March 11.