Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball

The Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis compete in the NCAA Division 1, and they play their home games at Banterra Center. As of March 2024, former South Dakota State and Wright State coach, Scott Nagy, has become the newest head coach of the Southern Illinois basketball program.

Southern Illinois Salukis
2024–25 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team
University	Southern Illinois University
Head coach	Scott Nagy (1st season)
Conference	Missouri Valley
Location	Carbondale, Illinois
Arena	Banterra Center (capacity: 8,284)
Nickname	Salukis
Colors	Maroon and white
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament runner-up
1965*, 1966*
NCAA tournament Final Four
1962*, 1963*, 1965*, 1966*
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1962*, 1963*, 1965*, 1966*
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1961*, 1962*, 1963*, 1964*, 1965*, 1966*, 1977, 2002, 2007
NCAA tournament round of 32
1959*, 1961*, 1962*, 1963*, 1964*, 1965*, 1966*, 1977, 2002, 2005, 2007
NCAA tournament appearances
1959*, 1961*, 1962*, 1963*, 1964*, 1965*, 1966*, 1977, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 *at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
1977, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2006
Conference regular season champions
MVC - 1977, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 IIAC - 1946, 1947, 1948, 1960, 1961, 1962

History

Prior to joining the NCAA, the Salukis competed in the NAIA men's basketball. Appearing five times, with a combined tournament record of 9 wins and 4 losses. Most notable tournament appearances came in 1945, in which the Salukis finished third, and then the following year in the 1946 tournament where the Salukis were NAIA national champions. The Salukis would not place again in the following three tournament appearances in 1947, 1948, 1960.

Captains Ralph Johnson and Walt Frazier hoist the 1967 NIT championship trophy.

In 1967, SIU, led by guard Walt Frazier, who went on to be named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, won the National Invitation Tournament under coach Jack Hartman. At the time, the tournament was considered much more prestigious than it is today. The Salukis were members of the College Division (now Division II) and were therefore ineligible to compete for the NCAA Division I Tournament.

In 1977, future NBA player Mike Glenn led the Salukis to the NCAA Division I Tournament Sweet Sixteen.

From 1993 to 1995, SIU advanced to three straight NCAA Division I Tournaments. Prior to that, the Salukis participated in the National Invitation Tournament for four consecutive years from 1989 to 1992.

Part of the SIU Saluki men's basketball team's 2003 season was chronicled in MTV's True Life: I Am A College Baller.

The Saluki men's basketball team garnered national attention by advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 2002 and 2007.

In the 2006–2007 season, the Salukis, coached by Chris Lowery, reached their highest ranking in the AP Coaches Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Poll with a position of #11, before dropping to #14 after losing the MVC to Creighton prior to entering the NCAA tournament.

After achieving success at SIU, former coaches Bruce Weber and Matt Painter accepted head coaching positions at schools in the Big Ten. Weber took over at Illinois in 2003 and Painter – an alumnus of and former basketball player at Purdue University – accepted the Boilermakers' offer to become top assistant and designated successor to Gene Keady in 2004, becoming head coach in March 2005.

Prior to the 2018-2019 season, the Salukis became the first NCAA men's basketball team to win a completed game against the Cuban national team during a pre-season visit to the country.

Nine Salukis have gone on to play in the NBA:

Chico Vaughn - St. Louis Hawks (1963–66), Detroit Pistons (1966-67)
Walt Frazier - New York Knicks (1968–77), Cleveland Cavaliers (1978–80)
Dick Garrett - Los Angeles Lakers (1970), Buffalo Braves (1971-73), New York Knicks (1974), Milwaukee Bucks (1974)
Nate Hawthorne - Los Angeles Lakers (1974), Phoenix Suns (1975–76)
Joe C. Meriweather - Houston Rockets (1976), Atlanta Hawks (1977), New Orleans Jazz (1978–79), Kansas City Kings (1981–85)
Mike Glenn - Buffalo Braves (1978), New York Knicks (1979-81), Atlanta Hawks (1982–85), Milwaukee Bucks (1986-87)
Ashraf Amaya - Vancouver Grizzlies (1996), Washington Bullets (1997)
Chris Carr - Phoenix Suns (1996), Minnesota Timberwolves (1997–98), New Jersey Nets (1999), Golden State Warriors (2000), Chicago Bulls (2000), Boston Celtics (2001)
Troy Hudson - Utah Jazz (1998), Los Angeles Clippers (1999-2000), Orlando Magic (2001-02), Minnesota Timberwolves (2003–07), Golden State Warriors (2007–08)

Yearly records (Division I)

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Jack Hartman (Division I Independent) (1967–1970)
1967-68	Jack Hartman	20-2			NIT Champion
1968–69	Jack Hartman	16–8
1969–70	Jack Hartman	13–10
Jack Hartman:		29–18
Paul Lambert (Midwestern Conference) (1970–1972)
1970–71	Paul Lambert	13–10
1971–72	Paul Lambert	10–16
Paul Lambert (Division I Independent) (1972–1975)
1972–73	Paul Lambert	11–15
1973–74	Paul Lambert	19–7
1974–75	Paul Lambert	18–9			NIT 1st Round
Paul Lambert (Missouri Valley Conference) (1975–1978)
1975–76	Paul Lambert	16–10	9–3	2nd
1976–77	Paul Lambert	22–7	8–4	T–1st	NCAA regional semi-Finals
1977–78	Paul Lambert	17–10	11–5	3rd
Paul Lambert:		126–84	28–12
Joe Gottfried (Missouri Valley Conference) (1978–1981)
1978–79	Joe Gottfried	15–13	8–8	T–3rd
1979–80	Joe Gottfried	9–17	5–11	8th
1980–81	Joe Gottfried	7–20	0–16	9th
Joe Gottfried:		31–50	13–35
Allen Van Winkle (Missouri Valley Conference) (1981–1985)
1981–82	Allen Van Winkle	11–16	7–9	7th
1982–83	Allen Van Winkle	9–19	5–13	8th
1983–84	Allen Van Winkle	15–13	7–9	T–5th
1984–85	Allen Van Winkle	14–14	6–10	T–6th
Allen Van Winkle:		49–62	25–41
Rich Herrin (Missouri Valley Conference) (1985–1998)
1985–86	Rich Herrin	8–20	4–12	T–8th
1986–87	Rich Herrin	12–17	5–9	6th
1987–88	Rich Herrin	12–16	6–8	T–4th
1988–89	Rich Herrin	20–14	6–8	T–5th	NIT 1st Round
1989–90	Rich Herrin	26–8	10–4	1st	NIT 1st Round
1990–91	Rich Herrin	18–14	9–7	T–4th	NIT Quarterfinals
1991–92	Rich Herrin	22–8	14–4	T–1st	NIT 1st Round
1992–93	Rich Herrin	23–10	12–6	2nd	NCAA 1st Round
1993–94	Rich Herrin	23–7	14–4	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
1994–95	Rich Herrin	23–9	13–5	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
1995–96	Rich Herrin	11–18	4–14	T–10th
1996–97	Rich Herrin	13–17	6–12	9th
1997–98	Rich Herrin	14–16	8–10	8th
Rich Herrin:		225–174	111–103
Bruce Weber (Missouri Valley Conference) (1998–2003)
1998–99	Bruce Weber	15–12	10–8	T–5th
1999–2000	Bruce Weber	20–13	12–6	3rd	NIT 2nd Round
2000–01	Bruce Weber	16–14	10–8	T–4th
2001–02	Bruce Weber	28–8	14–4	T–1st	NCAA Sweet 16
2002–03	Bruce Weber	24–7	16–2	1st	NCAA 1st Round
Bruce Weber:		103–54	62–28
Matt Painter (Missouri Valley Conference) (2003–2004)
2003–04	Matt Painter	25–5	17–1	1st	NCAA 1st Round
Matt Painter:		25–5	17–1
Chris Lowery (Missouri Valley Conference) (2004–2012)
2004–05	Chris Lowery	27–8	15–3	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
2005–06	Chris Lowery	22–11	12–6	2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2006–07	Chris Lowery	29–7	15–3	1st	NCAA Sweet 16
2007–08	Chris Lowery	18–15	11–7	3rd	NIT 2nd Round
2008–09	Chris Lowery	13–18	8–10	5th
2009–10	Chris Lowery	15–15	6–12	9th
2010–11	Chris Lowery	13–19	5–13	8th
2011–12	Chris Lowery	8–23	5–13	9th
Chris Lowery:		145–115	77–67
Barry Hinson (Missouri Valley Conference) (2012–2019)
2012–13	Barry Hinson	14–17	6–12	10th
2013–14	Barry Hinson	14–19	9–9	T–4th
2014–15	Barry Hinson	12–21	4–14	9th
2015–16	Barry Hinson	22–10	11–7	T–4th
2016–17	Barry Hinson	17–16	9–9	T–3rd
2017–18	Barry Hinson	20–13	11–7	2nd
2018–19	Barry Hinson	17–14	10–8	T–3rd
Barry Hinson:		116–110	60–66
Bryan Mullins (Missouri Valley Conference) (2019–present)
2019–20	Bryan Mullins	16–16	10–8	5th
2020–21	Bryan Mullins	12–14	5–13	9th
2021–22	Bryan Mullins	16–15	9–9	6th
2022–23	Bryan Mullins	23–10	14–6	T–3rd
2023–24	Bryan Mullins	19-13	11-9	6th
Bryan Mullins:		86–68	49–45
Total:		948–753
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

Postseason results

NCAA Division I tournament results

The Salukis have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament ten times. Their combined record is 6–10.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1977		Quarterfinals Sweet Sixteen	Arizona Wake Forest	W 81–77 L 81–86
1993	#14	First Round	#3 Duke	L 70–105
1994	#11	First Round	#6 Minnesota	L 60–74
1995	#10	First Round	#7 Syracuse	L 92–96
2002	#11	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#6 Texas Tech #3 Georgia #2 Connecticut	W 76–68 W 77–75 L 59–71
2003	#11	First Round	#6 Missouri	L 71–72
2004	#9	First Round	#8 Alabama	L 64–65
2005	#7	First Round Second Round	#10 St. Mary's #2 Oklahoma State	W 56–65 L 77–85
2006	#11	First Round	#6 West Virginia	L 46–64
2007	#4	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#13 Holy Cross #5 Virginia Tech #1 Kansas	W 61–51 W 63–48 L 58–61

NCAA Division II tournament results

The Salukis have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament seven times. Their combined record is 17–9.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1959	Regional Semifinals Regional Third Place	Wittenberg Belmont Abbey	L 70–80 L 70–79
1961	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Trinity Southeast Missouri State	W 96–82 L 84–88
1962	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Third Place	Union Evansville Northeastern Mount St. Mary's Nebraska Wesleyan	W 70–56 W 88–83 W 73–57 L 57–58 W 98–91
1963	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Third Place	Southeast Missouri State Lamar Evansville South Dakota State Oglethorpe	W 87–79 W 93–84 W 86–73 L 76–80 L 64–68
1964	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Ball State Evansville	W 88–81 L 59–64
1965	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	Concordia (IL) Central Michigan Washington-St. Louis North Dakota Evansville	W 71–70 W 90–62 W 76–67 W 97–64 L 82–85 OT
1966	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	Indiana State Evansville Fresno State North Dakota Kentucky Wesleyan	W 83–65 W 90–77 W 93–70 W 69–63 L 51–54

NAIA tournament results

The Salukis have appeared in five NAIA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 9–4. They were NAIA national champions in 1946.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1945	First Round Elite Eight Final Four Third Place Game	Washburn Doane Loyola (LA) Eastern Kentucky	W 64–49 W 61–44 L 35–37 W 49–45
1946	First Round Second Round Elite Eight Final Four National Championship	Central Missouri Loras Nevada Loyola (LA) Indiana State	W 49–39 W 58–55 W 66–58 W 53–37 W 49–48
1947	First Round	Dakota Wesleyan	L 39–44
1948	First Round	Southern Oregon Manhattan	W 54–50 L 42–52
1960	First Round	Oklahoma Baptist	L 71–75

NIT results

The Salukis have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) nine times. Their combined record is 8–8. They were NIT champions in 1967.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1967	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	Saint Peter's Duke Rutgers Marquette	W 103–58 W 72–63 W 79–70 W 71–56
1969	First Round	South Carolina	L 63–72
1975	First Round	Pittsburgh	L 65–70
1989	First Round	Saint Louis	L 54–87
1990	First Round	Green Bay	L 60–73
1991	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Boise State Missouri State Stanford	W 74–75 W 72–69 L 68–78
1992	First Round	Boston College	L 69–78
2000	First Round	Colorado BYU	W 94–92 L 57–82
2008	First Round Second Round	Oklahoma State Arizona State	W 69–53 L 51–65

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

Two players have had their numbers retired by the school.

Southern Illinois Salukis retired numbers
No.	Player	Career	Ref.
20	Chico Vaughn	1958–1962
52	Walt Frazier	1963–1967

External links

• Official website