The set-up: It's the MVC opener for both 7-6 Southern Illinois and 5-9 Bradley tonight in Peoria. Bradley is coming off an 'ugly' first season under head coach Brian Wardle (5-27, 3-15 in MVC play) while the Salukis were 22-10, including 11-7 in league play.

Southern Illinois: SIU lost leading scorer Beane (19.3 PPG) from last year but sophomore guard Fletcher has stepped up nicely, leading the team with 14.5 PPG. P Senior PG Rodriguez (13.8 & 5.2) runs the show with fellow senior Vincent (9.2 PPG) a solid player in the backcourt. Up front, it's the 6-7 O.Brien (11.0 & 7.6) joined by 6-8 JUCO transfer Bol (9.5 & 6.6). The Salukis are looking for some more consistent play but all in all, this team isn't bad at all.

Bradley: The Braves were one of just three teams last ye warith 10 freshman and no one player averaged in double digits. Ironically, it's freshman guard Brown, who is this year's lone double digit scorer at a modest 11.6 PPG.

The pick: Bradley is a mess, coming in having lost three in a row while scoring only 51, 49 and 42 points, respectively. As noted, while SIU is nothing special, the Salukis are a solid team and won't miss this chance to open league play with a win. SIU is a 10* play.