<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>SAN JOSE, Calif. ? No Southern Illinois players got hurt at practice on Wednesday, which, for coach Chris Lowery, isn't just good news. It's news, period. Tales of the SIU practice regimen followed the Salukis all the way to the NCAA tournament's West regional, where the media wanted to know if their intrasquad workouts really are as brutal as legend has it. As the story goes, Lowery will have his players take part in a game without any fouls or out of bounds. He calls it "keep playing," and his Salukis proceed to engage in a demolition derby of sorts to teach them defensive toughness. The practices get so out of hand, though, that players get hurt. In fact, before Southern Illinois' tourney opener against Holy Cross, three Salukis needed stitches. "It gets really crazy," guard Jamaal Tatum said. "Coach has to tell us to calm down sometimes. But for the most part, he lets us go no-holds-barred." "I think the word 'intense' is probably the proper word to describe it," forward Matt Shaw said. "There's definitely been a countless number of injuries, but nothing too bad. Just a lot of bloody noses and bruises ? all that good stuff." Such unconventional methods have helped shape Southern Illinois into the defensive demon it is today. The 29-6 Salukis yield only 56.1 points per game, third best among all Division I schools (behind Princeton and Air Force), and they allow opponents to shoot a mere 41.3 percent, tops in the Missouri Valley Conference. Shaw, who is a game-time decision for Thursday's Sweet 16 showdown against Kansas with a sprained ankle, believes this unique defensive approach has helped Southern Illinois stand out from the mid-major pack. "I think that's what makes our team different from any other team," said Shaw, who, for the record, hurt his ankle in the win over Holy Cross, not on the practice court back in Carbondale, Ill. "We emphasize to keep playing and we just play hard." Maybe more impressive is the Salukis' ability to not let any ill will fester from their "keep playing" sessions. What happens on the court, stays on the court. No matter how many stitches one had to get. "That's the one thing that coach always keeps us aware of ? that stuff is for practice only and not to carry on that stuff outside the court," Shaw said. "I think everybody understands that." "We have to understand, as players, that we have to play a game in the next day or two, so we don't want to get anyone hurt," Tatum said. "But sometimes that switch is hard to turn off." That's why Lowery picks his spots in calling for hand-to-hand combat. "If we did that every day, we'd have guys in the E.R," he said. Southern Illinois' defensive principles will be severely tested by the top-seeded Jayhawks, who average 79.5 points a game (12th best in Division I) and shoot 49.4 percent from the field (ninth best). Even with MVC defensive MVP Randal Falker, the Salukis know they can't stop Kansas' offensive talent one on one. Collectively, though, they feel they have a chance. "We're not intimidated at all," said guard Bryan Mullins, one of Southern Illinois' three MVC all-defensive team selections. "We're able to frustrate a lot of teams with our defense. We just have to do the same thing: play had against them and try to limit their easy shots and transition buckets." In other words, beat them to the punch.</div>Full ArticleI found it intresting. It's sounds like it is a good practice technique. It might not look so good if somebody gets injured badly but for now the results are one of the best defenses in the country.
