1. Southern Illinois returns all five starters from last year’s team, which finished with a final record of 20-13. One of the most experienced teams in the nation, the Salukis projected starting lineup includes four seniors and one junior, all of which were starters last year. On top of that, they have another redshirt senior, Thik Bol, who started every game of his junior year, before being held out all of last year with an injury. That’s technically six returning starters on one team, the almost polar opposite of a John Calipari coached team.
2. The best defensive player for the Salukis is Thik Bol, the returning player who suffered a knee injury before any games last year and forced him to miss the entire season.