CARBONDALE, Ill. - Searching for positives after Tuesday night's baffling 95-88 loss to San Diego, the Wyoming Cowboys came up with the following.

A little over two weeks ago, the Pokes dropped a game they expected to win before heading on the road to face a Missouri Valley Conference foe. The ensuing victory at Creighton not only served as an anesthetic for the Kansas State defeat but gave UW its best win of the season.

With the Cowboys preparing to face Southern Illinois tonight at 6 p.m. (the Salukis are the preseason favorite in the MVC), the team is wrapping its arms around recent history as if it were a security blanket.

"We come off the disappointing loss to Kansas State and go to Creighton and win," said UW head coach Steve McClain. "That's always a positive you need to build on."

"It's going to be just like the Creighton game," said center Alex Dunn. "We're going to have to go in there and play as hard as we can and play defense for 40 minutes. If we can do that we can win again. We just need to get this taste out of our mouths."

On the heels of its defensive debacle against the underwhelming Toreros (7-5), UW (6-4) needs all the happy thoughts it can muster.

San Diego shot an astounding 62.1 percent from the floor in the first half, taking advantage of the Pokes' lackadaisical effort in their own end. The Toreros shot 56 percent and seven of 11 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc for the game.

"We didn't defend all night," McClain said. "We were always scrambling and always out of position on defense. When you let a team shoot 60 percent, the bottom line is that you didn't guard."

The matador approach to defense resulted in a stern lecture by McClain to his players before practice on Wednesday. His blunt message? Guard or else.

UW can certainly count on the Salukis (9-2) using an aggressive defense tonight. SIU forces an average of 18.3 turnovers per game and yields only 58.3 points per contest to its opponents, a mark that puts it in the top 25 in scoring defense in the country.

The Salukis' press could affect UW point guard Jay Straight, who averages 39.2 minutes per game.

"It's going to be harder for him," McClain said. "I may have to get him out a little bit and rest him."

One of those Salukis harassing Straight will be Darren Brooks.

Like Straight, Brooks declared himself eligible for the NBA draft last summer. Like Straight, Brooks, the reigning MVC player of the year, came back for his senior season. Straight (15) and Brooks (16) also led all scorers last year in the Salukis' 67-62 win in Laramie.

But don't think of Brooks as SIU's Straight. While Brooks leads the Salukis with 15.7 points per game, his main strength is defending (Brooks could also guard Steve Leven, UW's leading scorer). Straight is best at directing UW's offense.

The matchup is part of a three-game series between UW and SIU. The Salukis will return to Laramie next season. If the Cowboys want to pick up a win in the middle game of the series, they'll have to be prepared to roll up their sleeves.

Here's a party-mix of statistics that attest to Southern's dominance on its home floor:

n SIU has a 15-game winning streak at home.

n SIU is 46-1 on its home court since the start of the 2001-02 season.

n SIU is 24-1 in Carbondale vs. non-conference opponents since 1999. UNC-Charlotte is the only team to beat the Salukis in that span.

Only one UW player, Dion Sherrell, has ever experienced the SIU Arena. The Cowboys' starting shooting guard came to Carbondale as a member of the Wichita State Shockers four years ago, before transferring to UW.

"We're pretty confident we can get a win against Southern," Sherrell said. "We need to forget about this loss and just keep playing. I've played there before and I want to get back there. If we can come out of it with a win, that would be big for us."

Assistant sports editor Ryan Johnson contributed to this story

Senior sports reporter Jack Daly can be reached at (307) 266-0528 or sports@casperstartribune.net

INSIDE SCOOP

n TONIGHT: Wyoming Cowboys at Southern Illinois Salukis, SIU Arena, Carbondale, Ill., 6 p.m.

n RECORDS: UW 6-4; SIU 9-2.

n RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network (KTWO-Casper 1030 AM) 5:30 p.m.

n TV: None.

WYOMING COWBOYS vs. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS

The basics

Wyoming Cowboys

n RECORD: 6-4 overall, 0-0 Mountain West Conference.

n COACHING STAFF: Steve McClain (seventh season, 117-73).

Assistants - John Adams, Silvey Dominguez, Leroy Washington.

n STARTERS: Jay Straight, Dion Sherrell, Steve Leven, Justin Williams and Alex Dunn.

n RESERVES: Jerry Webb, Kevin Lewis, Derek Wabbington, Abdullah Lawal, Chris Anderson, Jarrod Boswell and Bienvenu Songondo.

n LAST GAME: Dec. 28, San Diego 95, Wyoming 88. The Toreros took advantage of the Cowboys' worst defensive outing of the year to pick up a surprise win in Laramie.

n NEXT UP: Jan. 4, Denver at UW, Arena-Auditorium, Laramie, 7 p.m.

n STATISTICAL LEADERS: Points - Steve Leven 19.0 ppg. Rebounds - Alex Dunn 8.8 rpg. Assists - Jay Straight 5.4 apg.

n AND QUOTE: "I think these guys know that one, you've got to move on from your last game, and two, they know how good of an opponent we're getting ready to play. I don't think they'll have any trouble getting our focus back."

Steve McClain.

Southern Illinois Salukis

n RECORD: 9-2 overall, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference.

n COACHING STAFF: Chris Lowery (first season, 9-2).

Assistants - Rodney Watson, Jack Owens, Shane Hawkins.

n STARTERS: LaMar Owen, Joshua Warren, Darren Brooks, Jamaal Tatum, Stetson Hairston.

n RESERVES: Randal Falker, Tony Young, Matt Shaw, Mike Dale, Jamaal Foster.

n LAST GAME: Dec. 23, Southern Illinois 61, Illinois State 49. Darren Brooks finished with 16 points as the Salukis picked up their fifth straight win.

n NEXT UP: Sunday, Drake at SIU, SIU Arena, Carbondale, Ill., 12:05 p.m.

n STATISTICAL LEADERS: Points - Darren Brooks 15.7 ppg. Rebounds - LaMar Owen 5.2 rpg. Assists - Darren Brooks 4.2 apg.