CARBONDALE - Mark Turgeon's frustration was evident. Turgeon, the men's basketball coach at Wichita State, was watching Southern Illinois start to pull away from his Shockers during the first half of Monday night's game.

And after a collision near the basket where no foul was called, Turgeon turned around and slammed the scorers' table with both hands, earning a technical foul.

After the game, Turgeon said he wasn't trying to earn a technical to motivate his team. He was just releasing some of the frustration he'd been bottling up over the past 10 days.

"It's hard right now," Turgeon said after the game. "I'm not going to lie."

There's no reason for Turgeon to lie about it. It's obvious to the naked eye that things aren't going well for Wichita right now.

Less than two weeks after being ranked eighth in the country, WSU is out of both major polls � and is likely to drop further out of top 25 contention after Monday's loss to the Salukis. Not since UCLA in 1995 has a team fallen out of the polls so soon after being ranked in the top 10.

The Shockers (9-4, 0-2) are also in a last-place tie in the Missouri Valley Conference, and the schedule doesn't look to be any easier. The Shockers' next two games are against Bradley and at Missouri State.

All this for a team that was being considered one of the nation's best after a Sweet 16 appearance last year, and wins at George Mason, LSU and Syracuse this season.

"I just told our guys, I said, 'I don't feel any different about you guys today than I did when we were 9-0,'" Turgeon said. "We're still trying hard, things just aren't going our way.

"The last four games, it seems like we've been in unbelievable foul trouble, guys have been sick, guys have been hurt. It's just been a grind for us."

It's a grind that Turgeon and the Shockers are tired of, but one they don't think will last.

"You don't get to 9-0 with the schedule we play unless you're a good team," Turgeon said. "It's just not going well right now, but we'll get it back."

Bluejays rising: While the Shockers continue to slump, the Creighton Bluejays may have finally found their stride.

After being picked as the Valley's preseason favorite, and being ranked in both major polls to start the season, Creighton stumbled out of the gates. The Bluejays went just 6-4 in nonconference games, including a 15-point loss to Fresno State.

But after beating Missouri State and Illinois State in the past week, Creighton is suddenly 2-0 and tied for first in the MVC. And after averaging 66 points in nonconference games, the Bluejays scored 77 and 79 points in their two Valley wins.

Creighton will be tested this weekend, however, when it plays its first two road games of the conference season, against Indiana State and Evansville. The Bluejays are just 2-4 away from Omaha this year, and 0-4 in true road games.

Bradley star sidelined: Bradley guard Jeremy Crouch is out indefinitely with a sprained right knee. Crouch had been averaging 16.4 points per game for the Braves, and was seventh nationally from the free-throw line, shooting 93.3 percent.

Crouch injured the knee Saturday while going for a rebound against Evansville. The Braves played Missouri State late Tuesday night and are at Wichita State on Thursday. They host SIU next Wednesday.

RPI watch: RPI watch: In the latest RPI rankings (according to CollegeRPI.com), the MVC is rated as the No. 3 conference in America. SIU has the league's best RPI ranking, coming in 11th, with Bradley (23), Missouri State (32), Creighton (43) and Northern Iowa (46) also in the top 50. Illinois State is last in RPI, coming in at No. 105. In the latest RPI rankings (according to CollegeRPI.com), the MVC is rated as the No. 3 conference in America. SIU has the league's best RPI ranking, coming in 11th, with Bradley (23), Missouri State (32), Creighton (43) and Northern Iowa (46) also in the top 50. Illinois State is last in RPI, coming in at No. 105.

rob.crow@thesouthern.com

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