CARBONDALE - A clean slate comes with the official season opener for the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team tonight against California (Pa.).

Sophomore forward Carlton Fay and freshman guard Torres Roundtree earned starting spots tonight after strong efforts against Southwest Baptist, and will join senior tri-captains Bryan Mullins, Tony Boyle and Wesley Clemmons. The rest of the Salukis' 2008 recruiting class has to earn their minutes after SIU needed a last-minute effort from its seniors to close the door on the Division II Bearcats 87-79.

Baptist trailed 82-64 with 1:38 to play at SIU Arena Thursday night, but got within four with 19 seconds to go before falling.

"We're not going to allow those runs to happen," SIU coach Chris Lowery said. "The veterans are going to be in quicker. They're going to have a shorter leash."

Lowery may still play all 11 guys that are available tonight against the Division II Vulcans, but likely won't take any big chances in the opening round of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. SIU must win tonight and Wednesday night against either Division II Arkansas-Monticello or Massachusetts to advance to the tournament's semifinals in New York City Nov. 20 and 21. The Boll Weevils and Minutemen square off at 5 p.m. tonight at SIU Arena. The winners play Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m., with the consolation game set for 3:30.

Arkansas-Monticello finished 17-12 last season and returns three starters. Senior Raymond Wright, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound center, was preseason All-Gulf South Conference West and is the Boll Weevils' leading returning scorer (16 points per game) and rebounder (9.4 per game).

UMass, under first-year coach Derek Kellogg, reached the postseason NIT finals before finishing 25-11. The Minutemen were picked sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll and return four starters. Guard Chris Lowe made the league's preseason first team, while backcourt mate Ricky Harris made the second team.

Tickets to tonight's doubleheader are $12 for adults and $8 for kids aged 3-years-old to high school. Wednesday night the tickets go up to $15 and $10, according to the SIU ticket office.

Duke, one of the three other host schools in the 2K Sports Classic, opened the tournament Monday night against Presbyterian. Michigan and UCLA, the other two host schools, open tonight and Wednesday night, respectively.

The Vulcans, out of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, finished 28-6 last season but lost three starters. Coach Bill Brown enters his 23rd year as a head coach and has a record of 383-224.

California reached the Division II Elite Eight last season, but lost its two top scorers and rebounders in 6-foot-6 forwards Alioune Mbaye and Ron Banks. Senior Julian Logan, a 6-5 guard that started 30 of the team's 34 games last season, is the team's leading returning scorer at 8.6 points per game. Fellow senior Jesse Brooks is expected to join Logan in the backcourt with 6-1 junior Jerial Nixon.

Samba Fall, a 6-9 senior forward, could be SIU's biggest challenge in the post. Fall, a transfer from Gardner-Webb, averaged 1.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in an average of 8.6 minutes last season. Gardner-Webb shocked Kentucky on the road last season to advance to the 2K Sports Classic semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

Fay averaged a team-best 15 points per game in SIU's two exhibitions, starting both games. Roundtree, who is expected to get his first official start tonight, scored 18 points in the two games.

"We expected (Carlton) to understand what we were doing, and, he is now. Unfortunately, we wanted him to do it last year, but he didn't," Lowery said. "Torres is an athlete. It's good to have a big, athletic guard on that other side; does a lot of different things. Then you've got the two veterans in Bryan and Wes, then you bring some explosive guys, offensively, off the bench, but they've got to realize that you've got to guard to play. That's something we're continuously focusing on."

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087