Pistol

It's a combination of those incentives and fugaze early on, followed by actual investment in generating interest in athletics. I think you could argue that the past 7 or so seasons are the result of continued investment and marketing (here's an article from around the time it turned). Before that, it was completely inorganic. And even now, there's something a little uncanny about all of it. It's weird that May holds GCU in such high regard and then doesn't use any of their more recent strategies in building and maintaining fan interest. As for the people saying "who cares" about their status, I just think it's odd that we're in a system that allows for-profit colleges to compete in athletics directly with non-profit colleges. I guess it's a fine line between being ITT Tech and getting shut down by the DOE for fraud and being GCU and making a few different strategic decisions to get treated like a legitimate college. If we had a fan base that wasn't so soft, we would use the mountains of unflattering stories about GCU as fuel to go after them in Chaifetz this weekend. But we don't, so we won't. And apparently we even have people willing to carry water for GCU, which is just sad.

I care about SLU. Harvard and SLU operate under the same model, with Harvard being the most extreme example of a well funded not-for-profit university. If you care about SLU, you shouldn't be rooting against Harvard. Grand Canyon should be treated as a peer of DeVry, Capella, or Antonelli, because that's what it is. Instead, its image has been laundered by being allowed to compete in the NCAA, Mountain West, etc. These places can serve a purpose, but there should be more transparency, not less.

SLU should be in regardless. A win goes a long way in seeding and home field advantage, though. They played to a scoreless draw after SLU drew a straight red card about 20 minutes into the previous match. I'd like to think they'll come out hungry - and hopefully more disciplined - this time.

Tell that to their stock ticker (Nasdaq: LOPE). Or their SEC filings. The IRS granted GCU 501(c)(3) status in May, which allows it to operate in a grey area as a non-profit university run by a for-profit corporation. From the most recent 10-K: "Grand Canyon Education, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“GCE” or the “Company”) is a publicly traded education services company dedicated to serving colleges and universities. GCE has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide services to these institutions on a large scale. GCE’s most significant university partner is Grand Canyon University (“GCU”), an Arizona non-profit corporation that operates a comprehensive regionally accredited university that offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs, emphases and certificates across ten colleges both online and on ground at its campus in Phoenix, Arizona and at eight off-campus classroom and laboratory sites. As of December 31, 2024, GCE provided education services and support to approximately 127,150 students with more than 123,100 students enrolled in GCU’s programs, emphases and certificates." The non-profit status came in tandem with the DOJ dropping 8-figure claims against GCE/GCU for fraudulent practices. Both of these things were possible due to the change in presidential administration (this is not a statement of political opinion, so please no one derail this thread; it is all out in the open). Almost 80% of GCU students are online students. The official GCU website has a feature called "Is Grand Canyon University a Diploma Mill?" There's an endless supply of articles written about GCU's profit-driven practices over the years. Bottom line is that GCU itself is now technically considered not-for-profit, but it is a subsidiary of a publicly traded company whose revenues are derived primarily from GCU's operations. To call it a non-profit is misleading.

That's part of the "Jim Crews" of it all. The more of Stone's players that cycled out, the more performance dropped off - without the late-season surge that made her first two seasons successful.

I have a hard time calling Tillett a bad hire since she is the only coach to take this program to an NCAA Tournament and followed it with a WNIT title the next season. She did it with a lot of key players left over from Stone, though, and last season and this season now have me wondering if she's just the next Jim Crews.

AK scored 6 of SLU's first 7 points and then finished with 11 on 5-7 shooting. I understand that opponents adjust but clearly there was a mismatch not being exploited enough as the game went on. This should've been a 20-and-10 breakout game for her. If you take AK's 5-7 shooting out, SLU was 12-49 from the field - under 25%. Clock management has been a huge problem with this team, not just in the early going this season but in the last few seasons, as well. They burn too much clock in late-game situations (or even just in the last minute of each quarter) and the guards throw up some prayer and hope for the best. I can't explain the decision making coming from the guards or the sideline. Good luck to the Screaming Eagles the rest of the way.

She's being punished for her size.

To be fair, SLU is also finding its offense. Just not quite as much.

Dayton is now 14/69 (.203) from 3 through the first 3 games. Their slow, methodical offensive style is built around being able to make 3-pointers at a high rate. I'm guessing they'll start to find their shot over the course of the non-conference season but if they don't, they're probably not a top-4 A10 team.

He's definitely been on campus but I don't know if he ever actually took his OV here or not.

Another visitor last night to go with BBB and Fred Smith: J'Dyn Lloyd - SG, 6-6, 195 - Belleville, IL (Belleville West) - AAU: SW IL Jets - Twitter: @EasymoneyJ24 Offers: Tulsa, SIUC, Missouri State, Western Michigan, SIUE, Kennesaw State. Interest: Saint Louis, Marquette, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Indiana State, Murray State, UIC, Northern Illinois, Sam Houston State, SEMO, East Tennessee State, South Dakota State, South Dakota, Kansas City, Cal State-Fullerton, Lipscomb, Long Island, Radford. Latest News: Lloyd attended the SLU-SEMO game. (11/4/25) Scouting Report: Lloyd is a long, athletic, smart two-way shooting guard who scores on three levels. He's tough to stop when he's going downhill and finishes above the rim. He can shoot the 3. He has excellent vision and playmaking ability. He's a matchup problem at both ends. His length and shot blocking ability stand out defensively.

Fred Smith, Jr. was at the game last night. SLU apparently offered months ago and I missed it. Fred Smith, Jr. - F, 6-7, 220 - Memphis, TN (Briarcrest Christian) - AAU: P7 Elite (Under Armour Association) - Twitter: @FredSmithJR Offers: Saint Louis, VCU, Villanova, Missouri, Ole Miss, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, San Diego State, Memphis, San Diego, Toledo, Tennessee State, UMBC, Oral Roberts, Radford. Interest: Creighton, Stanford, UAB, San Francisco, Cornell, Columbia, Northern Kentucky, Furman, Wofford, William & Mary, Siena, Southern Miss, Arkansas State, Kennesaw State, Jacksonville. Latest News: Smith attended the SLU-SEMO game. (11/4/25) Scouting Report: Smith is a big, versatile two-way player who can slot into any position. He has most frequently played on the wing and the interior and excels at exploiting mismatches. He has a reliable jumper, can put it on the floor and drive, and post up depending on the defensive matchup. He's a great passer. He hits the glass and defends. Rankings - Rivals: 97, 247Sports: 80, 247Sports Composite: 82, Prep Hoops: 50, ESPN: 84.

No one wants to play MNSTD! I just looked it up and the first name was Southeast Missouri State Normal School, then the name under which they played SLU, then Southeast Missouri State Teachers College, then Southeast Missouri State College, and finally Southeast Missouri State University. If there were ever a trivia question about the first opponent SLU ever played, I wonder if SEMO would be an acceptable answer or if you'd need the 1915 name.