Crewsorlose

Great press from The Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6923485/2025/12/29/college-basketball-best-mens-teams-players-games/ "Best Non-Conference play for Mid-Major" and ends with the line: "At this rate, Saint Louis will have a convincing at-large NCAA Tournament case even if it doesn’t win the A-10 tournament."

If you think it's probably we go 16-2, the team will be ranked in the polls. I disagree with Torch's pessimism about getting in the tourney but Torch is right about seeding. Schedule sucks too bad to be anything much better than an 8/9 seed.

USF went from 118 to 99 in NET.

No we don't. It's you and a few other posters who keep on using this loser mentality. The selection committee tries to do a good job of picking between schools. Dayton and VCU had OOC schedules that gave them plenty of opportunities. They crapped the bed. SLU has an easy OOC schedule and blew (almost) everyone out. SLU is in a position for an at large, provided they go something like 14-4 or 15-3 in league play. Majerus got Duke on the schedule because it was a one-off road game. Play Kansas in Lawrence with nothing coming back if you want a stronger SOS.

At least George Mason held on. Meanwhile in the WCC Marymount down 1 to a very good St. Mary's team late. USF down 2 to Seattle.

I don't think d-3 games factor into KenPom ratings.

Loser talk. Just schedule like Dayton and VCU but actually win a couple of those games.

I hope you're right. I secured 6 free tix and will be there with my 3 regular tickets so I'll be doing my part.

We may as well start charting it now. There's no mincing it: A-10 left a lot on the board with the OOC. Only 1 team top 50 in NET. 4 teams are sub-200. Not much is going to change before league play. Latest Bracketology has SLU as an AQ and a 10 seed. The 10 seed line bodes well for getting an at-large bid. VCU is listed as "next 4 out." My sense is that a regular season championship along the lines of 14-4 or 15-3 probably puts either of those teams in line for an at-large. Dayton & GW blew too many chances. Mason didn't do enough with a putrid schedule. SLU needs to root like hell for Stanford and Santa Clara. LMU just out of the top 135 (141), which would give us a Q2 road win. https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/bracketology/ncaa-bracketology-2026-march-madness-men-field-predictions

That's paid attendance. Crowd closer to 3000-4000

With all due respect, this is a joke. There won't be more than 6,000 people there. The 1500 SLU undergrads who live within 45 minutes of campus and can go for free aren't showing up. Fat cats who never give away their tickets aren't coming. There won't be more than 300 faculty and staff who take advantage. Youth CYC coaches can get four free tickets, which I took advantage of. People will stay home to watch Michigan-Texas and to get ready for the OSU-Miami game. Nobody's showing up before 1/14 and 1/17 Lasalle, when if the team is 14-1 and ranked, people will turn out.

SLU no doubt hurt by disappointing A-10 showing in the non-con. But that just means the conference isn't that goo and it should be easier to win. A-10 has mostly the bed in their big chances. Let's hope the next two weeks yield as many wins as possible

All of the talk about how unfair NET is goes away by winning and winning by margins. Excited for 12/31.

Amen. Swallow the pride and take a road-road or road-neutral series at Mizzou. You have nothing to lose.

SLU is ranked 28 in NET, 41 in KenPom, Lunardi has moved us up to a 10 seed, and is tied for 33rd in the coaches' poll. Whatever coaches have been voting for us will most likely keep doing so until we lose. I don't know what counts as "buzz" given that 50% written about the college basketball season has to do with the top five freshmen, but by many metrics we're generating buzz.