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So, kind of an old man type of complaint here - but has anyone else been frustrated with the amount of people that walk to their seats during play? I sit in 115 and it is amazing how many times during a game we have to look around people going down the stairs at mid-court or sit there waiting for people to get to their seats as the whole row stands up in front of them, so we miss the action. I always have considered it stadium etiquette to wait until a stop in play until I go to my seats. Am I alone with this?

By this point we probably all know that our Billikens are in the middle or back on the bubble. Since January and the first half of conference play is nearing its end I thought I’d make a post showing who we want to lose so we can jump them as we hopefully win. First, these are the teams that unless they lose almost all remaining games will be in the tournament in March: AMER: Houston, Wichita St A10: Dayton ACC: Duke, Louisville, Florida St Big 12: Baylor, Kansas, WVU Big East: S Hall, Villanova, Butler, Creighton, Marquette Big Ten: Mich St, Maryland, Iowa, Illinois, Rutgers, Ohio State, Penn St PAC 12: Arizona, Oregon, Colorado SEC: Kentucky, LSU, Auburn Other: Gonzaga, San Diego State -This adds up to 29 teams that will certainly make the tournament. -22 leagues will likely have only one bid and no teams on the bubble -This leaves a total of 17 spots left for the bubble teams -Obviously this can change but here are the 28 teams that are competing for the last 17 spots, or in other words, who to root against in the next 7 weeks, sorted by NET ranking ————— Stanford , Arkansas , BYU , Wisconsin , St Mary’s, Michigan , Purdue , Florida , Texas Tech , VCU , USC , Alabama , Minnesota , Indiana , Washington , Oklahoma , Rhode Island , Miss St, V-Tech , Memphis , Arizona St , Cincy , Virginia , NC State , Xavier , DePaul , St Louis, and Tulsa —————

Not sure why he'd want to leave a National Championship team just to try and make a Final 4.

A 6'3 guard averaging 11 boards a game wasn't likely. A freshman point guard averaging the most assists in 30 years wasn't likely. Going 15-5 while being without Thatch for 15 games and Jimerson for 10, wasn't likely. This is the most unlikely Billiken team I've ever seen. Win or lose, I really dig these kids.

i love seeing the kids go for the balls and tshirts. little billikens in the making. why not encourage it. lot of the people near me if they catch a ball or a shirt they will hand to one of those kids in the aisle and to see the look on that kid's face light up is marvelous.

So far this week these are the bubble game results: Monday: - NC State lost v. UNC - Wisconsin lost @ Iowa Tuesday: - Cincy won v. SMU - Miss St won @ Florida - Rhody won @ G Mason - Michigan won @ Nebraska - VCU won v. Richmond - Virginia won v. Florida St - VTech lost @ Miami - Purdue lost @ Rutgers

people coming late and people leaving early really p!ss me off. people were actually leaving near the end of regulation of the dayton game. wtf!? how bad can traffic be. and typically it is the same f's leaving early all the time. just amazes me.

Don't be mad just because those kids shove you out of the way.

Stop whining. They have perfect form to toss balls and shirts to row J in 108. My boys have enough stuff to open a fan shop.

Those little b@stards must be working with Hornett

https://www.scoopswithdannymac.com/scott-highmark/ Scoops interview with Scott Highmark. 13 minutes worth your time. Great comments about staying home and playing (and then living) in St.Louis.

His hate of Mickey is one of my favorite things on this board TBH

i think French is nursing some kind of injury... he just hasn't been the same for awhile now

YOULL SEE.. YOULL ALL SEE!!!

I'd just like to point out that the Blues won the Stanley Cup only because I was listening to The Jealous Sound's album "Kill Them With Kindness" when we won the 1st game against Winnepeg. So I listened to it all game, every game through game 7 of the Finals. It's not crazy if it works.

I don't appreciate you telling me my luck socks have no bearing on the games outcome.

Yeah, this was driving me nuts at the Dayton game. 1. If you walk to your seat during gameplay, you're rude and stupid. 1a. There are a lot of rude and stupid people. 2. The ushers are clearly not being trained to handle this properly. If you're not 100% butt in seat when gameplay resumes, fine, it happens. But don't start going down/up the stairs until there's a whistle. Might actually be a worthwhile topic to bring up to arena/gameday management in the offseason. Who manages the ushers? Spectra?

Ufff, this GDT title reeks of a loss.

He had 108 points through 10 games, for 10.8 PPG. If we play the fewest games possible - 32, based on 31 scheduled and 1 A10 Tournament game - he was on pace to score 346 points. This would've put him 6th all time among freshman scorers, between Anthony Bonner (360) and Roland Gray (344). If we play another game or two, he would've had a good chance to finish above Bonner and chase fourth (Scott Highmark, 369) or third (Willie Becton, 376). I'm not sure how the SLU record book will handle his bonus 10-game freshman season if he gets the extra season we expect and plays all four remaining years, so I'm not going to factor that in yet. (By the way, if we ever get another freshman who can challenge Larry Hughes' 670, look out. Second place for freshman is Monroe Douglass, with 406. Hughes' mark is not only the freshman record, it's the all-time SLU single-season scoring record.)

He's the biggest Pantene pro in the league.

I have thought often that during t-shirt and ball tosses, they should put the cheerleaders between the 100 level and the 200 level and have them toss stuff both directions. With where my seats are, my kids have about 25 Billiken balls and we have more t-shirts that we can handle. The people in the first so many rows don't need anymore free merch. I have a policy now with my kids. They can wave their hands around and try to catch a ball or a t-shirt, but if they do, they bring it to me, and then I chuck it to some kids I find in the 200 level.

People going to their seats mid game never happened when the Billikens played at Savis / Scottrade because the ushers used the same policy as when the Blues were playing. Wait for a stoppage in the action.

GJ will be in the league before he even gets a chance to think about GTing

I’m with you on this. Another issue I have is the children that run down towards the front during giveaway tosses. I probably did something like that back in the day so I guess I can’t be too upset. I also blame the cheerleaders for not being able to throw past row N.

??? The Bills beat Richmond on the road 74-58 just a few weeks ago. I wonder what the score would have been if the two teams weren’t so evenly matched?

Tulsa is in caps, meaning they're winning their conference. He did this for Duquesne earlier in the year. The fact that they're a 12 seed means that they're close to the bubble anyway. They still play Wichita twice and Houston once. But if they go 12-4 in a conference like that, they probably will be deserving.

Different fractures require different recovery times. There is no use in dealing with averages here. He had a metatarsal fracture (5th if I recall correctly) which is neither a weight bearing joint not a difficult and lengthy recovery, he was also pinned which speeds things up. It is OK for him to exercise to maintain muscle mass and strength at this time. I see no issue here, and I am sure his PT does not either.

We have a chance to be a perennial top 40 program by the time Jimerson's a senior. Stars don't transfer out of the Wichita States and VCUs of the world. Status seekers jump from lower level programs.

How you got that from what I said is shocking. The example is you saying that you were intending to not do something that you clearly did. I'm not saying you're a troll because I don't think you are but that was a solid troll style post.

There are three components that must be met for the ball to be in the front court: the ball and two feet on the floor in the front court. If a player was in the back court when the ball was last touched, it's not considered in the front court when crossing the line until it either touches the floor in the front court or a player with both feet in the front court touches it. (https://ncaambb.arbitersports.com/Groups/104883/Library/files/BR15.pdf)

Here's hoping TF and staff can get us a couple of mini-Jimerson's (or Jimerson-lites, if you prefer). I don't hold out any hope that we will be able to recruit any GJ level shooters, but I hope we can get some who are close to that level. I don't know how TF was able to sneak Jimerson under the radar to get him to SLU.

As a side note ....had GJ made 1 more 3 he would have qualified to make my Top 100 ITN for 3s that I put at the end of every report card. He finished with 24. You need 25 or be on pace for 25 to be eligible to make the top 100. Had he made 1 more he would be currently ranked at 83rd ITN. He is definitely an elite shooter.

Come conference tournament time we'll also have to root for no upsets in what would be 1 bid conferences (SOCON, MVC, etc.) because the top teams in those leagues are going to get in anyway, the fewer "stolen" bids, the better.

Scotty Highmark- One of the all-time greats! A class act!

Hyland is unconscious from 3. Fred will be back in game shape when we play VCU, right?

Agreed, that was fun.

Even if Richmond loses, they’ll stay top 75.

Richmond, the underdog. Keep our Q1 win.

Justin Johnson most definitely would NOT help this team. Or any team.

Goodwin's shooting has improved fairly significantly year over year. He's hitting mid range jump shots pretty regularly; more so than in past seasons. Plus, he used to be able to shoot foul shots. You know he'll be working hard in the off season, so I'd expect future improvement, hopefully, in 3P% and FT%. Yr PT FG% 3P% FT% 19/20 15.6 47.7 28.3 52.7 18/19 10.5 40.3 26.3 51.1 17/18 11.5 37.2 23.5 69.1

January 27 Coach's Show with Rammer Coach never met Kobe Bryant yet he said the news was very hard on him. Talked about the extra workouts, the 4:30 am shooting drills, the 3x a day workouts by Kobe. 'You don' become great by doing the stuff that everyone else is doing. You need to do extra, go beyond what your coaches ask you.' Coach points to Goodwin as SLU's example of someone doing the 'extra'. Rammer stated Ford does the 'extra' in recruiting. Ford says he recruits smarter now, not putting in as much time as he used to, but putting in quality time instead of quantity. Strickland is having a 'wonderful' season per Rammer and Ford. The Junior HS class in St. Louis is 'off the charts' and Ford and his staff are putting in time with them, knowing three top Billikens will need to be replaced. Discussed Davidson and Fordham: Davidson has an 85% win percentage at home. "Film review after the game, BAD, BAD, BAD. But with 10 minutes to go we were tied. We stood around too much in Davidson, no screening, no cutting. We still play every team above us in the standings except Richmond. We have only played 3 or 4 games 'at our best' and we need to find it now. We are in the middle of the pack in most stats (except FT - last, and rebounds - first). We have to find that next level." Fordham: they do everything in their power to keep the games in the 50's or 60's (because they can't score). Thought the team focus was better here than at Davidson. Goodwin was locked in, back at All Conference level. He was doing things that don't show up on the stat sheet. Talked about Yuri's last foul, 'he got run over'. Staff has to tell Ford to give Yuri a break. "Love Josh Hightower. His work ethic is amazing in practice. I have no hesitation in putting him in a game. But I wasn't happy with him last night, with a TO and a bad shot. And I told him about it. He will be playing a big role in Feb, giving Yuri breaks. He is a great defender with his long arms." Perkins and Weaver, aren't starting, but that could change. Weaver got to where he was a liability on D. The staff pointed this out, Weaver flipped it, and now is getting back to being a complete player. Fordham's zone took away Perkins best shooting spots. They have a PG fill in the middle. You can't play into the middle against their zone. You have to go to the 'flood zones' (which I think are the corners or edges). Philly trip: Team leaves tomorrow. They are staying over between games. They will have study hall on the off days. LaSalle is having a 'white out' on Wednesday. Talked about last year's blow out at St. Joe. LaSalle has played most of the upper A10 teams (Dayton, VCU, Richmond, and Rhode Island), hence their poor record. LaSalle leads the league in steals in conference games. Talked to Michael Wilson Director of Operations, who is in charge of everything on trips. Big discussion on a cookie tray missing on a trip.....Strength and Conditioning coach nixed them. Had ice cream and cookies before the Richmond game..big win. How many Philly Cheese Steaks? Likely will get them after one of the games, if the S and C Coach let's him. Nothing on Jacobs or Thatch.

It is definitely to his credit that he is not forcing up a bunch of forced shots.

Game day bump w/streams

Collin and Zach, Thanks for the podcast. Good discussion and you make some fair points but some of your analysis was a little off in places. I was at the game and here are my thoughts about it. First, Davidson did triple team Has' when he received it in the post but they did it in a way that Has' was strongly double-teamed to the point where he had no place to move and they put the third defender in position to take away the passing lane in front of the rim. Once there was no cutter entering the lane, the third defender collapsed on Has' and he was in a desperation situation. slu72 pointed out that we should have brought Has' to the foul line to either find a cutter if anyone cuts, or he can drive more effectively from there. I agree that we don't send any cutters in the lane when Has' is double-teamed on the block which we should, but there were just no openings at all for him to move or pass. This was just excellent coaching by McKillop and now is the template for how to stop Has'. Also, Davidson didn't use the zone much at all. It was almost all man D and Davidson just shut us down. Has' needs to develop a pull-up 6 to 8 footer but for some reason he hasn't. For all his ability to handle the ball, drive, and spin to the rack, he is a one-trick pony when it comes to his offensive game. He is no threat to shoot from anywhere but within 3' of the rim. One thing about his shot attempts that bugs me is that he'll often receive the ball on the right block, begin to pivot to the left, his shooting hand side, then spin the other way, shoot a shot from 2' further away with his off-hand and miss. Just not smart basketball. His percentage on those shots is awful. Maybe in other games some of his shot attempts would have been called fouls but not Wednesday night. The best way to beat Davidson was for us to get Brajkovic in foul trouble and, for one reason or another, we couldn't do it. Another thing I noticed is how ineffective Hargrove was offensively. Despite his great athleticism, he is basically a standstill offensive player. He just doesn't seem to have great ball skills, doesn't create his own shot, and isn't a pure shooter. I believe he can develop the skills to do this but it's not there now. Zach, you were absolutely right in describing Davidson's offense versus ours. I often ask the question, what is our offense designed to create, and most of the time I'm stumped. You're right in that it's time to end the Jacob's starting experiment and go with Perkins as a starter with Weaver getting 15 to 20 minutes a game, more if he's hot from the arc. Defensively, our guards were abused by Gudmundsson, Grady, and Carter Collins. One reason for that is that both Gudmundsson and Grady are 6'5 and Collins is 6'3. They took advantage of the height difference all night. The first problem is that Jacobs at 6'2 has the potential to defend either of them but he is so ineffective offensively he has to sit. Then, you've got either Weaver or Collins guarding players 5-7" taller than them. You said that Davidson's guards don't drive but both Grady and Gudmundsson took both off the dribble and either scored, shot over them, or drew fouls. The other thing is that Carter Collins, the player who replaced Frampton in the lineup is better than Frampton. Collins is a much better defender and just as good a shooter. As far as the rebounding goes, keep in mind that 40% of the FG attempts in the game were three point attempts and 65% were missed. As usual, many of the misses resulted in long rebounds that Davidson tracked down before we did. This doesn't mean we weren't hustling, it's just that sometimes the ball bounces the other team's way more often than not. I've always thought that long rebounds as a result of missed threes is one of the uncontrollable variables in a game as you just never know to what part of the court the ball will carom to and which player will be there when it does. As far as Collin's concern about Perkins not rebounding, that's not the problem. Between French and Goodwin, there just aren't that many rebounds left to get. Also, you can't send 4 guys to the offensive board as you have to have one or two players back to stop the fast break. Most teams send either two or three players to the offensive glass and the other players rotate back to stop transition. At any rate, it was a game where Davidson embarrassed us and exposed all of our weaknesses. Travis was acting like a maniac on the sidelines way more than usual, and I thought it was a bad look. I hope he can calm down enough to figure out some ways to maximize our strengths and cover up some of the weaknesses. Time to earn that cash, Coach.

Clearly not...neither of them will have their last year of eligibility be their 5th year in college. My concern is I don't necessarily think it's safe to say we will be on the level of Wichita State and VCU in 3 years. I really hope we are, but I don't think it's crazy to think we might not be. If we are, I have no fears of GJ leaving a top A10 team.

It's going to break our hearts when Gibson Jimerson transfers back home to Virginia as a grad-transfer and shoots UVA into a final 4.** **Not meant as troll just genuine fear I have of GJ being the perfect grad-transfer candidate down the road.