Bay Area Billiken

Seattle U wants to rejoin the WCC after leaving Division 1 in the early '80's. Seattle U is coached by former UCLA guard and former SLU Asst. Coach Cameron Dollar, and Seattle U's AD is the former AD at San Francisco (USF). Seattle U plays its games at Key Arena, the former home of the SuperSonics of the NBA. The word is that Gonzaga is balking about letting Seattle U back in the WCC, as Gonzaga from Spokane in Eastern Washington, has established a bit of a foothold in Seattle, in Western Washington. Gonzaga and Seattle U are both Jesuit schools. But the WCC will need a 10th team once BYU joins. Besides Seattle U, another possibility is to return charter member Pacific (UOP of Stockton, CA) to the WCC. UOP left for football, but has since and much later, canceled its football program.

LOL!

I think both are good comparisons, especially the 92-93 one. In 96-97, the big star, Larry Hughes, was still a high school Senior at CBC and on the way to SLU for the next season. In both cases, there were high hopes for the following season, much like the current status at SLU. I was at that famous SIU game at The Arena in the year SLU under Spoon turned the corner. After surviving the 4 years of Ekker, which corresponded with my 4 SLU undergraduate years, there might have been some tears in my eyes when I saw them taking off the covers from those seats on the north end up in the rafters. It was Billiken Heaven that night. A crowd of over 17,000 fans was at that game. We went to the then Calico's on Laclede before that SIU game. SLU was undefeated, and my friend asked me how many fans I thought would be there that night. My response was 10,000. When they took those covers off those seats, it was Billiken Heaven for me, like we were on our way to the Promised Land, which we were.

The other thing about the WCC is that BYU is on the way to the league. BYU is #1 in the RPI in that cbssports.com version. BYU is coming off a sweep of San Diego State (#4 RPI nationally). I saw San Diego State play Cal in Berkeley, and the Aztecs blew out Cal on Cal's home court, which rarely happens. SDSU has a lot of talent under Coach Steve Fisher. So BYU (LDS) will be joining the 7 Catholic schools and 1 Churches of Christ school (Pepperdine) in the new WCC. BYU plays in that 22,000 seat Marriott Center. The biggest facility in the existing WCC is the 7,000 seat Jenny Craig Center at USD. At first I wondered about this, but now I think BYU will really make this league that much stronger. I've posted this before, but I really like the way these WCC teams play, up and down, fast paced action. It's not like there's no defense, but sometimes these games are like increasing the speed of the windshield wipers (to borrow a line from the late Curt Gowdy in referring to the Cards' Bob Gibson).

The WCC Tournament format was instituted after Gonzaga, then a #1 seed, complained about having to play the #8 seed, then Portland, in a first round, RPI killer game. So yes, after first thinking it was whining, this format is good IMO and protects the regular season more, without hurting top seeds' RPI's for NCAA at large bid purposes. The 2 top seeds (#1 St. Mary's and #2 Gonzaga) get double byes, the #3 (USF) and #4 (Santa Clara) seeds get first round single game byes, and the 5-8 seeds would have to win 4 games to win the Tournament and get the automatic bid. St. Mary's looked fantastic the two times I saw the Gaels in person against USF, but then St. Mary's lost at lowly San Diego (USD) and in the bracket buster at home in Moraga against Utah State from the WAC. Gonzaga started slow, losing to all 3 Bay Area teams (at USF, at SCU, and SMC in Spokane), but since has played like a desperate team and is hot again, with talent to boot. Gonzaga won the big rematch in OT last TH night over the Gaels in Moraga and tied for the regular season title, with SMC winning the tiebreaker by virtue of beating USF twice. Portland, as SLU knows, has a pretty good team, and is hurt the most this year by the format as the #5 seed. As for #4 Santa Clara, the benefit is SCU will probably get Portland in the quarterfinals without having to play the day before, whereas Portland will be playing LMU, the #8 seed. And those 5-8 seeds could rise up to pull off an upset. USF is probably looking at playing #6 Pepperdine in the quarters, and they split this season. Yes, there are 2 USF's, but the one out here was in place first. They even have the same colors- green and gold. USF, the CA version, is building back its program under Rex Walters. War Memorial Gym has been renovated and is a good place to watch a game, with 2 NCAA Championship banners hanging in the rafters, along with retired numbers for Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Phil Smith, and others. The last time USF was really this good was before the self-imposed 3 year hiatus, 1 surprise NCAA bid since notwithstanding. The Dons have some good young talent now.

Adding SLU opponents: NCAA: 5 Duke, 22 Xavier, 41 Missouri State, 30 Temple, 40 Southern Miss (prediction here is NIT for USM); NIT: 61 Richmond, 66 Dayton, 72 Ole Miss, 79 Rhode Island; CBI/CIT: 94 Portland, 99 Duquesne, 111 IUPUI, 115 St. Bonaventure, 126 Austin Peay. Per the RPI at cbssports.com, SLU's RPI is 183.

What is this guy's goal? Does he want SLU off the air entirely? Comparing SLU's ratings with the Three Stooges might be funny in one sense, but it is a low blow in another. Where did this guy go to school? ... Obviously TV ratings are going to be down for a team that's had a tough year. Agree this is piling on. Personal foul, 15 yard penalty.

Using the RPI at CBSSports.com, and the daily free sites are diminishing, the Big East would have 11 teams in the NCAA, with the 11th being the last team in, #52 Marquette. I know the NCAA claims it doesn't extend bids by conferences, but when it comes to the end of the field, is that claim really meritorious? Right now per the RPI, the ACC would only have 4 teams in, and 2 of them #46 Boston College and #48 Florida State, are bubble teams. #53 Virginia Tech would be the first team out, but the Hokies are probably in after beating Duke, which would give the ACC its 5th team. The Big Ten would only have 5 teams, and that includes freefalling #42 Michigan State, but excludes #56 Penn State, #58 Michigan, and #60 Minnesota (also freefalling). The Big 12 has 5, the SEC has 5, and the Pac-10 has 3. The Mountain West has 4, but I could see the 4th team, Colorado State (RPI 47) being shifted to Virginia Tech. C-USA is a target with 3, with #40 Southern Miss as the 3rd team. In are #32 UAB and #34 Memphis. The A-10 (Xavier and Temple in, with #61 Richmond out), the CAA (George Mason and Old Dominion), the Horizon (#39 Cleveland State and #45 Butler), the Missouri Valley (#41 Mo. State and #50 Wichita State), and the Ivy League (#44 Harvard and #51 Princeton) would have 2 teams. Will the Ivy really get 2 teams? Juan Bid is knocking at the door of the WCC, especially if #1 seed St. Mary's (RPI #49) wins the WCC Tournament; #65 Gonzaga would be out. But my prediction based upon my in person "eye test," is that the Zags will win the WCC Tournament and take the automatic NCAA bid. Then St. Mary's would be on the bubble for an at-large, which would be 50:50 at best. #28 Missouri and #38 Illinois are both in. A team I follow out here, #120 San Francisco (USF) has a good shot at either the CBI or CIT. Coach Rex Walters is getting the job done at USF, which has a young team that should make some noise the next 2 years. USF is a team that SLU should consider scheduling.

Is the NCAA still using that mysterious "entire body of work" criterion? I still think that irrespective of what is said, the NCAA still largely follows the RPI, with about 3 variances per year, usually to the benefit of a BCS school. Even with 68 teams, the NCAA cuts off at about RPI 51, and it will pinch further once the inevitable upsets develop in the non-BCS high to mid-majors. Will the MVC get 2 teams (Mo. State and Wichita State) or 1? Will a UNI or Creighton rise up to take the automatic bid? Will the WCC get 2 teams (St. Mary's and Gonzaga)? Or will Juan Bid make an unwelcome visit to the Catholic Left Coast? Will the A-10 get 3 teams, with Richmond joining Xavier and Temple? The Colonial, C-USA, and the Horizon League are in similar situations.

Xavier and Tempe are in, but Richmond is on the wrong side of the bubble right now IMO. That Richmond RPI is still not where it needs to be for a non-BCS at large bid. For the A-10 to get 3 teams, I think someone other than Xavier or Temple will have to win the A-10 Tournament, and with it in Atlantic City, it is a de facto home court for Temple. Other conferences are fighting for more teams- Horizon (Cleveland State and Butler), WCC (St. Mary's and Gonzaga), MVC (Mo. State and Wichita State), etc. This being said, I think Richmond deserves an NCAA bid. But even with the expansion to 68 teams, I doubt an RPI of 62 in a non-BCS league will be good enough.

Evans had 16 points and 12 rebounds. SLU was only 4-13 at the free throw line. SLU freshmen scored 44 of SLU's 61 points: Evans 16, McCall 13, Loe 12 (4-7 on 3 pointers), and Jett 3. I am very impressed with Evans, who I think is a potential up and coming star. He is the best player at that position for SLU since Ricky Frazier's freshman season at SLU. Roland Gray was somewhat similar, but had a bigger body frame. In some ways I see Evans as a cross between Roland Gray and Monroe Douglass, but really he is more like Ricky Frazier.

I don't drink Kool-Aid. SLU has lost a lot of games due to the lack of a go to guy at crunch time. SLU has been in most of the games, especially at home, and gave Xavier and Temple strong games on the road. SLU could have easily won at GW and at home against URI and LaSalle. Absent zebra intervention, SLU wins at Temple. SLU can play with any team in this league, and hopefully with a full roster next season, will be a conference favorite.

Even in this lost season, SLU can play with any team in this league. Many of the losses resulted from having no go to man at crunch time.

Evans has star potential, if he's allowed to play his game.

Cardiac Billikens 61 Charlotte 56, a much needed win. Freshmen Evans (another double double) and McCall came up big.

KC missed a shot and looks gun-shy.

31-31 Half.

Rams coach is at the game, in first row behind Bob Ramsey.

SLU can't guard these Charlotte guards one on one, again can't stop the dribble drive penetration. SLU needs to try an active zone, but it won't happen. Need for a zone is obvious from far away.

Back in those Dark Ages, fellow students said that the Student Activities Fee in our tuition covered the "free" admission to the games. During the Ekker Era, we didn't even have tickets, as I recall. You just showed your student ID at the turnstile at the Checkerdome and were allowed passage. Getting a good seat was rarely an issue. Our seats were usually in the first row on the baseline perpendicular to the opponent's bench. We used to implore Denny Crum to put Marty Pulliam in the game, and cracked up the Louisville bench in the process. Crum acted like he didn't hear us, but we know he did.

LOL- Let's hope not. Another answer: No.

When Dwayne Evans has monster games like this, I have memories of my first SLU game in person, back in 1978 at the old Kiel against Tulane, and a soon to be Metro Conference Freshman of the Year, #32 Ricky Frazier. I've compared Evans to a first 5-10 minutes of the game #30 Craig Shaver. But when Evans plays like he did today, he's like Ricky Frazier. He's not a Frazier yet, but he is getting there. I'm very impressed with Dwayne Evans.

Taj has mentioned Jeff Harris in similarity to Evans. I think Evans is more fluid. Going back to my freshman year at SLU, Evans reminds me of Craig Shaver, the first 5-10 minutes of the game of Craig Shaver. Evans could be a big star, if he is allowed to be in this offense.

Horrible, agreed. As expected, A-10 refs need to protect the potential NCAA bid.

Refs have called at least 3 offensive fouls on Richmond, on screens. Salechich air balls a 3. But then scores a layup.