Quality Is Job 1

Please don't give me that junk that it will be "hard" for Dayton to beat SLU a third time! Of course it will be hard. It's hard to beat a team -- a decent one, anyway -- just once, let alone twice or three times. But it's most certainly possible. Over 10 years ago Cincinnati beat Memphis four times in that one season, sweeping them home and away during the conference season, beating them in the Great Midwest Tournament, and beating them in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Final Four. In fact, I think it got easier for Cincinnati the more times they beat Memphis -- and Memphis was a very good team that year. Saint Louis is better than Dayton this year, if you measure the teams by how they performed against their schedules, but for some reason the Flyers present a matchup problem for the Bills -- just as the Bills present a matchup problem for Xavier, which might be a better team than SLU. I hope the Bills do get another shot at Dayton Thursday, but it won't be easy for them to beat Dayton.

Bob Ramsey said that La Salle played at triangle znne and two defense against the Bills. They guarded Kevin Lisch and Anthony Drejaj (the only reliable shooters) man-to-man and played the other three in a triangle defense around Ian Vouyoukas.

Saint Joseph's is rather low in the A-10 standings. I believe the Selection Committee tends not to skip over teams in conference standings to grant an at-large bid.

The Bills have an excellent chance of running the table in the A-10 Tournament and getting to the NCAA Tournament, even if they don't win at La Salle. It might help that George Washingtom lost Mensah-Bonsu, but it also might hurt. GW is certainly in the Tournament, but their seed is at stake. If Pops can't return, then GW's seed might be lowered unless they can prove they can win without him. Hence, they may be extra motivated to win out. My main concern is the Billikens' youth. Tommie Liddell and Kevin Lisch are still freshmen, and postseason play is a whole different animal. Oh, I know they've heard they have to step up their games, but until they've actually experienced it, they don't really know what they have to do. It's their youth that significantly contributed to three losses the Bills should not have suffered this season: Richmond, Dayton, and Saint Joseph's. St. Joe's isn't so bad, but the Bills should have won it at home. Richmond and Dayton were road games a more experienced team would have won. The team has suffered some growing pains. They've gotten past them for now, but the tourney is a different level that they haven't experienced yet. I hope they don't stumble, having a poor shooting game, in their first A-10 Tourney game. If they can win that game, then I like their chances of winning it all. It's too bad they didn't have everything figured out prior to the Richmond game, because a 13-1 conference recond (19-7 overall), which is what their record would be if they had won those, would likely have them pretty confident about an at-large bid.

I was speaking of Nark's projection, not yours. I edited my post above.

Iggy will be right on, at 21-11 if the Bills lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

...with Nark's projection is that the Bills' next loss -- even if it comes in the NCAA Tournament -- will be their 11th.

They've already blown my projection out of the water. :-)

>The ONLY way we go to the NCAA Tournament is to run the >table both regular season AND in the conference tourney. >After tonight, and with Pops possibly out, that is not as >unlikely as it was a week or so ago. That's not true. Even if the Bills were to lose one (or both) of the two remaining regular season games, if they won the conference tournament, they would be in the NCAA Tournament.

I think it's very fitting. Don't focus on the "honey"; focus on the "badger." The player Lisch is defending is the "honey," and Lisch is badgering him. Regardless of whether folks like it, Bob Ramsey is going to keep using it, and many people will eventually become fond of it. Are most people fond of their nicknames or pet names when someone first gives it to them? But sometimes they grow on them, and it becomes like a trademark for them.

Having dished for 8 assists, to go along with 13 boards, Tommie should get credit for the college version of a triple-double. If in the NBA a player need only 10 assists to qualify for a WWW (triple-dub - ha!), then the number for college should be a little less. Well, even if you don't call it a triple-double, any performance which includes double digit points, double-digit rebounds, eight assists, and four steals with only one turnover, is remarkable.

>Also do you really think Brad is going to redshirt McQ? I >definitely think he should but SLU is so starved for outside >shooting I don't know how he can. But this proves my point >in a way because a Red Shirt on McQ would be perfect. Let >him settle into the program and the speed of D1 ball and >then bring him in ready to go when Polk graduates. Why do you call Dustin McGuire "McQ"? Should that be McG?

>If only the NCAA took 64 teams back in the 80's... > >27-10 - 88-89 >25-10 - 86-87 >21-12 - 89-90 Are you serious? The NCAA Tournament contained 64 teams each of those years. Keep in mind that in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons the Billikens' win totals were inflated by 5-1 runs in the NIT. In 1989 they were 22-9 on Selection Sunday, and in 1990 they were 16-11 (assuming the records you've listed here are accurate).

>What I really like is that the defense has started to jell >with this team. That will be the key to their success. >Good defense often leads to better offensive execution. >Confidence is growing, the future is bright. > >Imagine what we'd be thinking now if the Bills had pulled >off that GW game? Coach Soderberg discussed the improved commitment to defense by the team in his postgame interview with Bob Ramsey. That's the key to this team's success. Besides imagining what we'd be thinking if the Bills had made the one or two more plays (or free throws) necessary to win the George Washington game, imagine if they hadn't laid an egg against St. Joseph's? 8-1 and in first place by a half game over GW. The national media would be taking notice. This team has potential to ruffle some feathers this year and to make some noise next year. What I want to see is for a power forward to step up (Justin Johnson will be a senior next year, and maybe Obi Ikeakor will be pretty good -- and who knows, maybe the staff will land an impact player) and for Bryce Husak to become, as a junior, a player who could start. The Billikens could be a Sweet Sixteen squad if all those things came together. Ian Vouyoukas might be on the Wooden list. But let me finish enjoying this season first.

I'm pretty sure that Mutumbo and Mourning played simultaneously for significant minutes every game. Also, don't forget Shaquille O'Neal's freshman year at LSU when he and Stanley Roberts were twin towers for that squad, which also had Chris Jackson (who changed his name to something like Mamuud Abdul-Rauf). I believe that squad played in the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight.

...really not even worth responding to.

...it's Cusumano, not Cusamano.

Don't Mr. Wright and his fellow lawmakers have more important concerns?

The next broadcast of the Brad Soderberg show on KFNS will be January 9. That's what they said on the show Tuesday, December 27.

SLU fans have nothing to complain about. The Bills played a very good game against an elite team, and it took a spurt from an All-American to beat them. I think the Bills will play in the postseason this year and will make the NCAA Tournament next season, barring injury to key players. Why complain? It could be worse: you could be a Missouri fan, like me (wah!!) It has been a joy to follow the .500 Billikens; it has been torture to follow the .500 Tigers. They're about to put me in asylum.

He's got all the best gifts and is the brightest superstar ever. No one in the universe gets more hang time. He can take it to the hole like no other, and there's never been a better finisher in history.

It will be on Fox Sports Midwest, joined in progress at 8 p.m.

Wasn't Justin Love basically a 6-0 shooting guard?