Billikens_Fanatic

Also, what's it saying when a player who is naturally a 2 has not only converted nicely to a 1, but well enough that he could possibly break the all time assist record and is second in steals. Throw in stifling defense and consistent free throw shooting, and you have a pretty complete player. I will sorely miss Josh for all his contributions and his leadership. Good luck Fish, as well as Chris, Ross, and Phil. Thanks for the memories!

I wouldn't be suprised if Harrick offered a dictated exam as well to accommodate those who couldn't read... Those questions would be deemed too easy by most principals evaluating elementary school Phys Ed teachers. At the collegiate level, this is just an embarrassment.

I believe Shortal has graduated with a degree in International Business. I'm not sure if he's in grad school or employed now.

I unfortunately have not seen the Cardinal play this year. Obviously their record speaks for itself though, and they've had to deal with injuries on top of it. I think their comeback against Arizona might be the most exciting last 20 seconds of a basketball game this year.

I still don't understand why St. Joe's isn't getting much respect from many. They're still being constantly criticized for being soft on the inside, not rebounding well, etc. They have great shooters, a great all around player in Delonte West, a helluva coach in Martelli, and the player of the year, IMO, in Jameer Nelson. For any team to win all of its games in any conference is impressive, and they should be commended for not letting their weaknesses get the best of them, rather than being criticized for such. St. Joe's, in my mind, is the team to beat this year.

For all those interested, I saw signs on campus today advertising a pregame party tonight, 5 PM, at Wackadoos. I saw they're offering 2 for 1 appetizers. Not sure about any drink specials.

Barring a loss at South Florida on Saturday, Depaul will get in. Their RPI is now 47. A win Thursday against the Bearcats would of course seal it. ESPN's Bracketology has Depaul as a 9 seed. They have 6 teams from C-USA going: Cincinnati (4), Louisville (5), Memphis (5), Charlotte (6), Depaul (9), UAB (10). CBS Sportsline and CollegeRPI.com also gave the C-USA 6 bids. CollegeRPI also has Depaul (10) playing SIU in the first round. I realize the chances of that happening are slim, yet that would be an entertaining game. It seems as though the media may finally be convinced that C-USA deserves six bids. Poor play by bubble teams in the Pac-10 and Big 10 help our cause too (see Purdue's 40 point loss at Wisconsin). We need to win our last two and a couple tournament games, and we should make it. And maybe, just maybe, somebody on the selection committee will pay attention. It appears as though this conference is finally getting some well deserved recognition.

Pitino was on the 5 PM SportsCenter this evening. First, he said that he did believe CUSA should get 6 bids, probably in hope of giving himself a little cushion in case of a couple losses. What I found most intriguing, however, was the question "who are you most afraid to play in the conference tournament." Of course, I was hoping Pitino would say that he's going to focus on Wednesday's game at Saint Louis first because they're a good team or we always have trouble there or whatever. Pitino, however, says that he is most concerned about the teams under .500 in conference, such as Marquette, TCU, and East Carolina. East Carolina??? This team has two real conference wins (actually they have 4 but the 2 South Florida victories don't count in my book). Why does ECU get mentioned over SLU or, I don't know, any of the 5 teams ahead of UofL? The only reason I could think Pitino would make such an innane remark is because it's a possible first round matchup since Louisville currently wouldn't have a bye. Any thoughts??

I agree Broy. On top of all their troubles, Arizona suspended Salim Stoudamire today for "failure to meet team responsiblities." If they even make it into the tournament, there's no way they're going anywhere. I'm not sure they could make the "Final Four" in the Pac-10 tourney.

I agree. It was a great turnout, especially by the Blue Crew. The service was not too bad, especially considering that most tables were full, and the food was, as always, good. It's always a lot of fun watching the game with a bunch of fans. Hopefully, somebody will notice the turnout and organize more road game get-togethers there.

With 8 tonight, how many assists does Josh need now to become the all-time leader?

Louisville has definitely not clinched a bid, regardless if they still have a relatively high RPI. Not only have they lost 6 of 7, but their last three games are: vs. Memphis, @SLU, and @Marquette. Memphis is the hottest, and arguably the best team in the conference. I believe we'll play Louisville well as we have a lot at stake, and Marquette would love to spoil Louisville's tourney bid since they won't be going. If the committee looks at the last 10 games, Louisville isn't going to look good unless they either win their remaining games or win some games in the tourney.

I'm probably going to watch the game there along with StlCardinal. Hopefully there will be a significant turnout to provide a good atmosphere to watch the game.

I believe Dick Vitale was making the case for Maryland during the Texas-KU game last night, if they could finish 7-9 in conference. That's still terrible. Florida State has lost 26 straight ACC road games, and Virginia isn't worth anything. And while Florida may have been top 10 when Maryland beat them, they aren't ranked now. I suppose it was on the road, but still... Give Maryland a year or two and they'll be in easily, when they're young players get more experience. But this year give its spot to a more worthy candidate.

nm

Gordon's opinion of us needing 4 or 5 more games to get into the NIT is the most absurd thing Gordon's ever written. That's saying a lot. Jeff either: 1. has no idea of the expanded field of 48 teams of the NIT 2. does not pay attention to SLU other than what's on kfans 3. has no comprehension of the RPI and selection to the tourney 4. confuses the NIT and NCAA tourney (you never know with Gordo):7 5. all of the above I will savor the day that SLU gets a at large bid with an RPI around 50. It may not be this year, although that would be nice, but I'll be patient and Brad will take us there soon enough. I can't even imagine what Gordon would come up with the morning after...

I hope you're right. When I saw him in class this morning, he was wearing a sling, but maybe that was just to strengthen it or something. I didn't have the opportunity to ask Tom about it. We definitely need him on Wednesday!

The Pac-10 is incredibly weak this year, aside from Stanford of course. Even Arizona is only 9-6 in the watered-down conference, including a loss at Oregon State yesterday, who was 4-9 in conference going into the game. Also, Oregon dropping a game to Arizona State at home yesterday?? Terrible. IMO, Arizona should be on the bubble (of course that will never happen.) But since they're getting in, it should be just them and Stanford. Nobody else from the Pac-10 has a resume to warrant it.

Ross is one of the classiest players ever to put on the Billiken blue. He's the epitome of a team player, because unlike many college athletes who resent the coach or other players for not getting more playing time, Ross is completely supportive, and is willing to make sacrifices for the team to win. Off the court, he's an outstanding student, and from all accounts, a very nice person. While it may not be basketball, there's no doubt that Ross is going to have tremendous success with whatever he chooses to do in life.

Don't forget about Depaul too. That could have easily been another W.

In Gordon's article on Stltoday, he states "Had SLU won those harrowing games at Marquette and Charlotte earlier this season, their NIT standing would be pretty solid." Actually, with those two wins and a win against DePaul, we would be 8-2 in conference, tied for first, and 15-6 overall. That's quite an impressive record, yet only NIT worthy according to Gordo. Because we lost those games, however, he somehow considers us a bubble team for the NIT?? Anytime the Post would like to hire an unbias writer who offers fair assessments of local teams, I would be most appreciative. Until then, Gordon's antlers obstruct the truth from being shown, and reinforce in the minds of many St. Louisans that SLU is just a mid major team playing in a mid major conference.

The tailgate is actually being organized and run by the student Government Association. At the bottom of the email SGA sent out, however, is a thanks to the Athletic Dept. I'm not exactly sure of their role. Maybe they did put a bit of their own money into it.

The tailgate is in the parking lot behind Gries, off of Laclede.

I give tours around campus, so I have to know a bunch of random facts for parent questions and the like. 54% of freshman are from outside the metro area. I wasn't given the number on the entire undergraduate population though. As far as diversity: 70% Caucasian, 7.1% African American, 4.3% Asian, 2.5 Hispanic, 12.2% other, 20.4% not specified. Also, all 50 states and 73 countries are represented. Relgiously: 43.7% Catholic, 16.5% Protestant, 8.1% other, 11.3% no preference. Maybe not the most diverse, but probably comparable to universities similar to SLU (like Marquette). Hope this helps!

I think they definitely should. Their RPI is 2, while the other undefeated team, Stanford, is 7. While the A-10 isn't the ACC, it's also not America East. An undefeated record should be worth something.