WVBilliken

IMO the biggest problem with this team is not the coach. Yes, he might be an average coach technically, but that is not why this team is struggling. The reasons IMO in no particular order .... - Perkins was expected to be an all-conference type player. He is struggling with his injury recovery. He is a liability on the floor most of the time. Love Perkins but he can't be more than a role player, start Parker. - Lost the "glue" guy and best defender, Thatch. - Pickett is hurt. At the beginning of the season he was awesome, now average. Back injuries are difficult to fix. - No point back-up point guard is killing this team and two Bigs is not enough. Need a real power forward. Add all that up plus having an average bench coach = an average team. This team needs either a healthy Pickett or a rejuvenated Perkins to have a chance in the A10 Tourney.

Actually wrong .... win the A10 tournament and SLU is in. No computer can help any team this season. Only one way into the NCAA Tournament.

The Bills have talent, but not a lot of margin for error. Got two bigs, but only one who can dominate. Then there's one point guard and a bunch of wings. That would be fine if the wings were shooters, but only a couple are really good shooters. Given that composition there is little room for error against most teams they face. And if the other team plays two bigs, they take advantage of of SLU's weakness inside. Without the shooters to space the opposition team's bigs out .... SLU is screwed.

He's a walk-on. He can leave anytime he wants, no strings attached.

Interesting how 2 ranking systems can be so different. Rankings as of today. SLU RPI Ranking ........ 41 SLU NET Ranking ....... 89 Can a computer geek out there explain this huge difference? Oh, and KENPOM has SLU at 80.

Ford ..... A10 Coach of the Year! Okay, just messing with the Ford HATERS.

When I lived in St. Louis I split season tickets with a friend. Half the cost, half the games to attend in person.

Agree 100%. Ford is not going anywhere IMO thank the Lord! He is in his 7th season. He started with a horrible roster and no way to quick fix it (no transfer portal with immediate eligibilty). He has a scandal, not his fault, that screws up two more seasons. Then he has covid that maybe robbed him of an NCAA bid (no NCAA Tournament in 2020). The next year the team goes 14-7 losing like 10 games from the schedule to covid. Some on this Board forget these facts, or want to ignore them. These situations screwed up the opportunity to dance in 4 of Ford's 6 completed seasons. Yes, the team could dance in year 7, this year. I am thrilled with Ford. He has this program going 100% in the right direction. It's only going to get better. Let's not screw it up with another coaching change. Luckily SLU ADMINISTRATION is making the coaching decision, not a bunch of clueless Billiken Board posters!!!

The Big East got 6 last year.

If SLU was in any of those leagues their recruiting would be very different...... high 3 star and 4 star players with the occasional 5 star, a whole different roster.

Okay, yes Ford is coaching his 7th year. This year is not complete, there was a covid year with no NCAA tournament ...... so he is 1 appearance for 5 seasons. I toss year 1 as he came in late and had no opportunity to retool the roster. So he has made it 1 in 4 years. I'LL TAKE THAT FOR A 15 TEAM 1 OR 2 BID LEAGUE. AND THEN CONSIDER THE PLAYERS LOST DUE TO THE PLAYER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CLAIMS. THAT BRINGS YOU TO 1 APPEARANCE IN 3 ACTUAL OPPORTUNITIES. And I didn't even claim the 2020-21 season when SLU had a great squad but ended up 14-7, had a month they didn't play due to covid, and missed the NCAA's.

Watched a lot of WVU basketball this year. Bell is "floor-bound and not very quick" and a liability for WVU. But he is the best they have for the center position and as a result WVU is going nowhere. WVU is traditionally a top rung team in the Big 12 but are languishing at the bottom of the Big 12 this year. Lack of an athletic big is their major problem IMO. Jimmy is just the best they have this year. WVU will try desperately to recruit over him and Jimmy will return to 10 minutes a game next season.

New coach, only 2 players on roster from last season. Yet another example of a new coach building a winner immediately using the transfer portal. Oh, and not a single player from St. Louis, or even Missouri, on the roster. Not sure this guy will be recruiting St. Louis very hard. The coach, Jerome Tang, is from Texas via the US Virgin Islands and was last on Scott Drew's staff.

Or maybe he is keeping opposition coaches guessing on Yuri's status?

I agree, SLU is better with Yuri. But thinking this GW game will make the team better. I saw much more ball sharing, which is very positive, and could make this team better in the long run. This team with Yuri could be much better if the ball is in Yuri's hands a little less during the game. Teams are focusing on him and the other SLU players are standing around waiting for Yuri to make a play. I really like giving Perkins the ball in space and let him "create" as he did against GW. Same with Hargrove and Pickett to a lesser extent. Less dribbling by Yuri = a better team IMO. I also liked the bigger lineup. And Hughes, if he can consistently hit the mid-range jumper, that could be a new weapon. He had a couple jumpers in the lane he missed, thinking he hits those shots as he gets more comfortable.

Sounds like an excellently coached and planned game to me. Great job Coach Ford and staff!

Home broadcast team.

Just took a peek at the A10 standings and noticed that EVERY team in the conference has a winning home record. Even the "weak sisters" of the league have a winning home record. On the other hand, I found it amazing that EVERY A10 team also has a losing road record. Not a single team in a 15 team league can manage a winning road record? I know fans will claim "home cooking" by the referees, but that can't be the only reason. Good teams should be able to win more on the road than they lose. Is this league so bad that not one team can manage a winning road record?

Dayton at home against VCU Friday night on ESPN2. Watching that one.

I haven't concluded yet that ...... "Unfortunately that ride has been steered directly off a cliff". If two players step up to be become consistent scorers and defenders out of Parker, Perkins & Hughes, then this can still be a special season IMO.

Pro teams do it all the time. If a guy has a big contract the team will go with the big money player a long time. See the St. Louis Cards with Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong.

Nice mentions of recruit Medley. https://news.yahoo.com/epic-comeback-camden-basketball-overcomes-041529904.html https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/01/no-2-camden-boys-basketball-dominates-2nd-half-in-win-over-no-3-don-bosco-prep-photos.html

If you click on Brock Vice's picture in the article you will see a nice video of his High School Team's recent win with some nice action by Brock.

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/12/28/why-st-louis-basketball-signee-brock-vice-played-football-this-year/69736237007/

Good question. Tried to see if he was on the sidelines with the rest of the team by re-watching a little of yesterday's game. Saw Thatch but did not spot Rivera, maybe I just missed him? He should be with the team on the sidelines, at least for home games, right?