pdolwick

Well on that fact alone, I'd have probably said 13-4 which is pretty much where I thought we'd be w/o knowing that fact. One player skill (Liddell 3PT%) only has a small impact on team success. We are not 13-4. Of course, neither is the season over (despite earlier calls to end it early). I'll continue to wait & see, hope for the best, & at the end of the season ... if the team is determined to have underachieved, join the conversation about where potential improvements could be made. There'll be plenty of time for that. For now, I will enjoy the games. Six weeks is a lot of time for continued teaching and reaping benefits of past work. Growing up a Louisville fan (prior to attending SLU whereupon I changed allegiances), was able to see Denny Crum teams improve light years from Dec/Jan to Feb/Mar. To me that is the sign of a good teacher/coach. Time will tell. Pat D.

I don't know ... Bob Woodward didn't reveal his Watergate source until the poor guy was 90 & his family "outed" him first. You should probably hold onto it. Who knows, maybe Brad would give 'em bad reference letters ... or subscribe to magazines in their names ... or not send 'em Christmas cards anymore. I'd err on the safe side. Whenever motives are in question, anonynimity is needed. Pat Dolwick

Two big FT by Lisch there. Clutch. Pat D.

What can anyone say but ... wow. Pat D.

I guess I'm a Soderberg "apologist" (based on the definition of this board ... which is roughly 'anyone who even briefly demurs from calling for the immediate resignation of BS when something imperfect happens'). Yeah, there's no disputing this was a terrible loss. Is the season over? Of course not. Bills have to win the A10 tourney to get in the NCAA. I rather have this stinker in Olean NY in early January, then two months from now in Atlantic City. Hopefully, we learn from it & emerge a better team ... a tournament-ready team. In the meantime, we're 10-4. Last year at this time we were 7-6 & only beat the Bonnies by two at home. Anyway, I'll evaluate (not that my evaluation means anything, really) at the end of the season. If this makes me less a fan than you, so be it. Pat D.

"Let's be honest, we got it going pretty good and they missed some shots," Williams said. "They're a team that's going to be reckoned with in conference and at the end of the season has a chance of playing again." It hurts now but these games (along w/ TxAM) will help us in conference play. Pat D.

I had to turn it KFNS off & go w/ GameTracker when SLU got down by beyond 6 in the 2nd half. Just too defeatist which feeds into my worst instincts as well (to expect the worst). Too bad for me on this one, 'cause GameTracker (as cool as it is) didn't really give the end of that game justice. And if I had a buck for every time I've heard Ramsey say "Foul by (opponent)... they don't call it.", I could charter a jet in for evey home game. And as you said, that fact/fiction is what drives me crazy. I wouldn't even mind if he editorialized after the incident, just not during it. Pat D.

Not much can be done about those sorts of folks (non-SLU fans that pose as fans). My suggestion is to just let them be. No sense letting them ruin your (our) enjoyment of the season. Re: Pacific, last night, or any game for that matter ... all I know is 8-2 is better than 7-3. Pat D.

SIU has had a great run. Kudos to you guys. Last 5 year-end RPIs: 50, 34, 25, 17, & 29. To say the least, I'd be pleased if SLU did that between now and 2011. Presumably different factors come into play for different recruits. The value of a SLU education (not intended as a slight to SIU) hopefully convinces some. FWIW, I think it's a nice campus. Some likely prefer the bigger city scene. Maybe some prefer the Catholic aspect. Strictly athletically, there's certainly a lot of latent enthusiasm w/in St. Louis as evidenced by Spoon era. Maybe a combo of local kids want to be the next Douglass/Gray/Bonner, or Claggett/Highmark, or Liddell/Lisch. Obviously, the new arena will help. (Only marginally exceeded the 25 word limit.) I agree w/ your (presumed) point though, no way SIU can be considered a "fallback school" to a D1 prospect who isn't offered by SLU. Obviously, of course, the nature of message boards is to be either WAY too high (arrogance) and/or WAY too low (despair) w/ very little in the middle (being rational). I guess that's the fun of them. Pat D.

Agree w/ the earlier statements re: winning, TV, NBA prep, higher tolerance for Whaley-types, tournament (at least for the 1st weekend), etc., but also think Huggins has an inherent, perhaps singular sales pitch of "you have to be extremely tough to play for me & I will make you even tougher". I suspect this appeals to many recruits, esp. those for whom the first 18-20 years of life hasn't been all that easy. And in his best cases, it's hard to argue w/ the results: Martin, Fortson, Brannen, Maxiell. That said, his tenure at UC has, in my opinion, marked him as one of the most easily-loathable characters in college sports ... one of the few cases in which a university president had to step in to protect the integrity of their educational institution. We'll see how it works out for K-State University. Pat D.