Clock_Tower

Hoosier As to your first point, I honestly don't know why Team Blue was sidelined for so long. Was some of this self-imposed? Your theory about the City of St. Louis may be true, but that only applies to home games. Was the City of St. Louis more restrictive than New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC? Why no away games if our team was cleared to play? Highschool teams were practicing and playing games in St. Charles County to circumvent strict St. Louis County rules. Extreme bad luck? I am NOT placing blame on those who actually tested positive but I am looking in the mirror and wondering what protocols were being followed or not followed which obviously resulted in so many positive test cases over such an extended period of time. 2/3's of my office tested positive, temporary shut down and deep clean followed, but not for 30 days! Yes, it takes 2 teams to play but I look to the SEC and how they handled football games. Some programs tested positive more than others but the league stepped in and changed the original schedule, for the whole league, to make sure that 1 team did not miss too many games. The SEC also used the off week before the conference championship to make up games and even had other teams not playing in the conference championship making up the games the same date as the conference championship. I recall absolutely no changes to our original A10 schedule other than moving up the conference tournament and missing 2 games, again to give the optics of a low mid-major conference. Brilliant idea! Why not make up the 2 games while we were waiting for St. Bona and VCU to play.? Could the A10 not have lined up a game between SLU and Davidson? Was it up to Coach Ford to schedule a game with a team like Xavier? Where was the A10 when we needed them? No doubt Chris May was concerned and I hope even upset. And I sure hope he made some phone calls and wrote a letter or two. But my point is - where are the results? SLU has little power in the A10. Any phone calls and letters mean nothing and do nothin. When SLU entered the A10 league, the A10 felt it did SLU a favor. When Dayton joined the A10, Dayton immediately received the right to host to the A10 Tourney, and Dayton was not a good basketball back then. The A10 is an East Coast league with East Coast bias. Too many teams from Philly, DC and Richmond area. With that said, we have not won enough to demand things (still paying the price for Soderberg, S1 and S2, and Crews) and we have chosen not to hire administrators and Presidents with East Coast connections either. But soccer and baseball are now winning, and the lights are still being turned on, so all is good with Billiken athletics!

Two points: 1. Agreed. The A10 did no favors to help SLU this year. In fact, it's policies worked against SLU. When COVID negatively affected Ohio State's football team which did not have enough games to qualify for the postseason as per Big 10 rules, the Big 10 Conference stepped in and changed the rules to help its preseason favorite. SLU basketball is not on par with Ohio State Football - I get it - but SLU was a preseason favorite to win or contend for the A10 Championship, was loaded with 3 quality Seniors who each succeeded individually as Juniors before their team had its season abruptly end like all other team, was successful this year in their return against P5 schools before its COVID pause and clearly was hammered hard by COVID. And while I get the thought of "building in" a week gap in the middle of the A10 Tourney, this decision clearly hurt SLU and other programs by denying them what they needed -- to play games. And while I make no apology for or intend to defend the Committee for "not following its rules" regarding NET as it relates to the SLU, I would argue that SLU playing far less games than many programs helped make SLU's NET rating more suspect. And while SLU lost only 6 games, its losses to LaSalle, second loss to UD and loss to St. Bona were not just bad losses but were embarrassing blow outs. 2 extra games would have certainly helped SLU. Then, again, why did the A10 not arrange for SLU to make up more games prior to the final season? The baseball Cardinals played double header after double header and damn near played as many games as the others. The STL Blues and and the NHL are playing multiple games against the same opponents and even moved to this season only to a realigned Western Conference. Loyola and Drake played a full schedule in part by the "home and away" games in the Valley. Not the A10 -- it made no changes other than to shorten its season. And don't forget that SLU lost a key game against Richmond where we flew out to the Richmond only to leave with no game? Richmond didn't properly interpret the league COVID rules? Wasn't that the case claimed also by the team to play Richmond after us? And for this "leadership", Richmond was made a host of the A10 Tourney? And as much as I believe the Committee is still conference slotting, why would the A10 get more bids than the other mid majors or worse? Optics are important. When we play our Championship game in Madison Square Garden the same weekend as the P5 guys, we look more like them. But when we play our Tourney the week prior, the same weekend as the lesser conferences, the A10 looks lesser and gets treated as a lesser conference. For that decision alone, the A10 Commissioner should summarily be fired for setting the conference back for years. 2. Chris May, by many accounts, is a nice guy, returns emails, warmly greets posters at away games, displays his his passion while yelling at the refs during home games and now has both soccer programs playing good as well... but where was he when our program needed to make up games? When rules could have been changed to help SLU but which were changed to hurt SLU? And where was Dr. P ? Dayton got the championship game and not SLU? And with longevity, should there not also be power? How many more senior AD's are there in the A10 than Chris May? And why can SLU never get anyone with connections with the A10? with the NCAA and/or Tournament Committee? Debbie Yow had these connections but I don't believe anyone has come close since her. Yes, we are long overdue for someone at SLU (AD May, the Board of Trustees, Coach Ford) to put its foot down and demand better -- and if not, then we leave.

Yep. AP rankings, Coaches Poll, RPI, adjusted RPI ... now NET. Yet another tool to help analyze and compare to deflect criticism away from the Committee. At the end of the day, though, it always comes down to the money -- conference slotting.

The "name" programs became what they are by winning. Now, that their seasons are not what they normally have been, they are smart to shut down, especially in this odd COVID year and protect their name - by not playing future. They have plenty of revenue from their current seasons and from prior year NCAA Tourney credits. Smart.

Thanks. How is the weather this week for your lemonade stand to raise the needed money to retain you head coach? Actually hope you do And yes, enjoy the rivalry. Peace.

Well to me the shock was watching our proven youngsters not have anything in the tank and no spring in their steps only a day later. Have never seen that before. Trying to figure out why? I guess our boys were prepared, mentally focused and motivated the day before but Coach Ford forgot to game plan for St Bona and reverted to being poor x’s & o’s coach? If only we played Hargrove. Oh wait we did, and yes he hit a nice three-pointer but then let his man go to the hoop for a layup If only we would play Jacobs, oh wait we did and that didn’t help either. If only Jimerson were in the game and hit some three-pointers, oh wait, he was in the game, he hit many three-pointers but he also was dunked upon as we were blown out of the gym Yep, the whole loss is on Bell’s shoulders. When does he transfer? Waiting for the post saying if only we had Diarra and/or Hankton instead. We kept the wrong one? We need a head coach to evaluate talent. Bully Ball and good defense played yesterday? Sorry, I miss that game. Instead I was watching Saint Louis play St. Bonaventure. Yes, I remember Bully Ball. I remember watching defensive swarms and our coming away with steals, tip balls and rebounds resulting in fast breaks. Wonder how many we had yesterday? I remember our defense creating our offense of opportunities. I don’t remember our fast tempo being started by quick shots after the other team makes a basket Then again, I am getting older and my memory may just not be the same. Who will be our coach next year? I hear his house was up for sale. Why can we not play 11? Sure hope we find good transfers bc all our guys suck.

Agreed. Poor execution. French is closer to 6’6” and the size and reach Osun and the tempo of the game was not favorable. And yes, French lacks a shot outside of 5 feet and nearly all his shots today were blocked or contested but normally French has the athletic ability (quickness, leaping ability, strength) to overcome this - but not tonight. Yuri Usually has quick hands to get steals and quick feet to stop dribble penetration but not tonight As poor as his shooting and scoring was, his defense was worse. Goodwin usually has the relentless leaping ability to rebound even when not in good position, to somehow come away with the ball and to deflect and intercept passes but not tonight. i could go on. A step slow, no spring in their legs, too late to the spot. Normally not an issue for 20 year olds at the end of the season but these are not normal times.

Ignore him. He knows nothing..

Frankly, I see no other plausible explanation. Of course, it’s fun and easy to blame the referees, to blame the head coach, to second guess the talent on this team but our guys just did not have what we have seen them have and do in the past. And today wasn’t 1 or 2 guys though some like to pick on Bell. Frankly, I could pick on every guy who played today. Over confident? St Bona that good? Our guys not motivated? Ford didn’t game plan and get then ready? I say No. our guys just didnt have it physically. We all watched JGood and French play 4 straight games in a row only 2 years and both had more energy in that fourth game then they did today. COVID-19 sucks

Unfortunately, you are probably right.

Fast tempo starts with defense. Steel and fastbreak. Not after they score. That’s just rushed offense.. When is the last time we forced a turnover this game?

Adaway is schooling Hargrove

Pick and roll to us Osun for a lay in Guard post up and scored on Linssen Penetrate the lane for ally opp 15 footer from the key 18 point lead and we are playing good D?

Watching a guy from six or 8 feet away take a three point shot is not defense. If St Bona were better or hotter... we would be down 20

No defense and no running of any offense

Terrible first half. Zero defense

Yuri needs to sit

Moving screen on Osun - so they call foul on Thatch

Perkins fouled on the lay up drive. No help from the zebras today.

2 turnovers by Yuri and then no defense

One of the sports pre-game personalities I believe is that tool who did not honor his commit to SLU, right?

Yep. I think you’re right. Compared to football with the indoor and outdoor facilities, this shear numbers of players, coaches, trainers, medical staff, the equipment, the travel, the liability... if you get a nice gym and keep it updated and pay your head coach and assistants, you can be competitive every year...

And isn’t the Valley the conference that the one we had to read about and how they should be praised a couple days ago? Not that the A10 does not have problems but it sure seems like someone made a phone call to see if Madison Square Garden was available. Why did someone not do that with the City? Wonder if anyone bothered to call Saint Charles County and see if they could use the Family Arena? Without spectators all you need is a high school gym and Wi-Fi

So much for science.

Exactly. spending money does not equal success. At the same time success is a lot tougher if you are not in the ballpark and are being grossly outspent by your peers