TheChosenOne

But we watched these same kids have some succes last season, so losing to Kent State by 40 should in no way be expected. We lost by 40 to a mid major, not an elite program stock piles with McDonalds All-Americans and that is what is frustrating. That is an embarrassing loss however you want to slice it.

I am pretty certain that Slaten will be having a field day with this loss. I am looking forward to the day that Rick gets this program going and Slaten has nothing to rant about other than "10 years ago SLU didn't recruit my son."

I am not putting blame on Majerus necessarily. I just think at this point he has done nothing to impress me on the court. I see players and a team that has digressed. I love that he has some nice recruits coming in for next season, but when I go to the game with a Mizzou fan and he laughs at the crap we put on the court against Detroit it is tough to take. "You fired a decent man, break the bank to bring in this legendary coach, and that is what you got? What has changed?" We don't have a ton of talent, but I see guys who are playing tight and without a whole lot of drive. I think the players and coaches are at fault for coming out and laying eggs at Missouri State and Kent State. I am pretty certain Majerus will turn things around, but I understand the criticism he is receiving.

I think next year we will be much improved with Tommie and Kevin as seniors to go along with the strong recruits we have coming in, but our success will depend on how quick the freshmen are able to adjust to the college game and to Majerus. My whole thing is that I wanted to see Majerus come in and really light a fire under these kids asses and them come out every night with passion and desperation and that is what I have not seen.

I would watch your back now.

But getting completely outplayed by the only quality mid majors we have played? I did not expect much, but getting laughed off the court by Kent State is completely pathetic. I expected this to be kind of a rebuilding year with Majerus coming in and bringing a new system and there would be a natural adjustment period, but this was not expected. At least come ready to play and play hard every night and that is not what I am seeing or hearing.

I think the majority of posters on this board realize that to be a legitimate winning program year and year out that you need be able to recruit and that was blatantly obvious by all of the posters who wanted Brad gone because he did not get it done on the recruiting trail. You can have the best coach in the game, but if you don't have any talent you can only get so far. However, I think the reason for a lot of people being upset right now is because this is a team that won 20 games last season and return everyone except Ian. Ian was one of the best centers in our conference, but he was not a team making player and had a disappointing senior season. Many thought with Kevin and Tommie being a year older and Luke, Polk, and Bryce as seniors to go along with Barry that we had a solid core for Majerus to work with and to date it just has not happened. This team has definitely taken a step back. My frustration mainly stems from what I saw in the one game I went to. I saw nothing different. This has been hammered home by another poster so I will not belabor the point. I just see guys continuing to go thru the motions and that is what upsets me. Tommie and Kevin did not look like their usual selves and that is disconcerting. I mean look at what is going on in Carbondale. You have a team that has had fairly similar talent as the Billikens the past couple of seasons, but they are a tournament team year in and year out. Lowery has those guys playing like animals and that is what I want to see. You see these guys who have obviously put in the time in the weight room and they play their asses off from the opening tip and have the shown they can compete with any team in the country. That is what I want to see, actually that is what I need to see. I need to see guys play with some desperation. I think things will get much better with Rick especially with his ability to recruit high level talent, but on the court this season I have seen nothing. At least we have the guy who invented the game of basketball as our coach. I almost wish we still had Sodie. At least I did not have to hear him on the radio or tv or read his quotes throwing guys under the bus while stroking his ego. Majerus is ruthless when talking about his players who happen to be college students and I think that is pathetic.

I agree we are a middle of the pack team, but I think when people at the university did not see winning 20 games as good enough and fired the coach to bring in one of the biggest name guys in the game that you want and expect to see more than that. We have a very impressive recruiting class coming in next year, so things are definitely looking up. I just want to see something from the current team that at least shows progress. I honestly just want to see a group of guys who may not win every night, but is going to be the team playing the hardest; diving for loose balls, taking charges, locking down their man on defense. Show me you are competing and I will show up to another game.

We do not have much talent and I saw that the only game I went to, Detroit. I just find it amusing that everyone is saying that now when a couple of weeks ago people thought with the guys we had and Majerus calling the shots this was a surefire NIT team if not more. People felt like we upgraded on a team that won 20 games. If Soderberg was still on the sidelines everyone on here would be calling for his head. Allowing his guys to go on the road and play with a lack of desire and passion and get smashed by a mid-major team like Kent State. This is pathetic and no excuses should be made. I am just waiting to hear some interview with Rick where he publically calls out each of his guys for lacking talent and ability yet assuring that it is not their fault that he wishes he could have coached them from day one. Honestly when I watched them play Detroit I turned to my friend and said if I could not see Majerus on the sideline I would have assumed this was Soderberg up to his old games. Guys passing the ball around the perimeter without really looking to score or to make a play waiting to shoot till the shot clock ran down and on defense guys sitting back and not really pressuring much or trying to force turnovers and tempo and the only guy really attacking the glass is a 6-5 guard being forced to play forward. Where is the heart, where are the guys competing and leaving it all on the court to make up for what they lack in talent and ability? I don't see it and that is what frustrates me. Guys are playing tight and seem to lack that fighter mentality.

Horace was kind of a mystery to me. I am not sure he ever gained eligibility, but he along with Obi dressed for the games the first semester of last season before leaving the program when I believe they were both found to be ineligible for the remainder of the season. Obi was in the class with Tommie and Kevin and was a redshirt his first year. I know there were issues concerning eligibility and academics with both of those guys, but I do not remember the entire situation.

I am surprised to see you are no longer patting yourself on the back for declaring Bryce an all-conference center.

At this point in the season as compared to last season it is tough to say which team is better and I really don't see any real point in doing so. We have a new coach who has had little time to get his system in place and to really see what he has in different guys. Last years team beat two bad teams and got manhandled by a very good A&M team. This years team beat two bad teams before getting beat by a good Pitt team. We did not even give A&M a game last year, but they were the type of team with their pressure defense and fast break offense that could really bury you. Pitt is not that kind of a team. They have some nice players, but they are no A&M. We played them tough which is good to see. The loss to A&M seemed to really hurt the team last year and Ian never really seemed to recover from that game. Maybe Ian's senior season would have gone differently had he performed well against Joseph Jones and AK. Lat night's loss to Pitt was certainly not a loss to hang your head after and that at least puts us in a better position than last season in my opinion. I watched the game last night and I saw many things offensively that looked like the Sodie days. We seem to pass the ball around the perimeter and dribble without real purpose. It does not seem like we have many guys who catch the ball and are looking to make a play. It looks like we are always playing against a zone with guys just passing it around the perimeter. I really hope that changes, but some of it may be the lack of playmakers and that may not change till we get guys in like Kwamain who have that ability. Lisch seems capable of making plays at times but not consistently and Tommie certainly has the ability but does not seem to have that killer instinct. Polk has speed but he seldom goes to the basket to make a play for himself or a teammate. Also, I am not a fan of our power forwards and specifically Barry from last night having the ball in their hands and looking to make plays for the offense. There is a reason they are post players and not guards, they do not have the ability to create offense 20 feet from the basket. Too many bad decisions last night that led to turnovers. I still do not understand all of the praise for Barry. I think he finishes well on the offensive end, but he does not give this team what I was hoping he would bring. He is not the physical power forward this team so desparately needs. He seems to lack toughness overall and really does not battle down low. It is good we play in the A-10 and a conference we can get by without much inside presense. I think Barry will give us some points, but we will continue to get dominated by any tough physical post player.

You gotta wonder where we would be if Tony had called him up a month earlier. It has gone from being him getting called up and having a hot week to having a hot month. The guy is legit and has been our best player since he arrived on the scene. I am assuming Rick took two more curtain calls since that is standard procedure for an Ankiel home run.

I realize teams are going to get up to play a KU or Duke, but that is in the regular season. In the NCAA Tournament teams are going to get up for whoever they are playing against. Its one and done, you shouldn't need any more than that. Bucknell would have come out just as jacked against a team like Villanova or Michigan State. I like how you use the term "us" since I am sure you know what its like. Congratulations for being a fan of an elite program.

No real venom. I have a strong dislike for Duke and KU due to them f wording me when I have bet on them in the past. I honestly just did not agree with some of things you wrote. Saying that teams get up for KU in the NCAA Tournament is a little ridiculous. Teams get up for whomever they play in the NCAA Tournament. You lose in March and your season and for some your career is over. And then your question did not make sense coming from a KU fan. KU beating Florida if KU had beaten UCLA is fiction. Florida was not going to be beat.

I don't think it has anything to do with Kansas being a target when it comes NCAA Tournament time. Teams are going to get up for whomever they play; ride or die. If you can't get up for a tournament game you shouldn't even walk on the court. You asking where the 2-star players for Bucknell and Bradley are now makes you losing to those teams even more sorry. Bucknell is a team with student-athletes who will likely never even sniff professional basketball and they beat your roster stocked of future NBA players. As far as this season goes, KU will begin as one of the favorites once again. I would think the top 4 teams heading into the season will be UNC, Memphis, KU, and UCLA. But preseason rankings mean nothing when you are an elite program like KU, its all about what you do come March and Bill Self has not gotten it done come tourney time.

From Hawks comments I get the impression KU fans have moved onto the Illini since taking shots at Mizzou is just to easy at this point. The Mizzou basketball team has provided some very nice amo this offseason; as if any more was needed.

There must be a Wendy's very near campus then. I took a roadtrip to Vanderbilt for a weekend one spring and I definitely remember walking to a Wendy's at 3:30 in the morning after a long night and it was the best meal I have ever had for under $5. Not only that; the talent walking into that place all decked out in their sundresses was impressive. What do you do at Vanderbilt?

Why is a KU fan posting on a SLU message board?

Vanderbilt is pretty quality this year with future SEC leading receiver My Name is Earl Bennett and All-SEC linebacker Jonathan Goff. If they can beat Alabama this Saturday in Nashville they will likely begin the season 4-0. Do you work at the Wendy's on campus?

While I am certainly aware of the old basketball saying that you can't teach height, I have also come aware that you can't teach natural talent or ability and athleticism. I feel like Brian and Roy have the same opinion as me, but saying it in a much nicer and flattering way. I reread Brian and Roy's posts and see the ifs. Out of curiousity, what kind of numers to expect to see from Bryce? I personally don't even know what to predict with this kid ever and now that he is going to be relied upon to give us a lot of minutes I even have more trouble.

I was under the impression that in the south the football coach is the governor. I was shocked to see that Nick Saban is not the governor of Alabama.

I like Bryce, but I think it is a little crazy to use Bryce and NBA in the same sentence. If he has not been able to earn consistent minutes at SLU playing in the A-10, there is no reason to even go there. If he shows dramatic improvement and is a big contributor, then maybe some pro scouts will take a look, but not the NBA. I have a lot of respect for Bryce because he has not done much on the court, but he has stuck with it and is going into his fifth year as the starting center and is taking MBA classes. He will be successful, just not in the NBA.

I think people are being a little harsh on this kid. Torres verballed to SIU in February of his junior year. He likely made that decision based on a relationship with Coach Lowery. Since then he likely began to wonder if he made the right decision and decided he wanted to look around a little bit so he decommitted from SIU. He wants to explore his options and make sure SIU is the best fit and I see no reason to throw dirt at him for making that decision. Choosing a college is the most important decision of his life to this point. No reason to question his character based on this decision. As far as Nate saying things along the lines of if SIU wants him back, that is ridiculous. SIU will be lucky to have a player of his caliber. I realize he will not be their highest rated recruit thanks to his best friend, but I guarantee you SIU will not be recruiting over Torres and will be thrilled to have him if he ultimately decides to go to SIU. I am a big fan of this kids game and would be more than happy if Rick and the staff decide he is a good fit and extend him an offer. I am not sure if I would offer him at this point or not, but I certainly would have preferred him to Femi John.

I have to disagree. At this point Roundtree has backed out of his verbal with SIU and made it known that he wants to look around a bit. As far as any one should be concerned Roundtree's recruitment is back open. It is not like we are talking to or continuing to pursue a player who is verballed. Roundtree is no longer a verbal committment for the Salukis and should be treated as such. He wants to explore other possibilities and if Rick thinks he fits into what he wants to build here I hope he goes after him. It would not be us going against a verbal because there is no longer a verbal at this point. SIU has to essentially re-recruit this kid if they want him to be a Saluki.