Duff Man

We go through this every year. Palm kneels at the altar of the flawed RPI metric because that's what the selection committee uses. He has zero analysis beyond what's on a team's RPI breakdown on CBS website. He doesn't believe in KenPom or advanced metrics. He never makes any kind of basketball analysis. The only reason he gets all this attention is because CBS cast him as their "bracket nerd" to rival Joe Lunardi. It doesn't matter if he is right or wrong, all that matters is that he drives the web traffic and can play the "bracket nerd" role on TV. For reference, he and Lundardi are both average bracketologists compared to the field http://www.bracketmatrix.com/rankings.html

There's 200 or so on TM at the moment. It's a Saturday night game and we're ranked in the top 10. No doubt it will exceed 10k.

Here is every 10,000+ SLU home game from the Chaifetz era 10,603 vs Dayton 2/21/09 10,008 vs Xavier 2/24/10 10,414 vs Dayton 2/4/12 10,441 vs Xavier 2/28/12 10,612 vs Butler 1/31/13 10,052 vs Charlotte 2/16/13 10,027 vs VCU 2/19/13 10,012 vs St Joes 2/27/13 10,272 vs La Salle 3/9/13 10,639 vs VCU 2/15/14 2014 season average: 8001 2014 average vs A10 opponents: 9259

Nice column from Strauss regarding Bob Knight and Jim Crews http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/joe-strauss/strauss-knight-appreciates-billikens-game/article_af267117-cf90-5a25-b836-cabaff663ec4.html

you ever see the Billikens...on weed? Marijuana is already decriminalized in the city - but it's hardly the drug you'd want fans on to get the Fetz rockin...although it would probably make some of you haters appreciate the band more in another thread I suggested distributing free molly and playing nothing but EDM as a method of appealing to the younger demographic...but if the end goal is simply to get the existing crowd more amped, adderall is your best bet.

Students who attend every game (while class is in session) should be given priority for the big games. This would... -reward the most loyal members of the student fanbase -cut down on the ticket flipping/scalping to some degree -encourage more students to attend the crap games in order to be eligible for the big games later in the year or if you want to take matters even further - you could track the attendance record of each student, and allocate XX% of the 1500 student tickets (for big games) to the students who have attended at least X-number of games. That would weed out the ticket flipping *******, protect the true fans, and boost student attendance across the board.

but if Jett fouls out, that hurts us the most.

A10 season (9 games) Jett 17.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.6 SPG, 4.1 TPG 49.5% FG, 66.7% FT Evans 14.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.6 SPG. 1.7 TPG 53.8% FG, 80.0% FT Loe 9.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.6 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 TPG 40.3% FG, 34.4% 3PT, 75.0% FT

realistic re·al·is·tic, adj - having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected When a program has never won two games in the same NCAA tournament, it's kind of tacky to project scenarios where they'll win 3, in the context of Rob Loe's chances of scoring 1000 points. but since you ask...here's what Rob Loe needs to average per game (from here on out) to reach 1000 points under the most optimistic postseason scenarios 9+7: 10.1 (advance to A10 Finals, Elite 8) 9+8: 9.5 (advance to A10 Finals, Final 4) 9+9: 9.0 (advance to A10 Finals, Championship Game)

I will say, when Loe hit those 3s - there was visceral buzz that pulsed through the building - as if everyone collectively intuitively recognizes that when Rob Loe is channeling his inner Dirk, we are unbeatable. It's been a long time coming, but he's combining his offensive potential with consistently outstanding defensive play...and now suddenly we're re-evaluating where Rob's ceiling is... re: 1000 points Loe has 838 points with (realistically) somewhere between 11 and 15 games left. He're what he needs to average per game from here on out under different scenarios (9 remaining regular season games, plus anywhere between 2-6 postseason games - with losing their first respective games in the A10 and NCAA/NIT tournaments and advancing to the A10 finals and the Sweet 16 representing the worst and best case (realistic) scenarios. 9+2: 14.7 9+3: 13.5 9+4: 12.5 9+5: 11.6 9+6: 10.8 Loe's averaged 14.3 points over his last 3 games. It's still a relative long shot, but definitely within reach.

I'm not sure what the range of student attendance is over the course of the year, but clearly the massive games (Xavier 2010/2012, Butler 2013, VCU 2013) have students overflowing into the aisles, standing room, etc...when you see rows of empty bleachers behind the band as we did yesterday, that's several hundred people. So between the few hundred unsold public tickets*, several hundred empties in the student section**, and x-number of no-shows*** you have the difference between a mostly but not completely full 9148 as opposed to 10k+. *Unless you go through and count the seats available, the map can be deceptive. A row or two of unsold tickets adds up. There are ~30 sections that have seats for sale on to the public. All those little pockets add up. What may appear to be a few dozen actually adds up to a few hundred. **Plenty of students did show up. Some students are going to pass on Saturday afternoon games vs non-marquee opponents. That's college life for you. ***conflicts happen, but marquee games are easier for people to unload extras, hence fewer no shows The VCU game shows only a few singles remaining. They are a marquee opponent so the students should have that extra incentive to make the effort even for an "early" start. People who can't go should have no troubling finding takers for the extra. Thus we'll have ~1000k more for VCU than we had for George Mason.

Definitely falls into the #14gamewinningstreakproblemz category. Had we lost the game, I think more people would be griping about blown transition opportunities and uncontested 3pt attempts allowed. Still, this is a legitimate gripe - along the lines of griping about PA announcer can't get the names right of our own star players. You attend hundred of games as most of us have, you have a right to speak up when they make a change that you find annoying.

That's just not accurate. When the Bills Come Marching In - specifically the S-A-I-N-T L-O-U-I-S - when timed appropriately (as it was yesterday) is the rare song (band or piped in) that keeps fans on their feet and cheering through the timeout. If you were at the Fieldhouse during any number of big games in the previous 2 years, you know how awesome that very basic cheer can be when the crowd plays along. Clearly some people like the music and want more. I respect that. Clearly some of the band members feel like it's stepping on their toes. We should respect that too. The solution is that the DJ needs to essentially be an extension of the band. You can't have 2 captains on 1 ship.

well maybe if we just abolished the band, played nothing but EDM, and distributed free Molly...

I withdraw the adult comment. I was worked up and that was over the line. Without implying you are less of a fan for not attending the game, I genuinely would like to know why you choose to watch the game on TV instead of attending the game? Also, while I will maintain this debate should center around the in-game experience rather than the fractions that make it to the broadcast, it was disrespectful to dismiss your comment that it played well on TV. It was a relevant and positive observation.

says the guy who went apeshit on the officials 8 minutes into the game for not bailing out Mike Crawford after Crawford elected to dribble into a swarm of defenders instead of finding Jett open on the wing.

9148 for George Mason. More families show up on weekend afternoons. More students show up at night. Tough to sell out under either scenario without a name opponent or the allure of senior night. Season avg: 7798 A10 avg: 8914

Rob Loe has officially entered the discussion. A10 Season (7 games) Evans 14.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.3 SPG. 1.4 TPG 56.3% FG, 78.6% FT Jett 17.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 0.4 BPG, 1.6 SPG, 4.3 TPG 48.8% FG, 63.9% FT Loe 9.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.7 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 1.0 TPG 38.8% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 69.2% FT Last 3 games Evans 10.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG. 1.7 TPG 37.0% FG, 85.7% FT Jett 16.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 0.3 BPG, 2.7 SPG, 4.7 TPG 48.7% FG, 61.1% FT Loe 14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 TPG 56.5% FG, 63.6% 3PT, 83.3% FT

Not sure if this is directed at me or not...are there seats that cannot see the band? I specifically sit in seats that are close to the band. They are part of the experience for me. It's what separates college sports from the dumbed down overproduced bull**** that gets served up during breaks at professional sporting events.

a nice change of pace from what? Commercials? Why weren't you at the game? [immature baseless put down withdrawn] If the majority of people who were at the game genuinely didn't think it was overcooked, then fine - I'll agree to disagree and stand down. Again...we used to play Gary Glitter at the Kiel before every game - that was awesome. I'm not against blending piped in music - especially if it's GOOD MUSIC (regardless of genre) - with the band, but it needs to flow naturally - i.e. don't play 10 seconds of random crap between the whistle that triggers a TV timeout and the start of a sponsored segment/longtime season ticket holder recognition.

I'll defer to the band on that. But I know my wife and I were rolling our eyes at the dumbing down of the Billiken experience. The place was rocking because of the intense game, not because of the piped in music. It was rocking last year against Rhode Island - even though we lost that game - it was a ridiculous atmosphere. I'm all for busting out a little Jump Around or Kernkraft 400 at pivotal junctures - but today they were overtly going to it way more than ever before, and I didn't care for it. The crowd was more into it during the S-A-I-N-T L-O-U-I-S duing a 2nd half timeout than at any other timeout of the game. Real musicians > a DJ.

Okay in moderation. This was way too much. If you can't get into an OT win, then GTFO. Seriously, the band has gotten us through the darkest years in the program's history - they are part of the show - it's extremely disrespectful to them to step on their toes like that.

For reference, here are the stats in A10 play (6 games) Evans 15.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.2 SPG. 1.5 TPG 61.0% FG, 75% FT Jett 17.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 0.5 BPG, 1.3 SPG, 4.0 TPG 48.6% FG, 62.3% FT I still think it's Evans - but Jett has really narrowed the gap to the point where with 10 games left it's really up in the air. Jett definitely gets bonus points for rescuing the potential bad losses at Rhode Island and Duquesne, but Evans has been great in clutch as well - and was the only player who could get anything done in the half court against Wichita St's defense.