Bizziken

Some of my fondest memories of Billiken basketball don't really involve historically significant games. During my time at SLU in the mid-to-late 2000s there weren't too many memorable moments. But I loved getting schmammered with my dudes and then going to sit courtside in an empty Savvistrade Center where we screamed vile obscenities at the opposing teams and officials. I didn't really realize at the time how truly meaningful those moments were. We only get to experience Billiken fandom as students for a brief time, and in most cases it's gone before we actually realize how special it was.

I heard forsythia oil cures it.

March 1, 2008. Never forget! I will fight that mfer right now.

More of a turbo Hoosier.

If that goddamn Havoc bus is here, I'm going to slash those motherfking tires and light that ***** on fire. Or hijack it and drive it into the Mississippi.

I really think Jacobs has the potential to he the star of this team once Goodwin and French graduate. He can shoot it from deep, he has a good mid-range game, and he can take it to the hoop. His wingspan is absolutely absurd too. I know you can't teach a killer instinct, but he could still be a force on this squad. His passivity reminds me of Frank Williams from Illinois...there is a very fine line between being laid-back and being smoooooov.

Yeah...absolutely no mercy on these clowns next year. I'm glad Crutcher will be around to see it, too.

I mean, they could at least TRY to make it appear as if they aren't playing favorites. Call 1 or 2 on Toppin.

Toppin has 0 fouls. Lol

Toppin is going to get destroyed in the League. He won't be able to out-athlete those guys. He's like that pickup guy who is a star football player. Cleans up athletically, but awkward and uncoordinated.

Just keep it within 10.

A win is a win, especially on the road. But it concerns me that we've blown two 13-point second half leads in the past 3 games.

I just happen to be in LA right now, and people are literally crying in public. Absolutely gutted.

Remember when Kenny 'Get Outta Mah Swamp' Frease got his head stomped in? Pepperidge Farm remembers... Yancy Gates got 6 games for his role in that altercation, so I'm assuming Vasco Da Gama will get 5-8. But it IS Kansas, so maybe 5, appealed down to 3.

Kansas fans are among the worst I've ever witnessed firsthand. Worse than Xavier, even. No doubt they will, without hesitation, defend their scumbag players.

Last night's game was a microcosm of this weird fuoking season. I had middling expectations at the start. We outperformed those and so I raised the bar. Some guys got hurt and I lowered it back. We surprised yet again and I regained some of that lost hope. And in the end it turns out that we have to fight our way up the mountain again.

This pretty much nails it. This TEAM generally doesn't have a Free Throw issue. Goodwin and French have Free Throw issues, and they happen to be our 2 best players and the 2 guys taking most of those shots. I think when you break it down, those 2 have very different issues. French has always been bad at the line (36% as a freshman, 35% as a soph, and 34% this year). His form is bad, his rhythm is bad, and he looks uncomfortable. To me, this is more technical than mental. Goodwin, on the other hand, shot 69% as a freshman, 51% last year, and 53% this year. Sure, the freshman sample size is a bit smaller, but it's not enough to explain the drastic decline. I think the reason why he's shot poorly over the past 2 seasons is that we've been pretty successful and, consequently, are in more high-pressure games. To me this signifies that the issue is more mental than technical, especially considering Goodwin's mid-range game is excellent. That's not to say there isn't a technical component, I just don't think it's the main issue. Both of those problems require very different solutions. It will be interesting to see how both of those issues are addressed during the off season.

We need to win the next 5 before the return trip to Dayton. No getting around it now. If we had won last night, we could have afforded a hiccup. Davidson, LaSalle, and St. Joe's on the road are all extremely winnable games. And Duquesne and Fordham at Chaifetz are too.

My biggest issue with the last play was that we didn't stop the ball. That's a golden rule. Crutcher went unimpeded 3/4 down the court. With 5 seconds left, you have to harass the ball-handler and try to make him give it up. Crutcher was also the one guy we don't want taking that last shot, so the focus should have been on marking him immediately after a made basket.

When I was about 5, I loved going to a specific park because it had this giant slide. One day, I begged my mom to take me there until she agreed. The entire car ride over, I could hardly contain my excitement. As soon as we parked and my mom let me out of my car seat, I bolted straight for the slide. I happily climbed the ladder and slid down. I couldn't wait! Unfortunately for me, some teenagers thought it would be fun to put some nasty wet dogsh!t on the slide, and 5-year old me slid right through that steamy casserole and had to go home immediately. Moral of the story: Let's be UD's dogsh!t slide tonight.

If Ford is serious about resting Yuri more, that means that either Goodwin or Weaver will likely take over the 'point' position for that period of time Personally, I think a Goodwin, Jacobs, Hargrove, Perkins, French lineup could get some buckets. A little weak defensively, but you could employ a 1-3-1 or full court press and play more up-tempo with that lineup. Man, I miss Fred.

Bess, Jett, McCall, Evans, Mitchell. I think McCall is underrated. In my opinion, he's the best perimeter defender (at least on-ball) we've had in the last 15 years. I think, depending on how this season ends up, I'd switch out Evans for Goodwin or French.

We competed hard for 34 minutes against a good team. Frustrating game, but we will get there!