MCMelton

Got it. Thanks. And yes, we often play the "correction" drinking game in Section 210.

If I can ask, what does "End of Gus" mean? I'm unfamiliar with the reference.

I share your lack of interest in these four. That's why I said they weren't the most imposing group. Just don't forget that not more than a couple years ago, SLU lost multiple times to this group of teams, and did so for several years in a row. Tides can change quickly in a conference season. With all these games being at home, SLU should win all 4. But I'll bet that one or two of them will be a little closer than they should be.

Taking a look at Fordham, George Washington, Richmond & St. Bonaventure. Not the most imposing group in the world, but I think GW might surprise a few people this season. Richmond is always a tough matchup. Thoughts are welcome... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1707134-atlantic-10-basketball-conference-offseason-checkup-part-2

Rising means what you said, the class to be. School is not in session yet, so it makes some sense to distinguish between the class they will be in two months and the class they just were two months ago. Thanks for the read...and the jab at my writing integrity.

I still have faith in the big guy. But it might take a fellow big man to teach him the ways of playing both on the wing and down low. Loe is not that great of a 3-point shooter that it will by itself keep him on the court. He needs to be willing to defend the opponent's center, as well as post up every now and then. If he wants to play more than 15 minutes a game, he's going to have to change. Now!

Amid my final thoughts on the game Sunday. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1430972-st-louis-university-billikens-win-for-majerus-north-texas-game-preview Yes, North Texas is a one-man show. That hasn't boded well for the Bills this year (Foster, Wilcox, Releford). But I think SLU can really flex their strength down low. NT doesn't use anyone taller than 6-8 in their primary rotation. Evans and Remekun should be practicing their low-post moves right now. And if Rob Loe doesn't get off the wing and into the paint on this team, then he never will.

Did anyone listen to the radio broadcast? I know the Rams had 101.1, so the game was on 100.7. We arrived too early to catch the pre-game and left too late to catch the post-game. I'm curious if the reception was as bad as the station sounds normally.

I was hoping this would link to a Frank Caliendo impression of Coach holding a press conference, chewing out a ref or giving a pre-game speech before a big game.

We're all better off for having him on the SLU sidelines. My thoughts on Coach Majerus' passing: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1429417-st-louis-university-remembering-coach-rick-majerus

The question originally was about non-conference games. I had records with 15 games, when there are only 14 non-conference.

There are problems with the defense. But I think it starts and ends with the low post. Loe refuses to be a center, despite the fact that he has one good game shooting every ten games. Remekun and Evans hold their own, but at their heights, they can't take on the bigger traditional PFs and Cs. Don't knock the perimeter defense before recognizing where the problems are -- down low.

STL Cardinal is spot on. Defense, in basketball, is not about whether the shot goes in or is missed. Defense is about denying the shot altogether. The more shots a defense denies in a possession, the less likely the offense will be able to attempt a good one. Plus, I also feel like SLU has faced a high number of unguardable do-it-all scorers who are capable of creating their own shot: Foster, Wilcox, Turner, Early (for one half), all of Kansas.

Sorry, 14. Please adjust my records above accordingly.

On Jan 10, when SLU opens conference play, an 11-4 Billiken team is really no different than a 10-5 team. What the Billikens missed with the non-conference schedule, was to run off with an insane record of 13-2 or 14-1. And then get their best player back. I think Mitchell's absence could only help the Billikens' standing now, because the losses the team gets now will be downgraded come selection time. What will matter more now, is how the team plays when Mitchell returns, how many road wins in the A-10 the team can pick up, and how they finish in the final 10 games. SLU is still a solid Top 50 team and will be throughout the year.

Sure, winning all 9 is paramount. But I don't think the season is over if SLU goes 8-1. Hence, my use of "almost".

Valparaiso has 5 guards that get 22+ minutes per game. So that means we need more than McCall and Jett on the floor. Carter must make a return. Him dressing for Washington tells me he's ready, so hopefully we see him over Barnett on Sunday. Valpo may be very deep at guard, but their two best players are their PFs. That does not bode well for SLU. It's a bad combination for the Billikens -- a team that is very deep at PG/SG, but gets their scoring from the big men. Remekun must play 30 minutes. No foul trouble! Please read and comment on my full preview: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1423941-st-louis-university-billikens-vs-valparaiso-game-preview

Hah. thanks. Yeah, if I were ranking how difficult the three losses SLU had this year (Majerus, Mitchell, Conklin), I'd be hard pressed not to put Conklin's loss at the top. Mitchell is coming back this year. And while Majerus isn't, the players know the system and should be able to execute it on their own. Conklin is not walking through that door (although he will Tweet through it!!!) and there is no evidence anyone on the team (now or in the near future) is going to take his place. If only Evans was 6-8 or 6-9.

Humphrey's is a no go. As an earlier commentor stated, Humphrey's has DirecTV and they can't "order" Dish Network. They suggested looking at smaller bars, as they are more likely to have Dish over other providers. Any normal sports bar is going to have DirecTV, simply because of the NFL Sunday Ticket Package. Looks like it's either going to be a real old-school night on the Ham, or a new-school night janking the pirate feed.

I put a call into Humphrey's. They said they will also know tomorrow, but even if they don't automatically get it, they are "90% sure" they would order it. I don't exactly know what "order it" means. But they said since they are a SLU bar, they will show SLU games. I've got a call into Bar 101 in Soulard as well. Waiting on a response from them.

Just called the Fieldhouse. They said they won't know until tomorrow. Mentioned something about needing to get "the paper." I don't know if that's the newspaper to see the specific TV channel or what. One would think you could get that info ahead of time. They told me to call back tomorrow at noon. Fingers crossed....

Per Tom Timmerman (http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/slu-s-jett-says-he-s-feeling-better/article_89dfb6fc-7b7d-5929-a1d2-0f656aedf4d5.html): Jett is practicing and getting better. Carter is not wearing a boot anymore. Mitchell is also off crutches and looks fine walking around. Guessing the shoulder thing that Crews mentioned on 101's post game regarding Cody is very minor. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1421738-st-louis-university-billikens-vs-washington-huskies-game-preview

That remains to be seen. To me, it's your classic win over a mid-to-leaning-lower-level power conference team. Like Oklahoma or Villanova last year or Nebraska in '09. SLU is supposed to win those games. It's respectable, but nothing to brag about.

These games are going to be what makes SLU either a solid 6 or 7 seed, or whether they become a bubble team down the line. The tournament committee, I believe, will give SLU a little benefit of the doubt by the Bills not having Mitchell on the court. They seem to pay attention to those kinds of things. But if SLU doesn't notch any solid non-conference wins, then it becomes very easy for another team's resume to outshine them. I know it's semantics, but "good wins" right now are much better than "bad losses."

C.J. Wilcox will be a tough assignment for Jett (healthy or not). Aziz N'Diaye is going to make Loe (and Manning, if he plays more than 5 minutes) work. Looks like Wash MO product Suggs is getting playing time too. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1421738-st-louis-university-billikens-vs-washington-huskies-game-preview