Prediction Contest

[bauman]

Okay ladies and gentlemen. What are your predictions for the season.

Reply to this thread with what you think the team's final record will be.

Include Regular Season, A-10 Tournament, and any other post-season.

Glad to see most of us are treating RM's negative talk as coach speak.

I remain very positive about what RM will bring to this team. I see

24-6 Reg Season (Losses to Pitt, Kent St., @ Dayton, X, Fordham & St Jo.)

2-1 Conf Tour.

1-1 NCAA Tour.

27-8 Overall

[billiken_roy]

Glad to see most of us are treating RM's negative talk as coach speak.

I remain very positive about what RM will bring to this team. I see

24-6 Reg Season (Losses to Pitt, Kent St., @ Dayton, X, Fordham & St Jo.)

2-1 Conf Tour.

1-1 NCAA Tour.

27-8 Overall

WOW!!! i hope bauman is right!!!!

[kmbilliken]

19-11 regular season

2-1 conference tourney

win NIT

I think they'll start off a little slow with a couple bumps along the way and pick it up the 2nd half. I doubt they make the NCAA. I think they'll only win one game this weekend.

[brianstl]

22-8 regular season.

2-1 conf. tournament.

1-1 NCAA, losing to a number one seed in the second round.

25-10 overall.

I think this team is a lot better than people realize. This team will only get better as the year goes on. I actually think this team has more depth up front than last year, if for no other reason than these guys will get a chance to play this year.

As a shock to no one on here who has read my thoughts on him, I think BH will have a big year. He will end up as honarable metion all-conference.

[jimbofive]

22-8 regular season.

2-1 conf. tournament.

1-1 NCAA, losing to a number one seed in the second round.

25-10 overall.

I think this team is a lot better than people realize. This team will only get better as the year goes on. I actually think this team has more depth up front than last year, if for no other reason than these guys will get a chance to play this year.

As a shock to no one on here who has read my thoughts on him, I think BH will have a big year. He will end up as honarable metion all-conference.

I would be shocked if Bryce made any teams, but I concur that this team has more talent than any SLU team in years. The only player I wasn't greatly impressed w/ from Friday was Relphorde, and there's no question in my mind that he will be a contributor by the end of the year. I mean people were writing Eckerle off as a one year scholarship deal, basically a walk-on caliber player. From what I saw, I'd have no problem w/ Eckerle starting over Polk, though optimally we'd see KL, TL, LM, BE and BH. Eberhardt was of BEASTLY proportions and I wouldn't be surprised if we see 10-12 pts and 5-6 rebs a game from him. There's Vouyoukas' production right there. Mitchell is going to do WHATEVER we need him to, and Kevin and Tommie will be better than ever. Add to that a REAL coach (and several REAL assistant coaches) and this is a tourney team.

[moytoy12]

Eberhardt was of BEASTLY proportions and I wouldn't be surprised if we see 10-12 pts and 5-6 rebs a game from him.

Jimbo, in your opinion, was he close to the 250lbs as advertised?

[brianstl]

I would be shocked if Bryce made any teams, but I concur that this team has more talent than any SLU team in years. The only player I wasn't greatly impressed w/ from Friday was Relphorde, and there's no question in my mind that he will be a contributor by the end of the year. I mean people were writing Eckerle off as a one year scholarship deal, basically a walk-on caliber player. From what I saw, I'd have no problem w/ Eckerle starting over Polk, though optimally we'd see KL, TL, LM, BE and BH. Eberhardt was of BEASTLY proportions and I wouldn't be surprised if we see 10-12 pts and 5-6 rebs a game from him. There's Vouyoukas production right there. Mitchell is going to do WHATEVER we need him to, and Kevin and Tommie will be better than ever. Add to that a REAL coach (and several REAL assistant coaches) and this is a tourney team.

I would hold off a little bit on the Eckerle love. I think he might have a chance to contribute a few years down the road, but on Friday night he was doing it against UMSL who is D-2. D-2 is where most people thought Eckerle would fit best coming out of high school. I am glad we have him, but talking about playing him over Polk is absurd.

[moytoy12]

I would hold off a little bit on the Eckerle love. I think he might have a chance to contribute a few years down the road, but on Friday night he was doing it against UMSL who is D-2. D-2 is where most people thought Eckerle would fit best coming out of high school. I am glad we have him, but talking about playing him over Polk is absurd.

Maybe this should be a new thread, but what exactly does polk bring to the table? I'm guessing, leadership and he's a good locker room guy, but what on the court? I don't get to see the team play much, so i'm relying on you guys to fill me in.

[billiken_roy]

as much as i appreciate and love dwayne polk's attitude as it is no doubt he plays hard and is an athlete, the truth is he is very small and we continuously see teams take advantage of that when the game slows down. plus, when dwayne polk has the chance to turn the tables and use that god given rocket speed, he rarely does. imo, for dwayne polk to be worthy of the time he gets, he better be playing a full court game and getting 4-5 steals a game and 5 or 6 assists and 2 or 3 layups off the break by pushing the ball down the floor.

otherwise, he is just going to be another guard that gets muscled around that is a below average shooter. i wish he would prove me wrong, but after 3 years the instances of him being that player are few and far between.

as to eckerle vs polk, while he isnt as fast, he is a better shooter and seems to be a pretty good floor player. i too would probably play eckerle before polk at this time.

my five would be lisch, liddell, meyer, eberhardt and the two heads of knollmeyer/husak. and too be honest, i want to play mitchell and relphorde as much as possible before eckerle and polk simply because of the physical size that both of them can bring over eckerle and polk.

[jimbofive]

Jimbo, in your opinion, was he close to the 250lbs as advertised?

He must have been close.

No question he was 240 at least. I mean he didn't look real far off from a Ben Wallace build. Not as cut, or quite as big, of course, but dude has pipes. Didn't really get a chance to see what his hops were like, but he looked comfortable with the ball, went into a nice triple threat position every time he got it on the perimeter.

[jimbofive]

as much as i appreciate and love dwayne polk's attitude as it is no doubt he plays hard and is an athlete, the truth is he is very small and we continuously see teams take advantage of that when the game slows down. plus, when dwayne polk has the chance to turn the tables and use that god given rocket speed, he rarely does. imo, for dwayne polk to be worthy of the time he gets, he better be playing a full court game and getting 4-5 steals a game and 5 or 6 assists and 2 or 3 layups off the break by pushing the ball down the floor.

otherwise, he is just going to be another guard that gets muscled around that is a below average shooter. i wish he would prove me wrong, but after 3 years the instances of him being that player are few and far between.

as to eckerle vs polk, while he isnt as fast, he is a better shooter and seems to be a pretty good floor player. i too would probably play eckerle before polk at this time.

my five would be lisch, liddell, meyer, eberhardt and the two heads of knollmeyer/husak. and too be honest, i want to play mitchell and relphorde as much as possible before eckerle and polk simply because of the physical size that both of them can bring over eckerle and polk.

You can tell that Polk thinks he's doing the smart thing in ALWAYS pulling it out to the wing when he gets ahead on the break (and sometimes, it is the smart thing), but I'd rather see him take it hard and even get blocked than pull it out like that, because nothing ever happens when he does. It's not like he curls out, surveys the floor, and makes a nifty pass to a cutter. He just sits there and waits until Lisch or Liddell catches up and gives them the ball out on the perimeter. I would have no problem w/ Dwayne if he would just take it to the rack on the break. I know he can, he's got a great floater, and he finishes well for his size. You just NEVER see it.

[moytoy12]

as much as i appreciate and love dwayne polk's attitude as it is no doubt he plays hard and is an athlete, the truth is he is very small and we continuously see teams take advantage of that when the game slows down. plus, when dwayne polk has the chance to turn the tables and use that god given rocket speed, he rarely does. imo, for dwayne polk to be worthy of the time he gets, he better be playing a full court game and getting 4-5 steals a game and 5 or 6 assists and 2 or 3 layups off the break by pushing the ball down the floor.

otherwise, he is just going to be another guard that gets muscled around that is a below average shooter. i wish he would prove me wrong, but after 3 years the instances of him being that player are few and far between.

as to eckerle vs polk, while he isnt as fast, he is a better shooter and seems to be a pretty good floor player. i too would probably play eckerle before polk at this time.

my five would be lisch, liddell, meyer, eberhardt and the two heads of knollmeyer/husak. and too be honest, i want to play mitchell and relphorde as much as possible before eckerle and polk simply because of the physical size that both of them can bring over eckerle and polk.

Good post. If we can get away with it, then i agree with you on playing mitchell and relphorde as much as possible. Also agree that if we aren't going to push the ball or play high pressure D, then why have polk in there if Eckerle brings more to the court for a half-court team. Wasn't it Einstein that said something to the effect that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. I too feel that polk's time has come and gone.

[Cowboy]

-i have 20-10 going into a10 tourney, conf record of 11-5

-guessing 11-5 gets a first round bye - 2-1 in a10 tourney

-that is 22-11 on selection day and we are in a big bubble, big

-guessing nit - another game in st charles - 1-1

-23-12 final record

-just so you know, as of right now the a10 website does have the conference standings correct

[Milwaukee Billiken]

I'll predict 22-8 for the regular season.

Losses against the following:

at Pitt

at Kent st.

at BC

Southern Ill

at GW

at Dayton

Xavier

at St. Joe

[jimbofive]

I would hold off a little bit on the Eckerle love. I think he might have a chance to contribute a few years down the road, but on Friday night he was doing it against UMSL who is D-2. D-2 is where most people thought Eckerle would fit best coming out of high school. I am glad we have him, but talking about playing him over Polk is absurd.

I understand the competition. But Eckerle was doing it, and Polk wasn't. It's only one game, but Polk was 0-2 w/ 3 assists in 28 minutes, and Eckerle was 3-3 w/ 7 points and 4 assists in 16 minutes. You saw Eckerle creating on the break, and Polk was same old Polk. Luckily, Kwamain's coming in next year, and HE will deliver.

[brianstl]

as to eckerle vs polk, while he isnt as fast, he is a better shooter and seems to be a pretty good floor player. i too would probably play eckerle before polk at this time.

Wow Roy, you are ready to make that call on just the UMSL game. I believe there are minuses to Polk's game, but he does not get the credit he deserves as a defensive player. I would to like to see some more steals from him, but I also think steals can be a very overrated stat.

The way Majerus has talked about Polk leads me to believe he will be in the starting line-up.

[billiken_roy]

I understand the competition. But Eckerle was doing it, and Polk wasn't. It's only one game, but Polk was 0-2 w/ 3 assists in 28 minutes, and Eckerle was 3-3 w/ 7 points and 4 assists in 16 minutes. You saw Eckerle creating on the break, and Polk was same old Polk. Luckily, Kwamain's coming in next year, and HE will deliver.

imo, polk is just not a point guard. he is a wing (that cant make shots) in an undersized point guard body. the instances of great passes are few and far between. his court vision is almost non-existent and he needs to have the gumption to make that drive the rest of the way more often.

anytime i want to evaluate a billiken "point guard" i think, "how does he stack up against the memory of h waldman?" if they dont, well then they just arent anything special as a point guard. folks might think that is a high standard. i say since h never played a minute in the nba that isnt that much to ask for. will k mitchell be that? excuse me if i wait and see. call me scared from previous hopefuls, however i will admit that his press clippings are encouraging. of course polk and liddell had great high school/aau build up as well. imo, the best point guard we have had since waldman is pure wing kevin lisch. that says a lot.

[billiken_roy]

Wow Roy, you are ready to make that call on just the UMSL game. I believe there are minuses to Polk's game, but he does not get the credit he deserves as a defensive player. I would to like to see some more steals from him, but I also think steals can be a very overrated stat.

The way Majerus has talked about Polk leads me to believe he will be in the starting line-up.

polk was gettng posted up in the umsl game. he is just too little. keep in mind, i am not saying "start eckerle ahead of polk". i am saying play eckerle ahead of polk. polk and eckerle would be about 9th and 10th men if i was the coach.

mitchell played what 12 minutes and had more defensive impact than either of polk and eckerle the other night. and that impact will only become more pronounced imo as the teams become more legit. mitchell is going to make freshmen mistakes, but he has the size, strength and athleticism to be as effective defensively. and since polk isnt much of an offensive factor, doesnt really matter what mitchell can or will do offensively if comparing the two.

and relphorde, while not as active defensively, because of his added height and weight and comparable athleticism will contribute even more than mitchell offensively and rebounding.

i dont want to debate polk vs eckerle. i want to debate polk vs our other two freshmen, relphorde and mitchell.

[brianstl]

polk was gettng posted up in the umsl game. he is just too little. keep in mind, i am not saying "start eckerle ahead of polk". i am saying play eckerle ahead of polk. polk and eckerle would be about 9th and 10th men if i was the coach.

mitchell played what 12 minutes and had more defensive impact than either of polk and eckerle the other night. and that impact will only become more pronounced imo as the teams become more legit. mitchell is going to make freshmen mistakes, but he has the size, strength and athleticism to be as effective defensively. and since polk isnt much of an offensive factor, doesnt really matter what mitchell can or will do offensively if comparing the two.

and relphorde, while not as active defensively, because of his added height and weight and comparable athleticism will contribute even more than mitchell offensively and rebounding.

i dont want to debate polk vs eckerle. i want to debate polk vs our other two freshmen, relphorde and mitchell.

Well I don't think either of them would shut down Ahearn. I think the Polk getting posted up thing gets blown out of porpotion. It hardly ever happens. People just remember when it does, becuase they are waiting for it to happen. How many times did the much taller Ahearn post up Polk?

[moytoy12]

Well I don't think either of them would shut down Ahearn. I think the Polk getting posted up thing gets blown out of porpotion. It hardly ever happens. People just remember when it does, becuase they are waiting for it to happen. How many times did the much taller Ahearn post up Polk?

Did Ahearn post up anyone or have a post-up aspect to his game?

[billiken_roy]

Well I don't think either of them would shut down Ahearn. I think the Polk getting posted up thing gets blown out of porpotion. It hardly ever happens. People just remember when it does, becuase they are waiting for it to happen. How many times did the much taller Ahearn post up Polk?

i've seen mitchell play quite a bit if you count his time at eastside. and imo mitchell would have made ahearn's life just as miserable. i agree that polk will provide better defense than relphorde at this time. but on the other hand relphorde is going to always snag a few rebounds and because of his size be able to play better help defense than polk ever will.

hey polk's defense on ahearn last year was wonderful. and who can forget the great jobs he did in the two xavier games the previous years as well on defense. but my question is that a matter that poor floor coaches like hinson and miller werent able to call for adjustments and continued to let polk guard players out court? if polk was truly that great of a defender, we would have that happening quite a bit more than we do. polk would be our best defensive guard. but he's not. both lisch and meyer are the more consistent defenders and that is simply because of the added size.

hey i hope dwayne makes monkey's out of all of us that have lost faith in him. but to start the season off by being held scoreless vs umsl and not really standing out in anything doesnt lead me to believe i lost faith too soon. prove us wrong dwayne. please.

[Iggy]

25-10

[brianstl]

Did Ahearn post up anyone or have a post-up aspect to his game?

Well the complaint is that people who normally don't post-up people post-up Polk because of his size.

[jzstldc]

22-8

this includes 2 victories over Slugsignguy's Colonials

[willie]

You can tell that Polk thinks he's doing the smart thing in ALWAYS pulling it out to the wing when he gets ahead on the break (and sometimes, it is the smart thing), but I'd rather see him take it hard and even get blocked than pull it out like that, because nothing ever happens when he does. It's not like he curls out, surveys the floor, and makes a nifty pass to a cutter. He just sits there and waits until Lisch or Liddell catches up and gives them the ball out on the perimeter. I would have no problem w/ Dwayne if he would just take it to the rack on the break. I know he can, he's got a great floater, and he finishes well for his size. You just NEVER see it.

I could not agree more. It just drives me crazy watching Polk push the ball down the floor,just stop and not look to make a play. Take the ball to the hole,look for a secondary cutter,do something besides just stopping and turning your back to the basket.