Perspective and the 800 lb Gorilla

[slu72]

That there are posts on here in late Feb discussing our shot at an NCAA bid is amazing. It's a real credit to how hard the Billikids have worked and how much they've developed under a truly masterful and proven HC. All the players deserve a huge amount of credit for their contributions and development, which are discussed on here to the nth degree on here. All this said, tonight the A-10's 800 lb gorilla enters the arena. Yup, we've beat Richmond, Dayton, and RI at the Fetz. Yup, we've smashed the road game barrier to a degree. And yup, with the exception of the Richmond game, we've been competitive in all our conference games. But hear those footsteps? It's the 800 lb gorilla known as X. Don't let him rub Billy's belly, he's likely to knock him off his pedestal. Face it, X is the A-10's bully, the A-10's fair haired child, the A-10's big man on campus who drives the sexy car and gets all the co-eds. Admit it, if we go 1-3 down the stretch we'd feel thrilled if the lone W was against X. A loss to X won't ruin what's been an unexpected and totally exciting season. It won't diminish our appreciation for how far the Billikids have come. It won't, or shouldn't, reduce the number or the enthusiasm of the students at the DU and Temple games. But think for a moment what a W would do. This game is our miracle on ice game, ok maybe that's a little over the top since St. L and Cincy aren't involved in a heated cold war or a battle of conflicting ideologies, but still, they're X. The school that was our nemesis back in the old MCC when Byron Larkin seemed to have 6 years of eligibility. We went to the NIT while they went dancing. And they've been dancing just about every year since. Wins against X have been few and far between. X is on a different level. X is the program we're aspiring to become. They are our 800lb gorilla and they deserve a beat down. God, I wish I could be there. I will be in spirit as I watch from a sports bar tonight, the only guy in the joint who cares about this game except for the gamblers. I'll even where my white SLU T shirt and hat. Heck, I'd buy a white pair of pants, belt, and shoes to complete the ensemble, but couldn't tolerate my wife's laughter. Bottom line, this is our GAME of the decade. Let's make it OUR GAME, the "one small step for the team and one giant leap for Billiken Nation" game. GO BILLS BEAT THE MOUSKETEERS!

[AB34]

Finally, a post about tonight's game.

Let's shelve the postseason talk for one day and focus on tonight. As the great Ric Flair said, "To be the Man, you gotta beat the man." Xavier is the man.

Keys to the game:

Defense, defense, defense

Keep em off the boards

Make FTs

I want to see the checkered pants tonight from Rican and SLUSAE03

I want to see 05 snapping that "S" flag as he runs around the court.

I want to see 108's posters (the Shoes, Davola, Rican, SLUSAE03, kmbilliken, myself) being the first ones on our feet for critical defensive possessions

I want the student section to be more boisterous as the Dayton game.

Everyone can call it a day at 3:30 today, hit their favorite SLU establishment and get ready for the game.

Let's go get a W.

[jimbofive]

Finally, a post about tonight's game.

Let's shelve the postseason talk for one day and focus on tonight. As the great Ric Flair said, "To be the Man, you gotta beat the man." Xavier is the man.

Keys to the game:

Defense, defense, defense

Keep em off the boards

Make FTs

I want to see the checkered pants tonight from Rican and SLUSAE03

I want to see 05 snapping that "S" flag as he runs around the court.

I want to see 108's posters (the Shoes, Davola, Rican, SLUSAE03, kmbilliken, myself) being the first ones on our feet for critical defensive possessions

I want the student section to be more boisterous as the Dayton game.

Everyone can call it a day at 3:30 today, hit their favorite SLU establishment and get ready for the game.

Let's go get a W.

i'll be in 108 tonight. midtown's going to be nuts. no matter what happens tonight (even though we're probably going to win), xavier's going to be limping back to their hotel rooms with their ears ringing.

[billiken_roy]

Finally, a post about tonight's game.

Let's shelve the postseason talk for one day and focus on tonight. As the great Ric Flair said, "To be the Man, you gotta beat the man." Xavier is the man.

Keys to the game:

Defense, defense, defense

Keep em off the boards

Make FTs

I want to see the checkered pants tonight from Rican and SLUSAE03

I want to see 05 snapping that "S" flag as he runs around the court.

I want to see 108's posters (the Shoes, Davola, Rican, SLUSAE03, kmbilliken, myself) being the first ones on our feet for critical defensive possessions

I want the student section to be more boisterous as the Dayton game.

Everyone can call it a day at 3:30 today, hit their favorite SLU establishment and get ready for the game.

Let's go get a W.

i want to see at minimum a ric flair big head in the stands, but a student dressing as flair next to chewbacca would be even better. wooooooooooooo!

[billikenfan05]

i'll be in 108 tonight. midtown's going to be nuts. no matter what happens tonight (even though we're probably going to win), xavier's going to be limping back to their hotel rooms with their ears ringing.

Jimbo, I'll be at the annex around 3. You gonna be over there?

[JMM28]

i want to see at minimum a ric flair big head in the stands, but a student dressing as flair next to chewbacca would be even better. wooooooooooooo!

flair in the speedo, not flair in the suit, correct?

[SShoe]

i'll be in 108 tonight. midtown's going to be nuts. no matter what happens tonight (even though we're probably going to win), xavier's going to be limping back to their hotel rooms with their ears ringing.

Jimbo, kshoe and I are in row 2 of 108. Feel free to come down before the game or at halftime. Would love to meet you.

[Westy03]

Jimbo, kshoe and I are in row 2 of 108. Feel free to come down before the game or at halftime. Would love to meet you.

Yeah he is sitting with us so we will come down there before the game and probably halftime. We will be in our 108 seats tonight.

[slu72]

Finally, a post about tonight's game.

Let's shelve the postseason talk for one day and focus on tonight. As the great Ric Flair said, "To be the Man, you gotta beat the man." Xavier is the man.

Keys to the game:

Defense, defense, defense

Keep em off the boards

Make FTs

I want to see the checkered pants tonight from Rican and SLUSAE03

I want to see 05 snapping that "S" flag as he runs around the court.

I want to see 108's posters (the Shoes, Davola, Rican, SLUSAE03, kmbilliken, myself) being the first ones on our feet for critical defensive possessions

I want the student section to be more boisterous as the Dayton game.

Everyone can call it a day at 3:30 today, hit their favorite SLU establishment and get ready for the game.

Let's go get a W.

[billiken_roy]

flair in the speedo, not flair in the suit, correct?

best would be in wrestling get up with the "nature boy" robe and boa with sunglasses.

[slu72]

Finally, a post about tonight's game.

Let's shelve the postseason talk for one day and focus on tonight. As the great Ric Flair said, "To be the Man, you gotta beat the man." Xavier is the man.

Keys to the game:

Defense, defense, defense

Keep em off the boards

Make FTs

I want to see the checkered pants tonight from Rican and SLUSAE03

I want to see 05 snapping that "S" flag as he runs around the court.

I want to see 108's posters (the Shoes, Davola, Rican, SLUSAE03, kmbilliken, myself) being the first ones on our feet for critical defensive possessions

I want the student section to be more boisterous as the Dayton game.

Everyone can call it a day at 3:30 today, hit their favorite SLU establishment and get ready for the game.

Let's go get a W.

The boards are what scare me the most. WE can't be giving X a whole bunch of 2nd and 3rd opportunities with OR's. They'll cash in on those. Also, whoever dictates the tempo has the best shot. At our pace we should be able to keep it close. If X gets out there and starts running we''re gonna have problems. WR, CE, BC, JS, and CR all better come with their game faces on, because we're gonna need them big time tonight to keep X from dominating the boards. I wouldn't be surprised to see BC and the kid Frease get into it a little tonight.

[brianstl]

The key to the game will be controlling the pace. If X controls the tempo we are in trouble. Control the pace and limit our turnovers and we have a good chance of winning this game.

[billiken_roy]

The key to the game will be controlling the pace. If X controls the tempo we are in trouble. Control the pace and limit our turnovers and we have a good chance of winning this game.

if we could control the pace vs those crazy sob's from rhode island, we can control pace with any team in the conference.

i say game definer is rebounding and turnovers. when we have done both we have won.

[bsheldon]

slu72

Great post. I got goose bumps while reading it.

I am so pumped up about this game.

The place is going to be nuts.

I agree this is an HUGE if not program turning point game. If we can knock off THE perenial powerhouse and let us not forget recent elite 8 team, we make a major statement. We take another big step towards being the program we aspire to be. It is going to be fun.

[moytoy12]

Who guards Crawford? Gotta be KC, right? And them maybe Smif?

I haven't watched X much this year, but Crawford was impressive (and a bit of a punk).

[MB73]

That there are posts on here in late Feb discussing our shot at an NCAA bid is amazing. It's a real credit to how hard the Billikids have worked and how much they've developed under a truly masterful and proven HC. All the players deserve a huge amount of credit for their contributions and development, which are discussed on here to the nth degree on here. All this said, tonight the A-10's 800 lb gorilla enters the arena. Yup, we've beat Richmond, Dayton, and RI at the Fetz. Yup, we've smashed the road game barrier to a degree. And yup, with the exception of the Richmond game, we've been competitive in all our conference games. But hear those footsteps? It's the 800 lb gorilla known as X. Don't let him rub Billy's belly, he's likely to knock him off his pedestal. Face it, X is the A-10's bully, the A-10's fair haired child, the A-10's big man on campus who drives the sexy car and gets all the co-eds. Admit it, if we go 1-3 down the stretch we'd feel thrilled if the lone W was against X. A loss to X won't ruin what's been an unexpected and totally exciting season. It won't diminish our appreciation for how far the Billikids have come. It won't, or shouldn't, reduce the number or the enthusiasm of the students at the DU and Temple games. But think for a moment what a W would do. This game is our miracle on ice game, ok maybe that's a little over the top since St. L and Cincy aren't involved in a heated cold war or a battle of conflicting ideologies, but still, they're X. The school that was our nemesis back in the old MCC when Byron Larkin seemed to have 6 years of eligibility. We went to the NIT while they went dancing. And they've been dancing just about every year since. Wins against X have been few and far between. X is on a different level. X is the program we're aspiring to become. They are our 800lb gorilla and they deserve a beat down. God, I wish I could be there. I will be in spirit as I watch from a sports bar tonight, the only guy in the joint who cares about this game except for the gamblers. I'll even where my white SLU T shirt and hat. Heck, I'd buy a white pair of pants, belt, and shoes to complete the ensemble, but couldn't tolerate my wife's laughter. Bottom line, this is our GAME of the decade. Let's make it OUR GAME, the "one small step for the team and one giant leap for Billiken Nation" game. GO BILLS BEAT THE MOUSKETEERS!

Agree, this is the big one, X has beaten FLA, Cincy, Creighton, and lost squeakers to WF, Butler, Baylor, and also lost to Marq and K State.

So much stronger SOS before conference than us but a victory here is HUGE, with X's reputation, would deliver a final message that SLU is for real.

They have won 3 in a row and could possibly be a bit overconfident... but probably are smart enough to understand that SLU will be a tough win.

The big one = Xavier.

[Cowboy]

-on a positive level, does this have the chance to be the program's biggest game since the cusa championship game in 2000?

-and then the next one, and the next one.....

[brianstl]

if we could control the pace vs those crazy sob's from rhode island, we can control pace with any team in the conference.

i say game definer is rebounding and turnovers. when we have done both we have won.

X is a different animal than Rhode Island.

[Pistol]

I brought this over from another thread, as it seems more suited here:

Speaking of Crawford, who guards him? Cassity? Will he be able to keep up? I've been to enough XU games this year to see that guy do some ridiculous things, and he's one of just a couple guys who worries me.

I think Mitchell will do fine against Holloway and Lyons, whoever's running the point at the time. Conklin is physical enough to keep McLean from hitting the offensive boards too much, which is where he's really a threat (couple double-doubles lately; he's coming on strong).

The other matchup that worries me is at center, where we'll have Reed and whoever comes in to spell him going up against Love and Frease, both considerably stronger than Willie at this point. However, all three can get in quick foul trouble from time to time, so the first half is huge for all of them.

If we can neutralize Crawford and keep their bigs off the offensive glass and our bigs out of foul trouble, that will give us a great shot at winning this.

[b.hayes]

I brought this over from another thread, as it seems more suited here:

Speaking of Crawford, who guards him? Cassity? Will he be able to keep up? I've been to enough XU games this year to see that guy do some ridiculous things, and he's one of just a couple guys who worries me.

I think Mitchell will do fine against Holloway and Lyons, whoever's running the point at the time. Conklin is physical enough to keep McLean from hitting the offensive boards too much, which is where he's really a threat (couple double-doubles lately; he's coming on strong).

The other matchup that worries me is at center, where we'll have Reed and whoever comes in to spell him going up against Love and Frease, both considerably stronger than Willie at this point. However, all three can get in quick foul trouble from time to time, so the first half is huge for all of them.

If we can neutralize Crawford and keep their bigs off the offensive glass and our bigs out of foul trouble, that will give us a great shot at winning this.

Was talking about this the other day. It's a tough matchup, no doubt. Gotta be Cassity and maybe a little Jon Smith in my book. I don't think anyone else on the team has a chance other than those two.

[billiken_roy]

X is a different animal than Rhode Island.

my point is that with rhodey that is all they think about is creating havoc and a frenetic pace. xu is more defined. yes they will take the up and down if given, but they are a much more defined team that can play what is there. they will not try to force pace if it isnt given. where rhodey does.

the interior rebounding is going to be huge. love is an animal second chance guy. we have to stop the second chance points. and we have to limit the turnovers. you can bet mack watched us flopping around and turning it over vs rhodey and is thinking "we need to guard the perimeter hard". we gotta limit the easy turnovers.

[bsheldon]

I agree that X is a different animal, but not necessarily vastly better, just different. They have true force down low and Crawford who can take over a game at anytime--similar to what Harris almost did to us in Mass last weekend. RI has a ton of athletes who love to run up and down the floor--we controlled that. I think we can do that agian tonight.

Points from "way down under" are going to be at a premium as we are #1 at defending 3's and they are #3. They rely heavily on that for their offense--just as we do, but even more so. I am not sure if they score more by percentage than we do--or if it is simply just a function of them getting several more possessions per game--either way 3's are a big part of their offense. Whoever wins the battle in the paint, I think wins the game. Love is a monster and Frease is a 7 footer who can play. If we can keep them from dominating the boards, and control the pace--I think we win the half court battle and get more points from behind the arc. Redford may not play, and we can focus on shutting down Jackson from behind the arc. Crawford is going to get his but if we can frustrate them as whole by controlling the pace and taking away their contibuting guys (and ours contributing guys step up again--Cody, Klye, JJ, BC, JS) I think we win.

Go Bills!

[billiken_roy]

Was talking about this the other day. It's a tough matchup, no doubt. Gotta be Cassity and maybe a little Jon Smith in my book. I don't think anyone else on the team has a chance other than those two.

crawford is likely too savvy for smith at this stage in smith's career. i would bet that it is cassity and maybe salecich. this is a game that rickma might shorten the rotation. or at the very least sub certain players only when the matchups are right.

[brianstl]

crawford is likely too savvy for smith at this stage in smith's career. i would bet that it is cassity and maybe salecich. this is a game that rickma might shorten the rotation. or at the very least sub certain players only when the matchups are right.

+1

But, we are going to need some quality minutes from Cory and Smith. We are going to need a good rotation along the front line to keep our guys out of foul trouble.

[billiken_roy]

+1

But, we are going to need some quality minutes from Cory and Smith. We are going to need a good rotation along the front line to keep our guys out of foul trouble.

that's the fine line we walk tonite.