Duke: What Did You Expect?

[Taj79]

.... I am starting to side with the guy wanting to toss his eight tickets. How many years do we have to endure this? Why are we even bothering? Are we even bothering? If I had to watch one more CBS-Duke promo .... all the breaks were Duke highlight reels with the exception of the pre-game shake of hands with K and Majerus. Even get to see little Dukies in the making. Wonderful.

Who was that team? What happened to Cassity? Bum ankle? Ellis? Is the sickness from the summer that debilitating? Maybe it is. Has Salescich ever stepped onto a basketball court before? Remekun must still be a large work in progress. Conklin? Hey --- he looked better built.

Good notes: Keep McCall, Jett and Evans. Evans needs more mintues. Loe? Don't know --- too early to call.

Seriously ---- we looked respectable in some terms but those guys ate us up like we were standing still. Who is going to beat that team? I can't see it happening. And Irving was/is out and they still don't lose a beat. Frankly, it was another embarrassment. Nothing else to say other than maybe even hoping for this program is futile. Our lineup looked no different than guys named Entwhistle, Seyfert, Latimore, Barantine, Caswell, Varner, Newborne and all the other well-liked gentlemen and scholars that came before today.

Its hard to say ths but ..... so it goes.

[AlumniFan]

.... I am starting to side with the guy wanting to toss his eight tickets. How many years do we have to endure this? Why are we even bothering? Are we even bothering? If I had to watch one more CBS-Duke promo .... all the breaks were Duke highlight reels with the exception of the pre-game shake of hands with K and Majerus. Even get to see little Dukies in the making. Wonderful.

Who was that team? What happened to Cassity? Bum ankle? Ellis? Is the sickness from the summer that debilitating? Maybe it is. Has Salescich ever stepped onto a basketball court before? Remekun must still be a large work in progress. Conklin? Hey --- he looked better built.

Good notes: Keep McCall, Jett and Evans. Evans needs more mintues. Loe? Don't know --- too early to call.

Seriously ---- we looked respectable in some terms but those guys ate us up like we were standing still. Who is going to beat that team? I can't see it happening. And Irving was/is out and they still don't lose a beat. Frankly, it was another embarrassment. Nothing else to say other than maybe even hoping for this program is futile. Our lineup looked no different than guys named Entwhistle, Seyfert, Latimore, Barantine, Caswell, Varner, Newborne and all the other well-liked gentlemen and scholars that came before today.

Its hard to say ths but ..... so it goes.

Simple solution: don't watch. I didn't.

[dlarry]

.... I am starting to side with the guy wanting to toss his eight tickets. How many years do we have to endure this? Why are we even bothering? Are we even bothering? If I had to watch one more CBS-Duke promo .... all the breaks were Duke highlight reels with the exception of the pre-game shake of hands with K and Majerus. Even get to see little Dukies in the making. Wonderful.

Who was that team? What happened to Cassity? Bum ankle? Ellis? Is the sickness from the summer that debilitating? Maybe it is. Has Salescich ever stepped onto a basketball court before? Remekun must still be a large work in progress. Conklin? Hey --- he looked better built.

Good notes: Keep McCall, Jett and Evans. Evans needs more mintues. Loe? Don't know --- too early to call.

Seriously ---- we looked respectable in some terms but those guys ate us up like we were standing still. Who is going to beat that team? I can't see it happening. And Irving was/is out and they still don't lose a beat. Frankly, it was another embarrassment. Nothing else to say other than maybe even hoping for this program is futile. Our lineup looked no different than guys named Entwhistle, Seyfert, Latimore, Barantine, Caswell, Varner, Newborne and all the other well-liked gentlemen and scholars that came before today.

Its hard to say ths but ..... so it goes.

Who was that team?

That was a team with 9 scholarship players that was playing the best team in the country.

That was a team thats most experinced player only got 14 minutes because of injury.

That was a team that had 3 Freshman(Evans, Mccall, Jett) play tough and show no fear against the Yankees of college Bball. Jett and McCall had to many turnovers but I really liked the way they played.

That was a team that was overmatched in skill, size, depth, and experince.

That was the 6th youngest team in the nation going against a team that has the third, soon to be second, winningest coach in the history of the game.

That was a team who expected to have an all conference PG and an all conference big man when the game was scheduled.

I get the frustration people are feeling towards the program. Im frustrated and pissed off too.

But this game doesnt change my opinion about the team, the coach, or the program as a whole.

Much better teams have gone into that atmosphere and had much worse results.

This game isnt a big deal to me. They got smashed just like everyone expected but they didnt quit and they gained a lot of experince.

They will be much more prepared for A-10 play because of this game.

[RB2.0]

I wish I could say I expected something different, but what happened today was exactly what I thought would happen.

We are so far away from being a good team. This was our one chance to show all the fringe SLU fans that we could actually compete. The type of "fans" that watch one game every 2 years when it is on national tv. And of course, we get blown out of the water from the beginning and those "fans" return to their long hedp belief about the basketball program: we are small time. That's the biggest tragedy of this game. We had a chance to show we have actually improved the program and we didn't. We showed them exactly who they thought we were. Whatever. We have such a long way to go that it's hard to know where even to start.

Nothing much to take from this game. Obviously, if we had mitchell and reed we probably would have been within 20, but thats a moot point.

[billikenfan05]

I wish I could say I expected something different, but what happened today was exactly what I thought would happen.

We are so far away from being a good team. This was our one chance to show all the fringe SLU fans that we could actually compete. The type of "fans" that watch one game every 2 years when it is on national tv. And of course, we get blown out of the water from the beginning and those "fans" return to their long hedp belief about the basketball program: we are small time. That's the biggest tragedy of this game. We had a chance to show we have actually improved the program and we didn't. We showed them exactly who they thought we were. Whatever. We have such a long way to go that it's hard to know where even to start.

Nothing much to take from this game. Obviously, if we had mitchell and reed we probably would have been within 20, but thats a moot point.

+1

[Basketbill]

I thought today that our record was in jeopardy, but we settled down a bit and got more than 20!!! Only thing worse than holding that record would be being the team that breaks it. I saw what I suspected I would see. We had no chance to win, and only chance to stay close would have been to hit some threes early and get the refs on our side. Neither was done. That said duke is so good they do not need the refs but the get the 50-50 calls anyway. I was pleased to see McCall play well and Jett does not have fear…..I thought we played decent defense early, but losing Cassity so early to fouls and not having him effective due to an ankle injury hurts regardless of who we are playing. Nevertheless, playing against a team that does not take any plays off, even contest lane violations is good for us.

75 k is good for us too.

[The Dude]

Taj - I had the same thoughts as you as I listened to this game. Just when did the Bills become UMSL? While I never expected a close game I at least thought there may be stretches where the Bills played competitive ball. Loe has time to improve but otherwise Majerus may want to forget about his downunder connection. He's still trying to find another Bogut. What I find truly disconcerting is that Majerus' years here are limited. He was on his way to building something only to have the student kanagaroo court run his 2 best players. I'm not so certain he'll be around for Jett's, McCall's or Evans' senior year (and not so sure they will be around either). And it's not just the Duke game. Going to be a struggle for this team to finish above .500. Getting KM back will help but the lack of an inside game will make this a tough year. Just hope they can make it to next year and keep this freshman class intact.

[SLUisville]

We showed them exactly who they thought we were.

[Tonka]

Wow. Just about everybody predicts SLU would get blown out and that was before Kyle hurt's his ankle. Kyle plays at less than 100%, gets early fouls, we get blown out and people are angry, frustrated, etc. Some didn't even watch. Wow.

To SLU fans: what did YOU expect? We played the best team in the nation in the hardest arena in the nation to win a game.

This game went exactly how it should have.

[Box and Won]

Wow. Just about everybody predicts SLU would get blown out and that was before Kyle hurt's his ankle. Kyle plays at less than 100%, gets early fouls, we get blown out and people are angry, frustrated, etc. Some didn't even watch. Wow.

To SLU fans: what did YOU expect? We played the best team in the nation in the hardest arena in the nation to win a game.

This game went exactly how it should have.

I don't think it's the beatdown that has people upset, it's the fact that Willie and Kwamain weren't there. Losing by 37 just amplifies their absence even more.

[Tonka]

I don't think it's the beatdown that has people upset, it's the fact that Willie and Kwamain weren't there. Losing by 37 just amplifies their absence even more.

Probably. I can understand that too, but it is what it is. Plus, a few weeks ago there was no chance Willie was coming back. Now, there's a little bit of hope.

[slu72]

I thought today that our record was in jeopardy, but we settled down a bit and got more than 20!!! Only thing worse than holding that record would be being the team that breaks it. I saw what I suspected I would see. We had no chance to win, and only chance to stay close would have been to hit some threes early and get the refs on our side. Neither was done. That said duke is so good they do not need the refs but the get the 50-50 calls anyway. I was pleased to see McCall play well and Jett does not have fear…..I thought we played decent defense early, but losing Cassity so early to fouls and not having him effective due to an ankle injury hurts regardless of who we are playing. Nevertheless, playing against a team that does not take any plays off, even contest lane violations is good for us.

75 k is good for us too.

I think Taj overcooked the negativity, but it's understandable. When this game was announced I don't think anyone of us thought we could win but we'd at least be competitive. Wasn't meant to be, and so we get trashed on national TV. It's the plight of being a Billiken fan. The frosh did show some promise. McCall looked like J. Wall on that one breakaway. Jett is a keeper. And Evans the same. RL's got work to do. A lot of work on his inside game. As for CE, I think he's going to have a tough year. He caught teams by surprise last year with his 3 pt shot. You could see today Duke was on to him and unless he starts cutting to the hoop, as he did on one play, his points are going down. You can't be a one trick pony for long. CS can't shoot a lick. Period. It came out just like I thought it would. I started worrying w/ about 9min left in the first half when we had 6 points that the 20 record might be in jeopardy too. Thank God. In fact thank God we cracked the 40 barrier. There's really not a lot to take away from this game other than we've got some freshmen that look to be future A-10 caliber players. At this point, if WR and KM do come back I hope they sit. Why waste half a season that appears to be going nowhere. What this team needs is maturity and more talent. If they play next year, we'll have it. Plus let the frosh get some on the job training. I think these kids may surprise us a few times this year with some unexpected W's. Yeah, it would've been a better game with KM and WR, but we'd still have lost by 20. Duke is just that damn good. Their 9 thru 14 guys would start for us and we'd probably win the A-10 hands down. Too bad we couldn't recruit them. And who knows maybe there's a 4 or 5 star that watched today and liked our uni's and felt sorry for us. Or is thinking, heck I could start for those guys today.

[dlarry]

And who knows maybe there's a 4 or 5 star that watched today and liked our uni's .

Well if thats the case it still may not help all that much because Duke basically has the same uniforms.

So if a 5 star recruit saw the game and really wanted to play in the SLU blue and white he could do that for Duke.

[The Dude]

I don't think anyone is upset they lost to Duke. It is the growing realization this team is starting all over again. Simply put, you can just set aside the sophs and juniors. Those classes will contribute fewer and fewer points and minutes this year and we can only hope it is the case next year. Cassity will get his minutes but he and the sophs now represent the past. They've been "Lisched" and "Liddelled."

[Bay Area Billiken]

Ellis? Is the sickness from the summer that debilitating? Maybe it is. Has Salescich ever stepped onto a basketball court before?

Good notes: Keep McCall, Jett and Evans. Evans needs more mintues. Loe? Don't know --- too early to call.

I mentioned at lunch to the better half, a fellow SLU alumnus herself, about how the Aussies, who came to SLU as good shooters, now can't shoot. She attributed it to the (difference in) the gravitational pull (from Down Under)!

Agreed re McCall, Jett, and Evans. Those three need to play; all three have upsides and games.

Sorry, but overall this game was an embarrassment. It very regrettably reminded me of the hopeless days of the Ekker Era.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Wow. Just about everybody predicts SLU would get blown out and that was before Kyle hurt's his ankle. Kyle plays at less than 100%, gets early fouls, we get blown out and people are angry, frustrated, etc. Some didn't even watch. Wow.

To SLU fans: what did YOU expect? We played the best team in the nation in the hardest arena in the nation to win a game.

This game went exactly how it should have.

It is the situation, the totality of the circumstances IMO. SLU was really expected to contend for the NCAA Tournament this season. This was to be our year.

Today's won-loss result was expected. The 37 point slaughter was not before Oct. 14. After that and after SLU lost at home to the likes of Austin Peay and allowed Luke Sikma, of all people, to morph into George Mikan, today's slaughter was expected here. Sorry, but that's the way it is.

[kmbilliken]

I'm beginning to think Ellis and Salecich are both busts. What is Ellis besides a big body out there? We can't afford to have him and Loe on the court at the same time.

If Salecich is this bad shooting, our offensively challenged team can't afford to have him out there. He can defend, but he's not a shutdown defender. He has to score some points to justify his playing time.

[Bay Area Billiken]

I think Taj overcooked the negativity, but it's understandable. When this game was announced I don't think anyone of us thought we could win but we'd at least be competitive. Wasn't meant to be, and so we get trashed on national TV. It's the plight of being a Billiken fan. The frosh did show some promise. McCall looked like J. Wall on that one breakaway. Jett is a keeper. And Evans the same. RL's got work to do. A lot of work on his inside game. As for CE, I think he's going to have a tough year. He caught teams by surprise last year with his 3 pt shot. You could see today Duke was on to him and unless he starts cutting to the hoop, as he did on one play, his points are going down. You can't be a one trick pony for long. CS can't shoot a lick. Period. It came out just like I thought it would. I started worrying w/ about 9min left in the first half when we had 6 points that the 20 record might be in jeopardy too. Thank God. In fact thank God we cracked the 40 barrier. There's really not a lot to take away from this game other than we've got some freshmen that look to be future A-10 caliber players. At this point, if WR and KM do come back I hope they sit. Why waste half a season that appears to be going nowhere. What this team needs is maturity and more talent. If they play next year, we'll have it. Plus let the frosh get some on the job training. I think these kids may surprise us a few times this year with some unexpected W's. Yeah, it would've been a better game with KM and WR, but we'd still have lost by 20. Duke is just that damn good. Their 9 thru 14 guys would start for us and we'd probably win the A-10 hands down. Too bad we couldn't recruit them. And who knows maybe there's a 4 or 5 star that watched today and liked our uni's and felt sorry for us. Or is thinking, heck I could start for those guys today.

I hope the Missing Two get reinstated, are eligible, and play this season. I do not think either should redshirt, and hope they don't. Conference play has not yet started, and I see no point in playing shorthanded and risk not even making the A-10 Tournament, much less anything else. If WR and KM are reinstated, SLU still has a chance in the A-10 Tournament, as the A-10 is down this season (#9 Conference RPI). Of course, Temple basically getting to play at home in Atlantic City doesn't help the chances, but that is always going to be the case as long as the A-10 plays its tournament there.

[Billiken4life5]

A lot of people hating on Cody today. I agree he hasn't looked like the same player this year but definitely not ready to call him a bust,like some have. The guy is our pre season all conference player and he hit huge shots last year against richmond, dayton, and xavier. I think I'll stick with him. I agree that Christian doesn't really have a role on this team right now. If he can't shoot the 3 then he will never average more than five a game and we can't have that many non-scorers on the team at the same time.

[AlumniFan]

Wow. Just about everybody predicts SLU would get blown out and that was before Kyle hurt's his ankle. Kyle plays at less than 100%, gets early fouls, we get blown out and people are angry, frustrated, etc. Some didn't even watch. Wow.

To SLU fans: what did YOU expect? We played the best team in the nation in the hardest arena in the nation to win a game.

This game went exactly how it should have.

I expected exactly what happened - no surprise at all to me. I just had other things to do (Pere Marquette Trail Run that I have been doing for years). Given the choice of watching what we all knew would be a shellacking or doing something I really love wasn't really a tough choice.

Still a big fan, but we all make choices.

[mcglotherirvin]

If u expected less of a shalacking then you know very little about duke or their homecourt advantage. U also don't understand what happens to mid-majors when they lose their two best players. Mid major don't usually hve more than 2 star players. That's why they are midmajors. Take the stars away and get the next leading scorer injured and you have a tough time.

Duke beat Miami Ohio and Bradley by similar margins earlier this year. After those games I expected a similar result because right now (without km and wr) those are similar level teams.

[eastsidejoe]

I think Cody will be fine. I do not know what happened to CS but he has really regressed. Conklin is in his third year now, he should be playing better and so should Cory. The turnovers are hard to explain. Did KM and WR make that much of a difference? I am not so sure. Not only is it REALLY hard to be a billiken fan, it is at times damn near impossible.

[eastsidejoe]

I think Cody will be fine. I do not know what happened to CS but he has really regressed. Conklin is in his third year now, he should be playing better and so should Cory. The turnovers are hard to explain. Did KM and WR make that much of a difference? I am not so sure. Not only is it REALLY hard to be a billiken fan, it is at times damn near impossible.

[The Dude]

You can say that again.....oh, you did......

[DirtyRican]

I expected exactly what happened - no surprise at all to me. I just had other things to do (Pere Marquette Trail Run that I have been doing for years). Given the choice of watching what we all knew would be a shellacking or doing something I really love wasn't really a tough choice.

Still a big fan, but we all make choices.

Godzilla? I need to do that one year. A few Billiken posters are doing the Castlewood Cup in Feb.

I hate basketball.