Unbelievably stupid--bad playing by a supposed good team!

[ACE]

Most depressing loss of all time for SLU? So you've only been a SLU fan for a few weeks? There were a bunch of losses just last season that were worse than this. Bowling Green, Austin Peay, La Salle, all at home, just off the top of my head. We played badly but we were never going to go undefeated. We have 6 games in a row that we should dominate, we should be 12-1 going to New Mexico, and we could be ranked again if enough teams ahead of us lose.

Yeah, not even close. There have been many. Getting blown out at Scottrade by SEMO has to top the list for me.

[Westy03]

The reality of it is we lost to a good team on the road by 7. 4th road game in 6 days coming off of a huge emotional high, We really didn't even play all that poorly.

We shot over 40% from 3

We shot 47% from the field

We had too many turnovers, something that so far this year was unique to this game

We gave up too many offensive rebounds which is an area the Bills need to improve

Yes, we were hopeing for a win, but it didn't happen. I'd be surprised if we aren't ranked going in to the Pit (if we win all 6 at home, which I expect we will) Didn't we see this week many voters really have no clue? Many of them will see 12-1 remember our wins against Nova, Wash, and OU and will correctly vote for us.

This loss was nothing to be ashamed of or to even feel bad about. Learn from it and get back to winning.

Well said Skip. Summed up how I feel about this loss.

[billikenfan05]

Well said Skip. Summed up how I feel about this loss.

Not what You were saying last night

[Billiken Rich]

Finally, I'd like to give a shout-out to Tariq, at the 7-11 on Lincoln Blvd; right outside of the LMU campus. Evidently, he noticed my distraught appearance when he refused to sell me a pack of razor blades. I guess this bottle of MD 20/20 will have to do.

This quote is far and away the best thing to come out of last night's game. Thanks for the giggle.

[Billiken Rich]

Yeah, not even close. There have been many. Getting blown out at Scottrade by SEMO has to top the list for me.

The night we set the record for lowest score in the shot clock era at fricking GW is so much wrose than last night there can be no comparison.....

[brianstl]

Nm

[brianstl]

Not what You were saying last night

A night of sleep can provide perspective.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Well, yours truly is back in the East Bay after long drives up and down the I-5.

My opinions re the scheduling:

1. Some big power programs play wrap around games in LA on the same trip as trips to Hawaii.

2. Re playing the game later in the week, these are still students, at least at SLU they are, and asking them to be away from school for well over a week, a couple of weeks before finals, would seem to be asking a lot from them.

3. I do not believe a later trip, as in 2-3 weeks, is warranted from a financial standpoint, not when the team was already out here for the 76 Classic.

4. Mentioned over the LMU PA was that this game was part of the Jesuit Spotlight, which involves games between the 28 Jesuit schools. I've seen/heard that Jesuit Spotlight mentioned at USF and Fordham too.

Re the game itself:

1. SLU just got beat, it is that simple. It was LMU's night. More below, but as I told Dr. Chaifetz in exiting the premises, SLU probably beats LMU 9 out of 10 times, but last night was that 1 time. SLU looked a step or two slow, which is understandable. LMU was quicker last night, won most of the loose ball battles, had a hand in the way of many SLU passes, especially in that 10 point first half LMU run, fueled by SLU turnovers, and LMU won on the boards.

2. LMU's offense is all one on one, NBA type stuff, clear out and let the players score off dribble drive penetration and kicks. Everything seemed to be falling last night for LMU at crunch time. The 2 daggers were #3, Ireland, the LMU point guard, twice dribbling out the shot clock with crossover dribbles and then hitting circus shots at shot clock expiration.

3. The refs were bad. I know one for sure, Haddad, is a WCC ref. I'm pretty sure the lead official, Hicks, also refs the WCC. At least 2 LMU over the backs on rebounds were not called in the 2nd half. They bailed out LMU on missed shots. But running into home cooking, in this case California Cuisine, is to be expected on the road. And with emphasis, I do not blame the refs for this loss. No, last night, for that one night, LMU outplayed SLU.

4. Gersten Pavilion was fine, but it does have those infamous walls at each end, as in go from the baseline into the wall. One end has 4 rows of bleachers where the 9 or 10 piece LMU Band sits (which pales in comparison to our Billiken Band). But the LMU Band sits directly perpendicular to the opponent's bench, meaning the LMU Band plays right at the visitors' bench during timeouts. Just a small point, but I recall the A-10 made SLU move its Band to the other side of the basket so it wasn't right next to the visitors' bench.

Faces in the crowd:

SLU had a good contingent. It was great to meet Dr. Chaifetz and his wife. I thanked him, and told him I've been waiting my whole life for this. Dr. Chaifetz is a passionate supporter of the Billikens, which of course is an understatement. With the good doctor on our side, we have a very good chance to succeed.

I sat with the new "Wizard of Westwood." It was good to see AdMan, out from St. Louis, a fellow survivor of the Ekker Era, and to meet Malibu Billiken and his mother, and David King. Meg Connolly continues to do a great job with alumni relations. Dean and I talked to Tom Timmerman before the game. And I see that Timmerman even tweeted about one guy driving down from San Francisco to watch the game (that was yours truly).

I just read that Gary Payton and Matt Barnes were at the game.

Let's just put this one behind us. The ratings were nice, but the big picture is making the NCAA Tournament this year. That is the ultimate goal- the NCAA. This SLU team is good and has the talent and potential to be dancing in March.

[Westy03]

Not what You were saying last night

Yes I know but I wasnt serious with my comments. On a serious note, Cody has had a long trip so his boxers might need to be washed as soon as you can. Gotta support the team, 05.

[billikenfan05]

Yes I know but I wasnt serious with my comments. On a serious note, Cody has had a long trip so his boxers might need to be washed as soon as you can. Gotta support the team, 05.

I knew you were being facetious. So was I.

[Box and Won]

It's great that Chaifetz was there last night. Great that you were there as well, Bay Area.

[slufanskip]

Speaking of people being at the game. I'm surprised none of you have stepped up and accepted some level of personal responsibility for the loss.

We went to Carbondale, we brought home a win. Had Carbondale went on a run, I would have manned up and done something to stop it.

It upsets me that Bay Area, Dr. Chaifitz, Adman, or David King were willing to do whatever it takes for your team. When LMU went on that late 1st half run, why didn't anyone stop the momentum? Strip naked and run onto the court wearing just your BIlliken cap, pee on a LMU cheeleader, my GOD, do something. Don't just sit there looking shocked and stupid.

So, which of you that were at the game is going to be first to step up and accept some responsibility? Tell us what you should have done and commit to doing more next time

[Bay Area Billiken]

LOL!

Ok, I take responsibility for the loss. I hoped that I wasn't going to jinx them. Had I known what was coming, that my presence would have had this adverse effect, I would not have made the 12 hour round trip drive. (Just kidding- of course I expected victory and wanted to see the Billikens in person.)

The new Wizard of Westwood is above all reproach, however. He was in Anaheim for the 76 Classic Championship, even was shown on TV during the tourney.

And Dr. Chaifetz, obviously, holds full diplomatic immunity.

By the way, we Left Coast expatriate Billikens were all over the refs during the second half, during particular bad stretches of zebra hijinks, regrettably to no avail in retrospect, just like the old days. All that was missing was the season ticket holder at The Checkerdome tossing a coin or two on the floor (not recommended, students and young alumni- don't get any ideas. Some things are better left in the distant past).

We did all we could. It just wasn't to be last night.

[West Pine Jim]

Well, yours truly is back in the East Bay after long drives up and down the I-5.

My opinions re the scheduling:

1. Some big power programs play wrap around games in LA on the same trip as trips to Hawaii.

2. Re playing the game later in the week, these are still students, at least at SLU they are, and asking them to be away from school for well over a week, a couple of weeks before finals, would seem to be asking a lot from them.

3. I do not believe a later trip, as in 2-3 weeks, is warranted from a financial standpoint, not when the team was already out here for the 76 Classic.

4. Mentioned over the LMU PA was that this game was part of the Jesuit Spotlight, which involves games between the 28 Jesuit schools. I've seen/heard that Jesuit Spotlight mentioned at USF and Fordham too.

Re the game itself:

1. SLU just got beat, it is that simple. It was LMU's night. More below, but as I told Dr. Chaifetz in exiting the premises, SLU probably beats LMU 9 out of 10 times, but last night was that 1 time. SLU looked a step or two slow, which is understandable. LMU was quicker last night, won most of the loose ball battles, had a hand in the way of many SLU passes, especially in that 10 point first half LMU run, fueled by SLU turnovers, and LMU won on the boards.

2. LMU's offense is all one on one, NBA type stuff, clear out and let the players score off dribble drive penetration and kicks. Everything seemed to be falling last night for LMU at crunch time. The 2 daggers were #3, Ireland, the LMU point guard, twice dribbling out the shot clock with crossover dribbles and then hitting circus shots at shot clock expiration.

3. The refs were bad. I know one for sure, Haddad, is a WCC ref. I'm pretty sure the lead official, Hicks, also refs the WCC. At least 2 LMU over the backs on rebounds were not called in the 2nd half. They bailed out LMU on missed shots. But running into home cooking, in this case California Cuisine, is to be expected on the road. And with emphasis, I do not blame the refs for this loss. No, last night, for that one night, LMU outplayed SLU.

4. Gersten Pavilion was fine, but it does have those infamous walls at each end, as in go from the baseline into the wall. One end has 4 rows of bleachers where the 9 or 10 piece LMU Band sits (which pales in comparison to our Billiken Band). But the LMU Band sits directly perpendicular to the opponent's bench, meaning the LMU Band plays right at the visitors' bench during timeouts. Just a small point, but I recall the A-10 made SLU move its Band to the other side of the basket so it wasn't right next to the visitors' bench.

Faces in the crowd:

SLU had a good contingent. It was great to meet Dr. Chaifetz and his wife. I thanked him, and told him I've been waiting my whole life for this. Dr. Chaifetz is a passionate supporter of the Billikens, which of course is an understatement. With the good doctor on our side, we have a very good chance to succeed.

I sat with the new "Wizard of Westwood." It was good to see AdMan, out from St. Louis, a fellow survivor of the Ekker Era, and to meet Malibu Billiken and his mother, and David King. Meg Connolly continues to do a great job with alumni relations. Dean and I talked to Tom Timmerman before the game. And I see that Timmerman even tweeted about one guy driving down from San Francisco to watch the game (that was yours truly).

I just read that Gary Payton and Matt Barnes were at the game.

Let's just put this one behind us. The ratings were nice, but the big picture is making the NCAA Tournament this year. That is the ultimate goal- the NCAA. This SLU team is good and has the talent and potential to be dancing in March.

Thanks for the report, Bay Area. One of the treats of following this board is to get reliable "inside" or "behind the scenes" info. Now we need to get back to just winning and let the rankings, SOS, etc. take care of themselves.

[CHEESE]

The temple game is gonna be crucial.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Temple has the big 6'11" Center.

SLU has an issue with rebounding.

That Temple game is very important for SLU.

[bgtholt88]

For starters, this game shows we still have a lot of work to do. Remember last year? 11 wins? We have generally the same team, with the exception of KM. We didn't turn into a Sweet 16 team over night. We beat some good teams, but its not like we slapped around Duke, Kentucky and Ohio State. We beat some big names that really aren't THAT good this year. We've shown we have the potential to play well, but this game should give us some perspective.

Also, good teams win on the road in college basketball, that is something SLU has NEVER done in the years I've been attending their games. And yes, we did win against OK, BC and Villanova outside of our house, but those teams are just as far away from home as we were (or farther).

I have one question as well, why is everyone flipping out about being ranked or not?? If we are truly a good team (which I think we can be), being ranked in November will not matter in Jan and Feb. Yes its exciting. Yes we get national recognition. But being ranked right now should be the least of the Billiken worries. Winning out the rest of our non-conference games, getting over a tough road loss, and preparing for A-10 conference basketball should be our focus, not a silly number in front of our name.

[GOSLU68]

Well, yours truly is back in the East Bay after long drives up and down the I-5.

My opinions re the scheduling:

1. Some big power programs play wrap around games in LA on the same trip as trips to Hawaii.

2. Re playing the game later in the week, these are still students, at least at SLU they are, and asking them to be away from school for well over a week, a couple of weeks before finals, would seem to be asking a lot from them.

3. I do not believe a later trip, as in 2-3 weeks, is warranted from a financial standpoint, not when the team was already out here for the 76 Classic.

4. Mentioned over the LMU PA was that this game was part of the Jesuit Spotlight, which involves games between the 28 Jesuit schools. I've seen/heard that Jesuit Spotlight mentioned at USF and Fordham too.

Re the game itself:

1. SLU just got beat, it is that simple. It was LMU's night. More below, but as I told Dr. Chaifetz in exiting the premises, SLU probably beats LMU 9 out of 10 times, but last night was that 1 time. SLU looked a step or two slow, which is understandable. LMU was quicker last night, won most of the loose ball battles, had a hand in the way of many SLU passes, especially in that 10 point first half LMU run, fueled by SLU turnovers, and LMU won on the boards.

2. LMU's offense is all one on one, NBA type stuff, clear out and let the players score off dribble drive penetration and kicks. Everything seemed to be falling last night for LMU at crunch time. The 2 daggers were #3, Ireland, the LMU point guard, twice dribbling out the shot clock with crossover dribbles and then hitting circus shots at shot clock expiration.

3. The refs were bad. I know one for sure, Haddad, is a WCC ref. I'm pretty sure the lead official, Hicks, also refs the WCC. At least 2 LMU over the backs on rebounds were not called in the 2nd half. They bailed out LMU on missed shots. But running into home cooking, in this case California Cuisine, is to be expected on the road. And with emphasis, I do not blame the refs for this loss. No, last night, for that one night, LMU outplayed SLU.

4. Gersten Pavilion was fine, but it does have those infamous walls at each end, as in go from the baseline into the wall. One end has 4 rows of bleachers where the 9 or 10 piece LMU Band sits (which pales in comparison to our Billiken Band). But the LMU Band sits directly perpendicular to the opponent's bench, meaning the LMU Band plays right at the visitors' bench during timeouts. Just a small point, but I recall the A-10 made SLU move its Band to the other side of the basket so it wasn't right next to the visitors' bench.

Faces in the crowd:

SLU had a good contingent. It was great to meet Dr. Chaifetz and his wife. I thanked him, and told him I've been waiting my whole life for this. Dr. Chaifetz is a passionate supporter of the Billikens, which of course is an understatement. With the good doctor on our side, we have a very good chance to succeed.

I sat with the new "Wizard of Westwood." It was good to see AdMan, out from St. Louis, a fellow survivor of the Ekker Era, and to meet Malibu Billiken and his mother, and David King. Meg Connolly continues to do a great job with alumni relations. Dean and I talked to Tom Timmerman before the game. And I see that Timmerman even tweeted about one guy driving down from San Francisco to watch the game (that was yours truly).

I just read that Gary Payton and Matt Barnes were at the game.

Let's just put this one behind us. The ratings were nice, but the big picture is making the NCAA Tournament this year. That is the ultimate goal- the NCAA. This SLU team is good and has the talent and potential to be dancing in March.

+1

we were commonly slow during this game-steals by LMU say it all-Center kept BC from getting the ball and of course they had a bench kid have his one night career high

[MB73]

Sh*t.

It was a letdown situation. And we were gassed. And Loyola was up for us. And the refs, too.

We beat 3 BCS teams to win the 76 Classic. These games were on neutral courts, the refs and crowd were not a factor.

The kids played 4 games in 6 days, coming off a high, and naturally let down on their intensity, even though I am sure RM warned them.

Loyola was pumped, we were a RANKED team to knock off, and the home town refs let Loyola get away with murder. End of story.

It happens (again, Saints, # 2 - 3 team in NFL IMO, 14 pt favorites played injury riddled Rams and got blown out. Rams killed them. It is not who you play, but when you play them, even the pros let down after big wins / surges).

I say, that our wins against BC-Nova-OK were nice, but lets not fool ourselves that these were vintage squads from those storied programs. Were we really the 23rd best team in D-1?

But winning the tourney was excellent.

We need to keep going, and see how good we really are, at NM and then in A-10 play.

A shame we lost, because with a win at Loyola we could probably coast for awhile at home against some patsies, Portland, etc. Be a ranked team, enjoy it, be on the ESPN NCAA thread at bottom of the picture whenever we play...

[JettFlight5]

This game will show up on the "bad losses" part of our resume.

That resume still will be enough to hear our name called on a certain Sunday in March.

[brianstl]

Does anyone think Billikan will post later today asking Steve to ban Billikan for being a hater trying to destroy the team?

[Billiken Rich]

This game will show up on the "bad losses" part of our resume.

That resume still will be enough to hear our name called on a certain Sunday in March.

LMU is currently 118 RPI per CBS. I'll bet you a beer that LMU will not be seen as a bad loss.

[jimbofive]

http://sports.espn.g...1#photo_1712013

caption. ouch.

gotta say... this is damn good defense. http://sports.espn.g...1#photo_1712037

and this is encouraging. http://sports.espn.g...1#photo_1712126

barnett and manning look ripped, even next to grandmama glaze. loe and mccall could still use some work. mccall gets a free pass because he fuocked halle berry after she caught her boyfriend, ray, WIT A WHITE GURL!

[JettFlight5]

LMU is currently 118 RPI per CBS. I'll bet you a beer that LMU will not be seen as a bad loss.

I will be happy to pay that bet off. Last home game?

[bgtholt88]

barnett and manning look ripped, even next to grandmama glaze.

Ripped? As in high?