The Wiz Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 What a great effort by the Bills battling the Spartans the entire game. Columbus headlines read ..."MSU survives scare by St. Louis". We are now officially on the basketball map. We coulda/shoulda won that game. Had we played a "normal" game we would have made 2 more 3's and 3 more 2's for an additional 12 points. This could have been an 8 point win against an MSU team that shot above average (54%) ...a #1 seed and a top 5 team by any ranking. All is not lost though. What the Bills gained is the knowlrdge and confidence that they are an elite team. That they can play with anyone. After the tournament in Anaheim, I remember seeing we had become a top 25 team in the polls as well as my rankings. After Loy M, we disappeared from the polls yet continued to climb in my rankings until in January I made the"ridiculous" exclamation that we are an "elite" team. (at that point #15) It was ridiculous to the doubters. I know what MB 73 stands for now. When asked the question of where the Bills rank...he answered ....May Be 73rd. (sorry couildn't resist) But it wasn't just the doubters. The faithful had trouble swallowing the full notion of elite too. It was tough to accept after a decade of no dancing. There were always the doubts. But in the end, we battled MSU the "official elite" to the final seconds. Izzo said after the game , that the Bills were his toughest opponent of the year. Pretty heady stuff from an elite coach who faced the likes of Oh St., Wisc and Ind this year. Just another validation that we belong....that we are more than good ....we are elite. Bottomline for next year is ....we go in with the confidence and experiece of knowing we can play and beat anyone. We go into the season not with the hope of making the Dance...but expecting to make the Dance. Next year when someone says we are elite....you can answer ..."Yeah baby" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Metzinger Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Completely agree, Wiz. Although in the grand scheme of the NCAA Tournament, there's going to be 67 teams going home unhappy. Maybe 66. All I know is that there were a ton of Saint Louis fans walking out of that arena and into the warmth of the Columbus, OH sun with smiles on their faces because we scared the Green ###### out of Michigan State. I was one of them. Elite isn't just the appropriate word for our coach and team - slap that Elite tag on our fans and our University as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccarthyirish7 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Completely agree, Wiz. Although in the grand scheme of the NCAA Tournament, there's going to be 67 teams going home unhappy. Maybe 66. All I know is that there were a ton of Saint Louis fans walking out of that arena and into the warmth of the Columbus, OH sun with smiles on their faces because we scared the Green ###### out of Michigan State. I was one of them. Elite isn't just the appropriate word for our coach and team - slap that Elite tag on our fans and our University as well. Well said Metz! And great post Wiz. I looked at the team stats on the way home and I just couldn't believe that we shot 19%....19%!!!! less than MSU did and only lost by 4. Are you kidding me? The Wiz is exactly correct. If we hit our averages, we beat MSU by 8. If we make just 3 of those missed layups (forget the missed threes) - we win by 2. Just an amazing effort and all around game by our guys....minus the missed shots. The game plan was executed (to get the open shots and frustrate MSU's Os) to perfection. Very proud of our guys, fans, and University!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prebilliken Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Great post Wiz, infact, its been pleasent to read your inputs all year long. I love good numbers supporting bold claims. Things we have learned about the Bills this year: -This team has the biggest heart in the NCAA, they never gave in. -The Saintsations are in the 99th percentilve of beauty, skill, and stage presence in the NCAA. Also, they are wonderful girls. -The "World Greatest Pep Band" is more than a moniker its a way of life. -Billiken fans are the greatest in the world, our ranks will swell quickly over the coming years. -Majerus is a genuis, we knew that actually, but its worth repeating. Wiz, anyway we can calculate a preseason ranking for next year already? We would probably have to wait for the end of the tourney to see where all the teams finish. But would you recommend any sort of balance in a calculation of: players returning, the way the team finished the season, and the recurits coming in next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Great post Wiz, infact, its been pleasent to read your inputs all year long. I love good numbers supporting bold claims. Things we have learned about the Bills this year: -This team has the biggest heart in the NCAA, they never gave in. -The Saintsations are in the 99th percentilve of beauty, skill, and stage presence in the NCAA. Also, they are wonderful girls. -The "World Greatest Pep Band" is more than a moniker its a way of life. -Billiken fans are the greatest in the world, our ranks will swell quickly over the coming years. -Majerus is a genuis, we knew that actually, but its worth repeating. Wiz, anyway we can calculate a preseason ranking for next year already? We would probably have to wait for the end of the tourney to see where all the teams finish. But would you recommend any sort of balance in a calculation of: players returning, the way the team finished the season, and the recurits coming in next year? There is a baseline at the beginning which takes into acct player changes, data from the previous year etc. It is at best sketchy...not too bad but not as good as later in the season. The key is sometime after the first few weeks of the season there is what's called a "connect". Where enough teams have played each other to make a connection....kind of like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.....A "small world" phenomenon where every actor in Hollywood can be connected to Kevin within 6 steps. Well the NCAA Div 1 is even a smaller world ....only 345 teams. It generally takes a few weeks (end of Nov) to connect. So sit tight and bask in the glory of a great season. Next season will be here soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMM28 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Next season will be here soon enough. It is nice to cut an extra week off of the typical off season by playing meaningful games in Mid March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 It is nice to cut an extra week off of the typical off season by playing meaningful games in Mid March. +1.....maybe next year we will cut a month off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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