kappy96 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I know the matchups were debated back when the field was announced and it was hoped that we'd draw KU to guarantee a game with them. I have it on pretty good authority that the Bills will likely be set up to play Texas A&M in the semi-finals of the CBE in KC. Reason provided was that Bill Self didn't want to be matched up with Majerus before the final. We'll just have to beat them in the championship game to earn our second consecutive early season tournament title! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I know the matchups were debated back when the field was announced and it was hoped that we'd draw KU to guarantee a game with them. I have it on pretty good authority that the Bills will likely be set up to play Texas A&M in the semi-finals of the CBE in KC. Reason provided was that Bill Self didn't want to be matched up with Majerus before the final. We'll just have to beat them in the championship game to earn our second consecutive early season tournament title! As long as we win vs. A&M it should be fine. Similar to this past year, if we are as good as we should be, beating a team like that should occur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billsrmajic Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 As long as we win vs. A&M it should be fine. Similar to this past year, if we are as good as we should be, beating a team like that should occur. Beating Kansas in KC is going to be a *****. If the game comes the day after the A & M game, it will be much, much tougher. Self is totally correct that he didn't want to play the Billikens first because then Rick would have time to prepare, and thus a much greater chance of winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintLouBlue Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Is there a reason that Self gets to set the match-ups? Is this some agreed upon thing for them to play in the tourney? I think it makes more sense that KU is seen as the 1 seed, we are seen as a 2, and A&M and Wash St are the 3/4. Thus, they'd want the top 2 teams playing in the final. Either way, I've got my tickets and am ready for the games!!! I am going to the games tonight too. Should be pretty close to the benches, so I'll see if I can ask Self prior to his game to confirm he is scared of Majerus . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Beating Kansas in KC is going to be a *****. If the game comes the day after the A & M game, it will be much, much tougher. Self is totally correct that he didn't want to play the Billikens first because then Rick would have time to prepare, and thus a much greater chance of winning. I'm sorry, but the lack of prep time excuse some people used for Michigan St. or even Kansas in this situation is weak. Take MSU for example, did we really need to scout LIU-Brooklyn and did we not have plenty of time to figure out a game plan for MSU too? It's actually much harder for an MSU type team that legitimiately has to plan for a SLU or Memphis, which are completely different styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kappy96 Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 I'm sorry, but the lack of prep time excuse some people used for Michigan St. or even Kansas in this situation is weak. Take MSU for example, did we really need to scout LIU-Brooklyn and did we not have plenty of time to figure out a game plan for MSU too? It's actually much harder for an MSU type team that legitimiately has to plan for a SLU or Memphis, which are completely different styles. Exactly. I had this conversation with several folks in Columbus and suggested that RM likely had one of the assistants preparing a full scout on MSU leading up to our game with Memphis in the event we won. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billsrmajic Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I'm sorry, but the lack of prep time excuse some people used for Michigan St. or even Kansas in this situation is weak. Take MSU for example, did we really need to scout LIU-Brooklyn and did we not have plenty of time to figure out a game plan for MSU too? It's actually much harder for an MSU type team that legitimiately has to plan for a SLU or Memphis, which are completely different styles. Exactly. I had this conversation with several folks in Columbus and suggested that RM likely had one of the assistants preparing a full scout on MSU leading up to our game with Memphis in the event we won. It's not a matter of whether they have a scouting report on a team. I assume one of the assistants was assigned to work on Michigan State as the team was preparing for Memphis. Rick is a master at breaking down film and coming up with a game plan. I'm confident that while one of his assistants had the beginning of the game plan developed for Michigan St., Rick began flushing it out on Friday night after the Memphis game so he could present it to the team on Saturday. But that's not really the issue. The reason Rick is so good with a bunch of days to prepare is because of what he does with his players during the days leading up to a game. If the game plan is ready on Monday and the team has four days to prepare (both on the court and in the film room), they will have a deep understanding of what Rick wants them to do. They will understand exactly how to play each of their opponents, have a good understanding of how to handle team defensive responsibilities, and know which specific plays Rick thinks will work against the upcoming opponent. With Rick, these issues are very specific for each team and require time to understand. On the other hand, after the Memphis game I'm sure Rick understood the game plan perfectly well on Saturday morning. But then he only had one day (and probably 2 hours of court time) to show it to his players. Obviously, their understanding of the game plan will not be as thorough if they only have one day vs. four days. When you hire Rick Majerus as your coach, your biggest advantage is in game preparation. When preparation time is short, that advantage is decreased significantly. At that point, athleticism comes into play much more. There have been many on this board who have talked up the Billiken's athleticism recently, and it's true we have some very good athletes. However, compared to a typical BCS team, our athletes don't compare favorably. So when there is not much time to prepare, our chances of beating a team with better athletes is diminished. I would say, for example, that given five days to prepare for Michigan State, SLU would win half of those games. Given one day to prepare, I'd say we would win one out of five. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Bill Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I think it makes more sense that KU is seen as the 1 seed, we are seen as a 2, and A&M and Wash St are the 3/4. Thus, they'd want the top 2 teams playing in the final.This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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