Observations on GeeDub from A MD couch ....

[Taj79]

.... moved to Row R, section 216 of the Smith Center.

1) First off, kudos to Annalise and Meg and anyone else associated with the alumni gathering at McFadden's. Great food spread, great to see old friends (May, Allan, Bomble, husak, Dave Wells, Amir, and Nick and family, etc.) and share all things Billiken. Bomble said they had over 150 folks coming but it seemed like more. I also believe the crowd grew once we entered the Smith Center. I can say that late in the game, the upper rafters started a "Lets Go Bills" chant that turned the Center into our court and not for the Buff and Blue. Bills fans sitting down in the President's Circle seats even came up and asked if that was us. Don't tell me the old folks aren't loud.

2) the seats. C'mon GeeDub. A 5000 seat arena only 64% full and we're sitting five rows from the top of this scrap heap????? Please take note (not that a GeeDub crowd will ever come to St. Louis) but give them seats on the roof catwalks at Chaifetz. Bush league. Got a kick out of Nick (who I first met two rows from court side here in our lovely 20 point fiasco in Majerus' first year) who said the seats were "unacceptable" and moved down to the President's seats behind our bench. I have done that before but was content enough to stay where I was. Let the Air Force dude kick some arse and not embarrass Missus Taj. By the way, the last row was "W."

3) anybody look at the stats on ESPN? GeeDub shot two-of-seven from three point land and were 7-of-15 from the line. They scored 24 baskets and taking out the two three pointers, 22 buckets from the field. Read ESPN's "play-by-play." Count things listed as "jumpers." GeeDub was 1-of-26 in jumpers! ONE of twenty-six. Of their 21 remaining baskets, all came with the word "layup" or "dunk" by it. This team had no basketball skills whatsoever. Not only could they nopt shoot,but that is also reinforced by the less than 50% mark from the line. Lonergan's game plan was somewhat brilliant --- work the shot clock down to seconds, pound it inside, and crash the boards. If the refs don't call it,we're in this game. That was the only way he could win at home. Once he got down late by even three points, they were in trouble unless they scored a tradtional three point play. Once we got up by two scores, fahgedabutit.

4) once again, the A10 refs confound me. Are they that bad? I don't know but it always amazes me how a mugging can be ignored, but a hand checked not. Garrick Shannon, Dan Anderson and Jeff Janosik. Don't know who the bald guy was but he seemed to see nothing while the older gray haired guy was calling things from across the court with obstructed views. I'll take Teddy Washington anytime. They did their best to give GeeDub a fighting chance in the second half.

5) passed on the usual pleasantries to Earl and Timmerman. Always like to say hello when the gang comes to the East Coast. Timmerman let me know at half that X had lost (or was about to lose). In other years, an X score might have mattered.

6) Foggy Bottom is interesting as is George Washington. Missus Taj and I passed through the courtyard that I believe is the center of the GeeDub campus universe and despite five or six conversations we passed through, only the last one was being done in English. Unfortunately, those are not the kind of students that pack a 5000 seat basketball venue.

7) The only way anybody good comes to the Smith Center is in conference. Local giants Georgetown and Maryland will never come there. If X and Butler and us leave this conference, GeeDub will never be in a position to get much of anything in there. This is truly an A10 team and needs tostay there,deservedly so.

8) The Bills did what they had to do. A limited opponent made a second half run bolstered by some marginal calls and being at home. The better team weathered the storm and beat them back into submission. Evans was a beast and Mitchell found his game. After two good games, McCall had an off night. Cody made two threes, cracking the 1000 point club, and then not so much. Evans goes to my first team now. Jett did well and rightfully made Sports Center. Loe was serviceable and the only thing I would say negatively is that even though GeeDub went "brusier" on us, I thought Grandy could counter that some but did little in 9 minutes. P.S. -- we had a Manning sighting.

The coup de grace was with the win, Missus Taj has green-lighted a Brooklyn trip. My A10, in=person record for th eBills is now up to 7 and 11.

Win at X and zip 'em up.

[mccarthyirish7]

Nice write up. Jett was a beast. I love that his free throw shooting is improving as well! With his ability to get to the rim, that will be key down the stretch.

[Taj79]

Good point ---- Jett's free throws. In this year and last, he seems to improve as the season goes on. Five-for-five yesterday and the shot looked "good" when it left his hands.

[West Pine Jim]

Thanks, Taj, I always appreciate news from the mysterious east. Taj: that famous sage, seer, soothsayer and former barber of Phil Martelli ...

[Taj79]

Hey don't forget, I did make-up for Mel Brooks. Of course, I'm so old, I don't remember if I copied Martelli's hairstyle to Peter Boyle or it went the other way around .....

[LouisvilleBilliken]

Great write up. I was so happy to see so many Bills fan there. I honestly thought that I might be one of the only Bills fans there. It was such an awesome atmosphere at the end and the best part, the Bills fans were drowning out the GW fans from the last five minutes of the game.

Keep it going Bills fans, time to Zip em' up at X.

[lloyddobbler]

At the end of the game the GW announcers said they didn't think they'd ever heard an opponents fans as loud as the SLU contingent. Great work.