The Bonnies from da' MD couch ----

[Bay Area Billiken]

I get that but you gotta remember that SLU already had an RPI in the 50's before they beat the #1 RPI team in the nation (that helped their profile and RPI). I do not remember the Semi's opponent but presumably that helped. DePaul was a 9 seed that year with a similar RPI. The most important fact was that they were a #9 seed. Teams that get into the tournament by sole virtue of winning the tournament are not #9 seeds. I should not have used the term lock (but 95% likely at least) above as their RPI was in the mid to high 40's on selection day but given that game was played ON selection day I am guessing they agreed both teams were in before tip-off but finalized the seed after SLU had won.

Digger was an idiot who knew nothing about the RPI in 2000 and barely understood it LONG after everyone else finally got it. More importantly, Digger and no ESPN commentator for that matter, are on the actual committee. Also, the PLACE/SEED in a conference is NOT a selection criteria (that argument is old, uninformed, and ignores that actual history of selection).

The 86-87 team was not close to being an at-large. They lost 9 games against a weak schedule including 7 in a weak MCC. The 89 team was a team that lost 9 games against a middling schedule (great at home, not so great on the road) and subsequent rankings put them in the 50's. They may have been close but I would hardly call it a snub.

We will never know if SLU would have received an NCAA At Large in 2000, and I'm glad we'll never know. My recollection, and I haven't yet found a link, was that SLU's RPI was in the 30's by the time of the DePaul game, but that may have been after the win, or both. But SLU was also the 9th Place team in C-USA, which was a good league but not a 9 team league. A loss to DePaul in the C-USA Final, and SLU would have been 18-14, probably not good enough IMO. But SLU won that game on a Saturday (morning out here, not Sunday. The game was on CBS.) over DePaul, garnered C-USA's automatic bid, and was granted a 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

SLU then lost 48-45 to #8 Seed Utah, ironically coached by Rick Majerus.

I do consider '89 a snub, 23-9 on Selection Sunday, finished 27-10, losing the NIT Final to an average at best St. John's team, playing on its de facto home court, Madison Square Garden. That was the game in which Rich Grawer removed Monroe Douglass (who had just torched Michigan State for 25 points in the NIT Semi-Final 2 nights earlier) in the very early minutes of the game with 2 fouls, and kept him on the bench the rest of the first half. This did not help the SLU cause one iota IMO, but also allowed Douglass' high school teammate, Roland Gray, to pass him on the All-Time SLU scoring list.

Grawer was our Moses, no question, but he also had his issues.

[slufan13]

Sadly the fake/stunt screens being used by the players is by design by the staff. Read is to be made by player; If defender is overly aggressive to jump the screen. Screener is instructed to break screen off mid screen and roll to the basket.

This is a bad base to build on for a young team. Offense will break down at a higher rate then just simply setting a solid screen and ball handler patiently using it.

This isn't encouraging

[slufan13]

It's weird that Crawford's defense improved as the game went on. Might be one of those guys that can score any time but needs to get in the flow defensively. 31 minutes for Mike last night and I guess it was well deserved as he was the only one constantly moving throughout the zone.

That was my only observation other than the usual questions and what's already been touched on.

Richmond is really good and they're my pick to win in Brooklyn but let's see how we do. We've really struggled on the road, but maybe we end with a road win like in 10-11 when we beat Dayton on their senior night.

[slufan13]

Since we lost to Vandy, we've had a little streak. Lose 4 straight. Win 1. Lose 4 straight. Win 1. Lose 4 straight. Win 1. We've lost 3 straight. Looks like we'll lose to Richmond and pick one up in Brooklyn.

[BigMouthBilliken]

Since we lost to Vandy, we've had a little streak. Lose 4 straight. Win 1. Lose 4 straight. Win 1. Lose 4 straight. Win 1. We've lost 3 straight. Looks like we'll lose to Richmond and pick one up in Brooklyn.

Conspiracy! It's been crews' plan all along! 4 losses in a row + 2 years as head coach at SLU = 6 x 3 consecutive NCAA appearances = 666. Crews is the devil

[hsmith19]

Not that we're in need of additional sobering thoughts, but if we lose at Richmond, beat Duquesne in the tournament and then lose in the next round, exactly half of our total A-10 wins will have come over Duquesne, in spite of losing to them once.

[Bizziken]

Not that we're in need of additional sobering thoughts, but if we lose at Richmond, beat Duquesne in the tournament and then lose in the next round, exactly half of our total A-10 wins will have come over Duquesne, in spite of losing to them once.

Another sobering reality: We represent 25% of George Mason's win total for this season.

[MusicCityBilliken]

You have no way of knowing this... why would you think we would get a better coach than Crews?

Getting Majerus was a pure luck, good fortune, Majerus wanted a sunset coaching job at a Jesuit school, non power conference, in the Midwest to be close to his ailing mother: we win!

I do not think there was anybody out there who would be better than Crews.

Tell me, you think we could have brought in, "who", instead of Crews?

Crews is solid, though there is obviously something wrong with this year's team chemistry of late, I assume a few players are not on board at all and thus we see this collapse with home blowout losses. I will say that this will be corrected over the off season one way or another and we will be a good team next year.

I laugh when people all pile on a man with his strong background, experience and success but do not wonder if a few 18 - 19 year old players might be out of line.

We offered Majerus 7 figure salary, I am sure we could found some coach of stature for that. Also Majerus proved, SLU was not a "graveyard of coaches" and one can win here. We should have some cash now with 3 straight years of NCAA appearances. Problem is it would been a PR nightmare after that 1st year not giving him the job. But look what Butler did with their problem hand-picked by Brad Stevens to succeed him coach, Brandon Miller. He mysteriously goes on a leave of absense, hmmm. Suddenly after terrible season last year they are now top-25 team.

[BigMouthBilliken]

We offered Majerus 7 figure salary, I am sure we could found some coach of stature for that. Also Majerus proved, SLU was not a "graveyard of coaches" and one can win here. We should have some cash now with 3 straight years of NCAA appearances. Problem is it would been a PR nightmare after that 1st year not giving him the job. But look what Butler did with their problem hand-picked by Brad Stevens to succeed him coach, Brandon Miller. He mysteriously goes on a leave of absense, hmmm. Suddenly after terrible season last year they are now top-25 team.

+1. Leave of absence? Didn't buy it

[slu72]

The problem some have with May is that he had a chance to hire a good coach after the first year that RM was out but he went with the easy pick of Crews. At that time, we still had a loaded roster and a coach could have seen that he could use that year to win and build his recruiting base for the future. Many were concerned about just giving the job to Crews as he did given Crews past track record with coaching and recruiting but nobody wanted to hear it. Those who clamored for Crews and for Mays to hire him simply saw the glitter and not that it was not real. For those who say that RM hand picked Crews for the job knowing he was not well are probably right but I prefer to think that RM picked Crews because he knew he would be good for those kids that he recruited and won with but not necessarily for the long term health of the program per se. I was disappointed that May proceeded the way he did but now we are here and the real question is how do we move forward?

Cheese, JC winning the National COY award put CM in between a rock and a hard place. During many of our games that year after RM passed wondered why JC wasn't given the job given how well the team was doing. Had we not done it after we won both the regular season and tourney titles would have earned SLU a ton of national criticism. I believe during that rather long period between season's end both local and national gurus were questioning the delay in his being given the job. A lot of us on here, even though we might not have agreed, said he ought to get the job. No argument, he coasted thru two seasons with a smart veteran team. But now faced with a rebuild he really seems to be in trouble. Still, since what he was left with after the 5 SRs left was in large part not his doing. So, this year he gets a pass. Now the off season may prove to be his undoing if, as feared, some of the promising FR transfer. But still he will be SLU's coach next year. If certain FR do check out, we could be in for a total disaster next year, and it's hard to imagine it getting much worse than this season. At that point the only thing that should save him would be landing the top recruiting class of 2016. That will not happen.

[Clock_Tower]

I guess it is time to turn on the kids who are not getting paid instead of the good old boy who is making a large junk of money to lead this mess. Never mind the fact that Crews is responsible for bringing in 10 of the 13 guys on the roster.

+1

Even assuming JC is given a pass for this year for the reasons others have stated, it is Crew's decisions of giving scholarships to the incoming recruits which, IMO, proves that Crews does not have a clue. Our team lacks a scorer, a go to guy, a PG, etc. We all know that now after watching this horrible season. How bad our non-Freshmen are is truly a shock to me. Some of it may be the Blue Koolaid but most of it my deference to Jim Crews and his coaching staff. Crews knew what kind of player Ash is having watched him all last year in practice (we did not). Crews has seen McBroom run the offense in practice, etc. and had to know that he would not become our team's PG this year. I assumed that our Sophs learned, developed and matured last year and would have normally played for us more last but that they didn't b/c last year's five (5) Seniors was truly a unique a situation/team. Crews knew better in that he coached them all last year, saw them this summer and then began coaching them at the start of the school year.

And yet Crews gives out our only two (2) scholarships to two (2) more bigs who are most likely not going to be immediate impact players? Replacing Neufeld and Welmer for Glaze and Manning does not suggest any big change from this year. We are going to be an NIT and/or Tourney team simply by being a year older? Sorry. I am not buying it.

Here's what I saw last night: 1) St. Bona guard shot a 3 pointer from the baseline/corner of the floor, missed his shot but easily recovered the ball. I was taught in 5th grade to follow my shot -- and I did. St. Bona guard did. But our guys do not. Our guys shoot and immediately back pedal to get in position to play D. 2) Our guys still don't know how to either set a pick or to us a pick and yet that is the very basic structure of our offense. No wonder our offense looks bad -- the guys are not executing it correctly!! 3) our guys simply don't turn and block their man out when a shot is taken. Contact must be made. Our guys must get low, stick their butts into the legs of their opponents and then get the rebound but this just doesn't happen. 4) I have not seen our team run a set play or double pick all year long to get anyone open for a shot. Why not? 5) No dribble penetration exists. We pass the ball around the perimeter but that's about it. 6) we are so very predictable. Why not try something different? Why not try 2 or 3 guard press every now to change the pace and/or pick up a steal/easy basket? A full court zone press after a made FT by us while we are not lined up along the FT lane? Why not try a 4 guard offense? 2 bigs both posting up down low? The trick 3 point shot/pass to Malik sure worked great, the team had practiced it but then not again?

Oh well...

[SLUfan_42]

Conspiracy! It's been crews' plan all along! 4 losses in a row + 2 years as head coach at SLU = 6 x 3 consecutive NCAA appearances = 666. Crews is the devil

hahahahaha im sorry this is hilarious. good work.

[Taj79]

@kwijybo: The Bills went into that tournament with a 15 and 13 record. They beat Southern Miss, Cincinnati, Tulane and DePaul to finish pre-Dance at 19 and 13. They then lost in an ugly game to Majerus and Utah in Cleveland 48 to 45. If you are saying they go to the Dance even in losing that tourney final to DePaul, I say no freaking way. No way an 18 and 14 team, finishing ninth in their conference, with a sorely lacking tradition as SLU gets an iota of consideration.

So I disagree completely that this was a lock team after beating Tulane and waiting for DePaul. We got placed as a nine. Other CUSA teams that year included Cincinnati as a #2; DePaul as a #9; and Louisville as a #7.

I don't know what your old perception of Memphis is Nick but don't abandon that just yet.

[VeniceMenace]

Sadly the fake/stunt screens being used by the players is by design by the staff. Read is to be made by player; If defender is overly aggressive to jump the screen. Screener is instructed to break screen off mid screen and roll to the basket.

This is a bad base to build on for a young team. Offense will break down at a higher rate then just simply setting a solid screen and ball handler patiently using it.

The most credible post I've seen yet for all the turnovers, shot clock violations and low scoring this year.