Anyone willing to make predicitions....

[SluSignGuy]

Then Non-Conf. Schedule has been out for a bit, so how about some predictions about how we will do in the Non-Conf? (This is just for fun, but I am sure we will do our prediction contest again this year when the full schedule is out).

I am going to go with an Optimistic 8-5.

Steve

[Norman_Dale]

Now that is optimistic.

8-5 is pretty mediocre.

[3star_recruit]

I'm thinking 10-3.

[kshoe]

I think we'll lose one game at the Paradise Jam and lose at Cabondale, Gonzaga and Iowa.

10-3 or better and we'll be on track for an NCAA birth with our typical 9-7 conference record.

[SluSignGuy]

I have us only going 2-1 in the Jam.

Loss @ Zags.

Loss @ SIUC.

Loss @ Iowa.

Then one home game. I am leaning towards Hawai'i.

This team is too young IMO to do decently on the road against respectable opponents. I am really nervous about the loss of Fisher. Really nervous. I have never seen Polk, and I know he is amazing. But can he fill Fisher's shoes?

Steve

[former_d1]

If anyone is thinking Arkansas is going to beat us forget it. Our bigs are much better than anything the hawgs have.

We lose one at home and lose all the big road games siu, Iowa, and Gonzaga. With that said we could win the Iowa game because Brad can coach and Alford, well.....

[kwyjibo]

SIU may be without Hairston when they play SLU but most likely will be back by then.

http://www.thesouthern.com/rednews/2004/08...rts/SPO002.html

[Quality Is Job 1]

I think the Bills will win the Pardise Jam and win all non-conference home games. I wouldn't count them out regarding winning a road game, either. If they're going to make the NCAA Tournament with their schedule, they may need to go 11-2 to get the Selection Committee's attention.

[Quality Is Job 1]

I don't know if the Bills will be "too young." Dwayne Polk, despite being a freshman, will be the first true point guard SLU has had in a while (no knock on Josh Fisher and Marque Perry, who were excellent players), and he will quarterback the team adequately. Then, Reggie Bryant, Tom Frericks, and Izik Ohanon will be seniors and Anthony Drejaj (the likely backup point guard, in addition to his usual contributions) will be a junior. I believe there's enough experience for this team to improve upon last year's performance.

[thetorch]

11-2

We will win the Paradise Jam easily. All non con home games will be winners. @Gonzaga will be a loss but we will beat one of @iowa or @SIUC and possibly win both. Anything less then 10-3 would be dissapointing for me.

[jjray]

>11-2

>

>We will win the Paradise Jam easily. All non con home games

>will be winners. @Gonzaga will be a loss but we will beat

>one of @iowa or @SIUC and possibly win both. Anything less

>then 10-3 would be dissapointing for me.

I too shall be disappointed with anything less than 10-3 and am expecting 11-2.

[Iggy]

What game is 'unwinnable'?

[kshoe]

the last time we went undefeated in a tourney was Anthony Bonner's freshman year. Granted, this is the weakest field we've ever played against but given 3 games on a neutral court and I think chances are high we'll drop 1.

Hope I'm wrong.

[Quality Is Job 1]

None of the Billikens' non-conference games is unwinnable, but I would also say that no more than a few of them are sure victories. If they were to win all 13 non-conference games, we'd be en route to one of the best seasons in Billiken history.

[Iggy]

I may not go with that prediction in the contest, but I'm sure Roy will. The Gonzaga game would be one of the nicest road wins in many years. It could happen.

[SluSignGuy]

Too young was probably a bad description for the TEAM, but I am nervous b/c we are expecting big holes (Fisher and Sloan) to be filled with YOUNG talent.

The seniors last year took up (sum of averages of minutes): 94.3 Minutes

The players you listed (RB, TF, IO, AD): 100.8

And I bet those minutes will stay about the same, with perhaps Frericks and IO increasing.

So those 94 minutes need to be eaten up by people who totaled: 33.5 Minutes.

Is Polk really good enough to take Fisher's minutes? And will Ian step up to take Sloans? Then who takes his? Vas'shun, Bryce, & Justin?

Basically this team has 4 Veterans, and a lot of Young blood.

Steve

[billiken_roy]

what does that mean? :-)

[Iggy]

You always picked rather optimistically. That's all.

[billiken_roy]

i just get excited for all the games. by the time i get to my seat (whether it is at the savvis or my basement bar) i have convinced myself we can beat the detroit pistons that night.

[Quality Is Job 1]

Vas'shun Newborne will be a junior, and as he's played with Tom Frericks, I'm confident that he'll match Chris Sloan's contributions. Ian Vouyoukas will be more seasoned and will push for more time. Justin Johnson will be around for his third year (second playing), meaning he's no longer a spring chicken, and I believe he'll contribute (his athleticism holds much promise, and maturity should help him fulfill it). Darren Clarke is ready to step up.

This is one year that the growth of returning players and influx of talent will make the team better despite the loss of key veterans (virtually an annual occurrence).

The loss (graduation) of which of these groups scares you most:

Love/Fergerson/Redden/Robertson/Simmons (2000);

Jeffers/Baniak/Heinrich/Tatum (2001);

Perry/K. Brown/Braun/Diener (2003);

Fisher/Sloan/Varner/Hunt (2004);

Bryant/Frericks/Ohanon (2005)?

Of course, it depends upon who's coming in.

The 2000 departees were replaced by Fisher, Sloan, Edwin (didn't finish at SLU) and, McClain (no longer around).

The 2001 departees were replaced by Brown (graduated in '03), Pulley (no longer around), and Seyfert (no longer around). In effect, they've been replaced by Bryant, Frericks, and Ohanon.

The 2003 departees were replaced by Bryant, Frericks, Johnson, Clarke, and Vouyoukas.

The 2004 departees have been replaced by Polk, Newborne, Meyer, Husak, and D. Brown.

The 2005 departees will be replaced by Lisch, Liddell (hopefully), and two recruits to be named later.

Let's see if I can sum that up graphically:

2000-01: Love, et al --> Fish, Sloan, et al.;

2001-02: Jeffers, Tatum, Heinrich, Baniak --> K. Brown, Pulley;

2003-04: Perry, Brown, et al --> Bryant, Frericks, et al.;

2004-05: Fish, Sloan, et al --> Polk, Newborne, et al.;

2005-06: Bryant, Frericks, Ohanon --> Lisch, Liddell & who knows.

So, on paper, the 2001-02 looks the worst, as an all-conference selection and three stauch bigs were replaced by one decent big and little else. But then there's the 2000-01 squad, which lost an all-conference selection and the 2000 conference tournament MVP, replaced by some of the players we're currently concerned about. Neither team reached postseason. And, on paper, the 2003-04 squad looks precarious, as Perry was all-conference (two-time) and Brown was a solid interior player, but we all know how it turned out -- they went to the NIT and won a game. And the 2004-05 squad looks to have gotten the best of the transistion. Polk is, in the words of Coach Soderberg, quicker than Perry, a true point, and a habitual winner; Newborne is a veteran forward; and, best of all, there's an all-conference selection returning.

The 2005-06 team might be scary (in either sense of the phrase), depending on who comes besides Lisch. If Liddell stays true and Soderberg nabs a couple of athletic, defensive-minded rebounding forwards, it could be the best of the five transitions (on paper); if not, then it could be the worst of the transitions.

[tseugnekillib]

.

[Quality Is Job 1]

Now, this doesn't lock anyone in to his/her preseason projections, but we basically know the Billikens' conference games (just not their sequence):

• Charlotte

@ Charlotte

• Cincinnati

@ DePaul

• DePaul

@ East Carolina

@ Houston

@ Louisville

• Marquette

@ Marquette

• Memphis

@ Southern Miss

• TCU

• Tulane

• UAB

@ USF

We can take a stab at the entire schedule. I'm going to project 11-5. Adding that to my non-conference projection of 10-3, I'm projecting 21-8 going into the conference tournament, where they'll go 1-1 or 2-1 (depending on the matchups) for 22-9 or 23-9 and an NCAA at-large bid.

[Quality Is Job 1]

I didn't really think it fit into the discussion. Yes, the Billikens did lose Edwin, Seyfert, and Pulley, and they were replaced by Drejaj and Ohanon in 2002-03.

[slufanskip]

I say 12-1 nonconference with the only loss coming at Gonzaga. I think Polk will match or come very close to JF's numbers and VN will probably exceed CS. JF's defense will be hard to makeup initially though. If DC is getting enough minutes he could fill the role of defensive stopper.

I really like this team and the multiple options we will have.

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

[billiken_roy]

josh fisher is one of the best defensive players i have ever watched. on what basis do you see darren clarke being able to fill those shoes? especially if you are having polk fill his minutes and i assume you havent sat reggie bryant down in your fantasy minutes?

i have great hopes for darren clarke as well. but i dont expect fisher and sloan to be easily replaced as most have stated. many people have said their numbers werent that glaring, but it was the intangibles that they cared with them that will be tough. if someone steps up to their leadership roles and as skip says someone replaces both as the teams top two defenders, we will undoubtedly be sitting good. however, i will wait for practice to start to see if someone steps up.