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LETS BEAT VATECH


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I think this is a winnable game. We beat mostly the same group for them last year, and our team is improved. The game plan has to be similar, slow them down and force a half court game. Robinson is coming back, but Buzzy admitted today that he will be limited and he is out of shape. So I don't see him being a big factor...hopefully I don't eat those words. These last 4 games were unbelievable. Ford figured it out when he had too, and today everything went right when it had too. Stockard fouling out was HUGE. If its him not Caputo taking that last shot, it probably goes in. The basketball gods helped us out with that one.  If we get by VATECH I think Miss State second round is actually less scary.  Some people think Liberty may get them. So who knows. After being near the top of the bracket before, or facing a stupidly underseeded oregon team, we are in a nice comfy spot in the middle of the bracket. Remember, it was a breakdown in the center of a bracket that somehow got LaSalle to a sweet 16 a few years back. If we play our best game and the luck is with us, it could happen. 

 

EDIT...it seems this is a GOOD POST so could some of you mark it as such..it would be nice to post again.     I Think we can beat these guys. Robinson isn't going to be 100 percent

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9 hours ago, mrjoelabs said:

I think this is a winnable game. We beat mostly the same group for them last year, and our team is improved. The game plan has to be similar, slow them down and force a half court game. Robinson is coming back, but Buzzy admitted today that he will be limited and he is out of shape. So I don't see him being a big factor...hopefully I don't eat those words. These last 4 games were unbelievable. Ford figured it out when he had too, and today everything went right when it had too. Stockard fouling out was HUGE. If its him not Caputo taking that last shot, it probably goes in. The basketball gods helped us out with that one.  If we get by VATECH I think Miss State second round is actually less scary.  Some people think Liberty may get them. So who knows. After being near the top of the bracket before, or facing a stupidly underseeded oregon team, we are in a nice comfy spot in the middle of the bracket. Remember, it was a breakdown in the center of a bracket that somehow got LaSalle to a sweet 16 a few years back. If we play our best game and the luck is with us, it could happen. 

Their weakness supposed to be offense so that plays right into our strengths. here's a ranking of the 64 teams. Wofford 20!

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2825991-ncaa-tournament-2019-power-ranking-all-68-teams?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial#slide66

 

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54 minutes ago, BillsBeliever!!! said:

Hey thanks for posting that. Pretty cool. Although if you "flip it", you get the Pitt game that STILL pisses me off.

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What you need to know: Third-year coach Travis Ford won 12 games in Year 1 and 17 in Year 2, so the former Oklahoma State coach has continued to make progress with the Billikens, even before this week’s Cinderella-like run through the A-10 tournament. This team wins with defense: its 46.8 effective field goal percentage is 322nd nationally, but Saint Louis only gives up 96.3 points per 100 possessions.

Spotlight on: Former Michigan State Spartan Javon Bess transferred to Saint Louis for his final two seasons of eligibility, and the 6-foot-6 senior is going to finish up his career in the NCAA Tournament. He’s averaged 15.4 points in 36.7 minutes a night.

From the Athletic. Nothing new or groundbreaking

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2 hours ago, gobillsgo said:

I feel like VT (-10) is a pretty disrespectful line, but I'd rather be underestimated so who cares...  

Sagarin shows a point differential of 10.5 between the two teams, so -10 is on point. 

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Reading some of the news stories and blog posts this morning and found something I didn't know about our team (oh, how I wish this was true): 

"- Saint Louis Billikens: Saint Louis has four players who shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range."

http://www.newsbug.info/news/nation/march-madness-reasons-to-root-for-the-teams-in-the/article_1ca54486-7bb3-5d6a-8319-d3423de6943a.html

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21 minutes ago, moytoy12 said:

Reading some of the news stories and blog posts this morning and found something I didn't know about our team (oh, how I wish this was true): 

"- Saint Louis Billikens: Saint Louis has four players who shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range."

http://www.newsbug.info/news/nation/march-madness-reasons-to-root-for-the-teams-in-the/article_1ca54486-7bb3-5d6a-8319-d3423de6943a.html

Maybe they meant to say we have four guys who shoot over 40% from the FT Line...

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1 hour ago, Bills_06 said:

Espn's giant killers upset picks has us as a "stay away" from for upset pick.  Thinks the VT offense will be too much to handle with Justin Robinson returning.

This is the reason you should never believe what the "experts" say. Generally what they say is based upon prior stats and the consensus of opinion. I think we may lose this game, but I think we also have a real chance to win it. There is nothing that says we must lose this game. If we pull the same kind of defense we did against the 2nd half of the St. Bona game, we may win. We will see.

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The Athletic has VT's Nickeil Alexander-Walker going 16th overall in their latest mock: 

The Pistons need help in the backcourt. Alexander-Walker could help provide it at both guard positions. He’s a smart ball-handler who has really developed the ability to play out of pick-and-roll. Whereas he used to be more of a scorer, he’s now a smart distributor who can make passes with either hand and read what the defense is presenting him. He’s also an efficient scorer who can make shots from all three levels both directly off the bounce or off of the catch. Defensively, he’s improved drastically at the point of attack, and is now utilizing his length better. HIs frame is much stronger than what it has been in the past. Ultimately, this is just an absolute home run for the Pistons from a fit and talent perspective.

And from a previous article: 

Relevant Measurements: 6-5, 200 pounds. 6-10 wingspan

Relevant Per-Game Stats: 16.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 49.8 FG%,  39.5 3P%, 74.0 FT%

First Coach

“He reminds me of Jerome Robinson. He’s so sneaky. I think he’s got pro-pro potential. I don’t know if he slides in the lottery, but I watched them play Wake. Justin Robinson has four fouls, and they moved Nickeil to the point. They moved Bede off the ball. He made two passes left-handed cross-court to the opposite corner that made me think ‘maybe he can make this happen.’ He hit Ty Outlaw in the corner coming off of a ball screen going left with an off-hand snap hook pass. I was like, damn, I didn’t know he could do that.

“He’s efficient as , he can shoot it with NBA range. He doesn’t look like he’s playing hard, but he gets by you the whole game. He doesn’t look like he’s rebounding hard, then you look up and he has six or seven. He’s just one of those guys who doesn’t wow you, and you take it for granted how good and efficient he is. That’s why I compare to Jerome Robinson, he was the same way. You were like, damn, is that guy good, man.

“Defensively, if you’re rating him 1-10 on defense, you might be reaching calling him a 6. But by the end of the year, I think he’ll be closer to an 8. He’s getting better and better every game. We tried to manipulate him a little bit by getting him on our point and rolling him into ball screens, and he was a lot better than I thought he’d be. There are times where he reverts back to last year, and times where he’s really good. He’s long, fast, and has good lateral movement. He’s able, but is he always willing?”

Second Coach

“I think he’s really talented. He’s got that basketball wiry build. Last year, he was a little streaky with the 3-point shot. You always looked at him and thought he could be a good, consistent shooter. This year, that’s been the case.

“He’s got a quick first step. He lets the game come to him, too. I think he can be a better defender than he is. It’s not that he hasn’t improved in that area, sometimes I don’t know how important that is to high-level college players. But he has all the tools, and he has done a good job of getting his frame a little bit bigger. He’s a real talent.”

Third Coach

“He’s gotten better every year. Defensively he’s a guy who gets steals because he gambles a lot. Offensively, he’s really diversified. Shoots it. They’ve started putting him in the high post, and he’ll drop dimes to cutters. He’ll jab step you to death, then hit a jumper on you. He’s probably a pro. Don’t know where he’ll go, but I’d think he’ll leave at the end of the season.”

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2 hours ago, Bills_06 said:

Espn's giant killers upset picks has us as a "stay away" from for upset pick.  Thinks the VT offense will be too much to handle with Justin Robinson returning.

I just don't get it. It takes a player a few games to get back into the swing of things. Robinson will definitely be a concern, but I think the impact of his return will be mitigated by his lack of PT over the past month. 

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From 538

Sneaky Final Four pick: No. 4 Virginia Tech. Led by the star pairing of Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Hokies are a balanced squad that ranks among Pomeroy’s Top 25 teams on both offense and defense. Although they’ve lost eight times, only two of those were by double-digits. Virginia Tech also has a not-altogether-unfriendly draw, with extremely winnable opening games against Saint Louis (87 percent) and the Mississippi State-Liberty winner (63 percent) before most likely running into Duke’s juggernaut. We give the Hokies a respectable 25 percent chance against the Blue Devils — and a 54 percent chance against whoever emerges from the bottom of the region if they do manage to knock off Duke.

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From Bleacher Report: 

March Madness Ceiling: Saint Louis feels like the team that is going to reach the Sweet 16, even though hardly anybody will pick it to win a single game. There's always one, isn't there? And with six wins over KenPom top-100 opponents this season, the Billikens will at least have faith in themselves to pull off a couple of upsets.

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