Top 144 items of intetest

[slu72]

The list is down to 43 teams. So far VCU and UD have not been named. This means they are likely being considered as dance teams. I don’t follow their rosters closely but do know that UD has lost Holmes who was really their key guy the last two years. I have no idea about what VCU lost or gained in the portal but if they are in the top 43 it appears they didn’t get hurt too much. A10 media days should be must see TV to get a better understanding of how the Bills stack up against these supposed power houses. 

[HoosierPal]

2 hours ago, slu72 said:

The list is down to 43 teams. So far VCU and UD have not been named. This means they are likely being considered as dance teams. I don’t follow their rosters closely but do know that UD has lost Holmes who was really their key guy the last two years. I have no idea about what VCU lost or gained in the portal but if they are in the top 43 it appears they didn’t get hurt too much. A10 media days should be must see TV to get a better understanding of how the Bills stack up against these supposed power houses. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HUCypc7S0tx5JnA27LDjBlSH9e6jVpHRdKvzRZkAvQ0/edit?gid=1912864654#gid=1912864654

If this link doesn't work, try this one.

This website will answer all of your questions on VCU and Dayton, who is returning, who is new, and what each player did last season.  In addition, one publication (I forget which one) said Dayton's Mousa and VCU's Jennings are both in the running for A10 Freshman of the Year.  But if you click through each team on this spreadsheet, there aren't many freshmen listed as top 10 players for any team.

And Rothstein has another view on the A10 being multi-bid.

 

[gister]

On 9/10/2024 at 11:37 AM, VeniceMenace said:

Who on this board has followed SLU basketball the longest? 

One of my sisters was at SLU from 1948 to 1952 and that is when I started following the Billikens.  I can remember sitting in a darkened room listening to Harry Caray broadcast the away games using ticker tape and simulated crowd noise.  At my age it all sounded pretty good.  I can remember guard Ray Steiner dribbling all around the court to eat up time.  There was a huge rivalry between Oklahoma A&M (Hank Iba) and Eddie Hickey.  I recently came across this article about one of their games.

https://time.com/archive/6791153/sport-basketball-with-bells/  Over 11,000 at the old Kiel.

[willie]

You get my vote. 

[slu72]

VCU comes in hot at 39, no 2 in A10, and gets a dance invite. So UD will be #1 and dancing too. My take, FEAR THE BILLIKEN! I like our roster; 3 sharpshooters, a big creator, a big front court and a deep bench to cover fatigue and injuries. If they can step up the D, I think we can hang with the big 2. 

[HoosierPal]

For those interested, Top 144 has placed VCU at #39, 2nd in the A10 and in the NCAA.  That leaves Dayton as their top A10 team.

The Top 144 A10 rankings to date are:  UMass 118, Duquesne 105, George Mason 92, Loyola 87, St. Joe's 77, SLU 59 and VCU 39.  For me the numerical rankings are irrelevant, but the order is of interest.  The top 5 group is consistent with the few other publications I have seen.  

EDIT:  Slu72 posted while I was typing. 

[slu72]

No surprise here UD in at 35, #1 in A10, and dancing as a 6 or 7 seed. Better than I thought given the loss of Holmes. Taj Mahal 79 any thoughts on the Flyers?

[Taj79]

@slu72:  remains to be seen.  Like every other A10 team, too many questions with few answers right now.  The backcourt is the strength with Cheeks, Smith and Bennett joined by former Johnnie/Butler guard Posh Alexander into the mix.  But the loss is really the outside shooting of Kobe Brea and Kobe Elvis.  None of the three returnees (sans Alexander) are noted shooters.  Smith is coming off back-to-back yearly layoffs due to knee injuries.  Bennett and Smith are both smallish point guards.  Cheeks is not a high-volume scorer to date.  Alexander shot 33% from 30 (30 for 90) at Butler and led the team in steals and assists.  Plus he's six feet tall.  Of the group, only Cheeks breaks six feet tall.  

The front line is Nick Santos and Zed Key.  Santos is more a SF and Key is a PF, fifth-year guy coming in from Ohio State where he played all 36 games, and averaged 6.6 ppg along with 4.2 rpg.  Maybe Isaac Jack makes some impressive strides but outside of those three, the front line will have two freshman (supposedly heralded) foreigners Mousa and L'Entang as backups.  Mousa is from Qatar via Australia and L'Entang is from France.  

I think it is a veteran lineup, a little less solid than VCU, but veteran nonetheless.  They will likely win every game at Dayton Arena and that will likely include good OOC wins over UNLV, Northwestern and Marquette.  Overall, their talent level doesn't impress me much but given the state of the A10, the pick is likely a safe one.  They will miss the luxury of having Holmes as an escape valve.

[slu72]

Thanks, Taj Mahal 79. I feel it will come down to how quickly Grant gets them to mesh. A lot of new pieces to fit into the puzzle.