Valpo at Saint Louis 3:30 p.m. Chaifetz Arena St.Louis 12/2/12 game thread

[agibson]

Last I heard SLU was dead last in Div.I in three point % defense. Of course that might have changed since I read it 1-2 days ago.

BBstate.com reports St. Louis at 50.8% 3Pt defense.  Wow, that's shockingly, amazingly bad.  And, indeed, the worst in the country.  Worse than their 2Pt defense.

I'm sure St. Louis will do their darndest to improve it - and we've been erratic, for sure, particularly on the road.  But, it looks like a pretty ugly statistical comparison.

Our 41.4% 3Pt% is good for 20th in the country.

Overall BBState has us ranked 74 and St. Louis 128.  (But, remember, they also have UIC ranked 41st).

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I'd feel better about that if 3-point defense were an actual stat.

http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/the_3-point_line_is_a_lottery

[vu84v2]

A few comments:
1.  I see every Kansas game (was at the game last night).  Valpo would likely hang with Kansas because everyone hangs with Kansas right now.  Kansas' most complete game of the year was against St. Louis - and St. Louis didn't really hang with them (it was between 10 and 20 for almost all of the second half).
2.  St. Louis' big man mobility would seem to be a big issue - and they seem much better than Nebraska's big men.  They can play inside and all move out and hit the three.  This is a big challenge for KVW (not sure how well Capobianco defends the perimeter).
3.  St. Louis did have trouble defending the outside, but from my sample of one game (Kansas) this was caused by lots of ball movement.  If Valpo doesn't move the ball on offense, they are going to have trouble score more than 50 or 55.
4.  I don't know anything about their freshman Carter, but besides Jett I thought that McCall looked very solid too.  He will hit the three if left open.

[wh]

Early line has St. Louis as 7 pt. favorites.  I don't buy it.  The only thing that can beat us is the scared rabbit syndrome, and for the past 3 seasons that has been reserved exclusively for Majors.  (Getting over that hump is for a different conversation.) I expect us to come out and play with confidence, and take it to them right from the beginning.  I think we'll get some easy hoops on back door plays and lobs over defenders, as we usually do against teams that don't know us well.  (Yes, I know their forwards are good).  I also expect we will see longer rotations and less experimenting.  If St. Louis is playing from behind at any point in the second half, the game is ours.

Valpo 71 St. Louis 68     

[justducky]

I expect us to come out and play with confidence, and take it to them right from the beginning.  I think we'll get some easy hoops on back door plays and lobs over defenders, as we usually do against teams that don't know us well.  (Yes, I know their forwards are good).  I also expect we will see longer rotations and less experimenting.

Does less experimenting mean that Ryan will stay at the 4? I think we might get a brief look at the go-big option if for no other reason than to just jump in and get our feet wet (a learning process). I am unsure how well it would work against their defensive personnel but I am anxious (as are you) to get a look. Thoughts?

[crusadermoe]

I think we will see some bursts from our "big" lineup that will give us a lot of hope.

But I see no reason to be so confident that we match up well enough to consistently get open shots.    Our offense just didn't generate any open shots against Nebraska and their team is much less athletic as SLU.

SLU is not a Top 25 team, but SLU is solid and consistent.   So far this year we are NOT.   

[KL31NY]

Breaking news from the "twittersphere:" former Billikens head coach Rick Majerus has died. Majerus was the coach during past few seasons before stepping aside before this year due to heart problems. I'd expect at least a moment of silence before tomorrow's game and I'm sure the St. Louis team and its members will also have other ideas for honoring Majerus tomorrow

[valpopal]

Sadly, I just heard that Rick Majerus has passed away. This will hang over the game tomorrow in St. Louis.

[Sorry for the repetitions. KL31NY and I must have been typing our messages at the same time]

[bbtds]

God Bless You, Rick.

We at Valpo wish to also honor you, along with your beloved Saint Louis University, at tomorrow's game. We know it will be an extremely emotional game and you will be looking down on both teams who know that a true way to honor you is to play an amazing game. All our condolences to the SLU family at this time.

[bbtds]

Brian Conklin emotional after loss: 3/18/12

A very fitting tribute to how Rick's players felt about their coach as a man. The amazing thing is it is from this past March.

[wh]

God Bless You, Rick.

We at Valpo wish to also honor you, along with your beloved Saint Louis University, at tomorrow's game. We know it will be an extremely emotional game and you will be looking down on both teams who know that a true way to honor you is to play an amazing game. All our condolences to the SLU family at this time.

Well said.  Rest in peace, Rick.

[grad66]

My thoughts and prayers go out to Ricks' family, and also his Basketball Family at St. Louis.  Gods' Blessings to you all!

[StlVUFan]

I think we'll get some easy hoops on back door plays and lobs over defenders, as we usually do against teams that don't know us well.

One of their assistant coaches knows us very, very well.

[drewsaders11]

Wow.  Sad, unexpected news.  Our thoughts are definitely out to Rick Majerus' family and the St. Louis community.  My wife and I, both alumni from 2011 and living in Missouri, are making the trip out to St. Louis to meet up with some other recent grads for the game.  It will be interesting to see how they honor such a great coach and contributor to the game, as well as person, and definitely changes the feel of going to my first game as an alum.

[justducky]

My thoughts and prayers go out to Ricks' family, and also his Basketball Family at St. Louis.  Gods' Blessings to you all!

Same here. By the time he had spent a couple years at Ball State it was obvious that he was a special guy and a special talent. The world of college basketball has been diminished.

[KL31NY]

I think we'll get some easy hoops on back door plays and lobs over defenders, as we usually do against teams that don't know us well.

One of their assistant coaches knows us very, very well.

Good ol' Jim Whitesell of Loyola. He's also from around my neck of woods in Iowa.

Also, since Majerus was simply on medical leave and did not resign, he was still technically the head coach while Crews has the interim tag. Here's the link to the coaches page on the program website, really scary to see him there listed as the head coach and realize he's gone. God bless him and keep him. http://www.slubillikens.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=27200&SPID=93215&SPSID=632627

[mj]

Tomorrow's game is a matchup between my undergrad (Valpo) vs my law school (SLU) and one I've wanted to see for quite some time. It's too bad that it happened after I moved away from St. Louis. Hopefully it can become a semi-regular occurrence. No question who I'm rooting for tomorrow though.

[wh]

Post Tribune game day article:

Crusaders enjoy rest before non conference test

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/16752971-419/crusaders-enjoy-rest-before-nonconference-test.html


St. Louis Post-Dispatch game day article:

SLU begins long stretch at home  (good comments about the Drews and Ryan)

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/slu-begins-long-stretch-at-home/article_4096f9ea-e1bb-58e5-87e9-77a766464245.html

[valpotx]

This will be a tough game for the SLU players tomorrow.  Rick was a hell of a coach, and seemed to be an amazing guy.  Rest in peace. 

In spite of the obvious sadness that will surround tomorrow's game, our guys need to put any of that impact behind them, and focus on the game.  SLU will come out playing because they will want to dedicate the first game to Rick I imagine.

[vu84v2]

Rick Majerus was a great coach who built and found success at multiple places, but he also was a very classy person that knew how to have fun while being succesful.  College basketball will miss Rick Majerus.  Best wishes at this time to the SLU community and to Rick Majerus' family.

[Valposter]

Rest In Peace, Rick Majerus.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Majerus family.

[lowposter]

Coach Majerus was a one of a kind.  He did it right and had outstanding success. 

One of his disciples, Porter Moser, is at Loyola and is rebuilding that program very very quickly.  Expect the Ramblers to make some noise this year.

I recall Majerus bringing in the Ball State Cardinals back in the late 80s and perhaps we won that game, but he seemed bigger than life during that game. 

Thoughts and prayers out to his family, team, and friends.

lowposter

[talksalot]

Looking back over the VU archives, it looks to me like December 13, 1988 was Rick Majerus' only coaching visit to the ARC... a 63-56 win for the Ball State Cardinals.  I see a number of match-ups with Marquette and Ball State under his tenure... all on the road... and all losses by Valpo.   God Bless you Rick... one of the good guys.

[valpopal]

The following video of Rick Majerus' final post-game conference, the loss in the NCAA tournament to Brandon Wood and Michigan State, is a must see! This is the most compelling post-game interview I have watched, especially the emotions for his players and by his players, as well as the coach's emphasis on academics and character:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21225182/rick-majerus-final-press-conference-was-funny-sad-perfect-everything

[bbtds]

It seems a lot more of the Fox Sports network stations are now going to be showing this game. Check your local Fox Sports channel.