Bona84

Watters resembles Waters, but the target seems to be St. Joe's, rather than Xavier.

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Bona84

Mac539

I think Watters is Guster's keep-in-the-basement brother.

Mac539

JW, here is where you show you are a total idiot. I believe the Bonnies were tourney champs last year. SJU played them tough twice in a row. That is hardly tanking.

Jonathan Watters

The numbers are the numbers, I'm just reporting them. Not sure why I am accused of bias when every opinion I've put forth on this thread has a basis in numbers. I don't even bother telling you guys what I saw when I actually watched the game tape because I know where that would end, but I suppose I might as well if the response to the numbers is to simply ignore their existence.

St Joe's played increasingly worse defense over the course of the season, especially at the end of the year. Both games against the Bonnies were among their worst defensive performances of the year, to go along with games vs RI, GW, and UNI. The fact that they played their typically outstanding offense isn't really a retort to my original comment about defense. I clearly allowed for the idea that the poor defense might just be a fluke in my original post, but to claim the poor defense doesn't exist entirely is silly.

I would love to see St Joe's do well this year, I believe about 10 posts ago I mentioned that I see them as an at large caliber team headed into the year. It doesn't mean they don't have weaknesses, though. Fact of the matter is if St Joe's was good on defense, they would have easily qualified for the tournament last year and would currently be a projected Top 25 team.

I don't think anybody here wants to argue that, do they?

waldo027

SLU made the NCAA tournament and was a couple shots away from the second weekend. They return 3 seniors, 4 juniors, and have 2 talented sophomore bigs which should contribute this year. Mitchell/McCall/Jett/Evans is probably the best 1/2/3 rotation in the conference, and I would take SLU's bigs over Dayton's. SLU is no doubt the deepest and most experienced team in the conference. The only knock on them is that Majerus is gone, but I'm not concerned. Crews is a fine game coach and this team is experienced enough that they don't need the coaches to hold their hands. Players win games.

Your facts are completely off too. Dayton lost by 11 at Richmond, by 10 at home to Duquesne, and by 14 at SJU.

AdamtheFlyer

In Conklin, SLU lost arguably the 3rd most important player in the league behind Nicholson and Holloway. They don't have anyone to replace him. Rob Loe is virtually useless inside the 3 point line. Remekun and Manning? Will need almost unheard of jumps in production to do it.

The biggest myth going is that the A10 is a guards league. It's not. The best teams will almost always have top tier post play. I don't see that from SLU.

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

Jonathan Watters

Hard to eyeball when a team excels by dominating the turnover battle. But those 3-4 extra possessions a game are how teams like St Louis(and VCU)butter their bread.

Its also something that a team returning the majority of its rotation is extremely unlikely to stop doing.

AdamtheFlyer

The turnover battle only matters for SLU if they can efficiently put the ball in the basket. That's what they did last year, in large part due to Conklin. SLU returns nobody who averaged double digit minutes and shot better than 50% from the floor. They're returning a whole lot of jump shooters. That's dangerous for such a low possession team.

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

DistrictBaller

That VCU/SLU match up at Chaifetz is going to be an all-out defensive war. I don't expect a Ram win in that one with the team SLU has and it being at their house but if you're a fan of strong defense, that's a must-watch.

SLU had the #10 AdjD in the nation, VCU was #22. By far the best 2 returning defensive teams in the league.

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- VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart

z8-Minutemen

They were tanking. Watters makes a great point which I have noticed long ago. Face it, a loss is a loss. No one gives a flying f**k how close your games were with a tough team. Fact is, you lost. And I'd say losing to NORTHERN IOWA at home in a tournament is the definition of 'tanking'

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MANGHAM

Watters and z8...quite a team...lol

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TheCobra

I agree that SLU will miss Conklin more than people think. He was not only an interior presence but an emotional leader who made a ton of hustle plays. They have no interior player to fear, unless you count Evans as an interior player.

Re Mitchell/Jett/McCall/Evans being the best 1-3 combo in the conference, I disagree completely. There is not a natural/consistent shooter in that bunch. McCall and Jett are great guys to have on your team but are very similar players. I view Evans as more of a big and think he will have to play there.

Also, how about the rest of the league? SJU has Carl Jones, Langston Galloway, Aiken and I think another solid guy off the bench. LaSalle has Duren, Galloway and Mills. Temple has Randall and Wyatt. Richmond has a bunch of dudes on their perimeter. Hard to say who is best, but I disagree that it is SLU.

slufan13

Conklin's importance is overstated by opposing fans. He was obviously great last year, but he really really fell off by the end of the season.

AdamtheFlyer

I don't think anyone is overstating the impact of Conklin. SLU doesn't make the dance with, to borrow from baseball talk, a replacement level player in his spot. He was a major cog in the wheel. And with all the attention he got on defense, he shot over 50% from the floor. No doubt the single most important player on their team.

I would disagree that he fell off towards the end. 23 in a huge home game vs Xavier. 16 against Memphis in the biggest SLU win in many years. Double figures in his last 7 games. He played well in all the big games. 25 vs Washington and Oklahoma. 19 in the first Xavier game. 20 at New Mexico. These are performances in the games that defined SLU's season that the average player, or group of players, cannot replicate.

The guy was damn good.

Is it possible we are understating the ability of the other guys to all pick up the slack? Definitely. But the question of how they replace Conklin is a legit one to ask, and SLU has to answer it well to reach their potential.

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

Flyer75

Then how come when everyone ranks UD so low they talk about UD losing Chris Johnson but not SLU losing a first teamer?

I also stand corrected on the double digit loses.
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