Commentary

Last week I had planned on writing a column about the Billikens turning the corner. It seemed to make sense.

They were on a two-game winning streak. They had trounced Charlotte, a team in line for a NCAA Tournament bid. It looked like they were ready to put the pieces together to make an end-of-the-season run.

I sure am glad I didn’t get a chance to write that. I would have looked like the biggest fool this side of Salt Lake City.

The men’s basketball team did turn a corner last week, they just happened to turn the wrong corner. Staring at a golden opportunity to gain some real confidence going into the Conference USA Tournament, the Billikens did what they have done so many times this season. They did not show up to play.

I am going to forget about Tuesday night’s win for a few minutes. Yes, SLU played good defense. Yes, they finally shot over 40 percent for the entire game. But all they really did was win a game they should win against a sub-par UAB team.

If they really wanted to make a statement to finish the season, they had a great chance last Saturday.

Let’s be honest, no one expected a win in Cincinnati against the Bearcats. It would have been great, but it is not realistic. Cincinnati is a better team. Georgia Tech is not.

The Yellow Jackets are not a great team, they probably should not even be labeled a good team. SLU had every reason to fight for this win.

They had already beaten Tech earlier in the season, the game was on national television where a good showing could help recruiting efforts and a win would have given SLU much needed confidence to finish out the season.

How did the Billikens rise to the challenge? They scored 13 points in one of the worst halves in recent memory.

Bad shots, bad passes and bad ball handling all totaled up to a terrible half. It was like watching any life they had left just wither away during those 20 minutes.

After the game, Lorenzo Romar looked like he had just witnessed a fatal car wreck. He accepted part of the blame for the loss. Romar is a great coach, but there have been too many offensive breakdowns this year for him to escape without blame. It seems as if SLU is competing quite well in every game until a seven-minute dry spell leaves them without a chance to win.

Fortunately, SLU is not dead yet. On Tuesday, just as they have done all season, they were able to win with their defense.

This is no surprise as the Billikens have played sparkling D in almost every game, the surprise came as they started hitting their shots.

In a must-win situation, the Billikens came through.

For some reason, Romar seems to thrive under these conditions. With three games left and a 12-15 record, SLU has a chance to salvage this season and finish with a .500 record going into the all important Conference USA Tournament.

Their final three games are against Louisville, DePaul and Tulane. SLU has already won over both Louisville and DePaul, and Tulane is a very beatable team. There is no reason these Billikens should finish with a sub .500 record.

But they have to believe it. I have seen the kind of magic Romar can work. I remember two years ago when he guided his team to a stunning Conference USA Tournament championship and a trip to the Big Dance.

I have watched this year as SLU has taken two top 5 teams down to the final minute. With a little luck and a lot better shooting, I think the Billikens can sweep through four games of tournament play.

Unfortunately, what I believe means very little. Every member on that team has to know they have a shot to win. If its going to happen, it’s necessary for everyone to want it.

Because if they have any more performances this year like they had last Saturday, the only post-season action they’ll see is on television.