The pressure never really stopped; at least, not until long
after the levee had broken. Throughout the season, the Saint Louis
University men’s basketball team (11-7, 4-3 Conference USA) built
much of their success on solid ball handling, slowing their
opponent’s break and finesse on the defensive end. Last Saturday
evening in Birmingham, the University of Alabama Birmingham Blazers
took it right to SLU’s strengths and effectively dropped the Bills’
game on its head, defeating them 72-52.

All told, the Bills coughed the ball up 25 times leading to 23
points and allowed an opponent to score over 70 for only the second
time this season.

“What I have established as the foundational parts of the
program just got kind of mocked tonight,” coach Brad Soderberg said
in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We turned the ball over like a
junior-varsity team. We defended on the half-court like it was our
first night of playing.”

The highlight of SLU’s game came early on and infrequently. In
the first minute of the game, center Tom Frericks collected a
basket and three boards. After that, it all began to roll
downhill.

Throughout a majority of the contest, UAB ran a full court press
and frustrated the Bills into an offensive frenzy. On Saturday, the
tables were turned for the Billikens, who usually play the role of
defensive aggressor. Every possession, the Bills struggled with
entry passes, moved the ball haphazardly around the perimeter and
took a number of shots that hardly drew iron.

Yet, despite their first half struggles, the Bills kept UAB at
arms length, going into the half with the score at 29-20.

The Blazers quickly added to their lead in the second half until
in the 10th minute, when Bryant brought the Bills back to within 10
after scoring on a lay-in and being fouled. He was then unable to
convert his charity shot, and the Bills would never be that close
again, with UAB answering with a handful of quick transition
baskets.

Offensively, UAB shot 50 percent from the field, converting on
30 of 60 attempts.

The most formidable performance of the night belonged to senior
guards Mo Finley of UAB. Finley poured in 23 points, 15 of which
came from behind the three-point line.

For SLU, only Chris Sloan and Bryant scored in double figures,
both with 14. Among some of the other starters, Josh Fisher only
managed one basket and Frericks fouled out, scoring only scoring
just six points.

For UAB, it marked their fourth consecutive win and puts them at
a 13-5 record, and, with Louisville’s loss last night, the Blazers
sit at 6-1 conference mark, putting them at first place in C-USA
standings.

The Bills are now fighting for ground toward the middle of the
pack in C-USA standings and continue to suffer the woes on the
road.

Soderberg compared this loss to last year’s defeat on the road
at University of South Florida–a game he felt marked their lowest
point during all of last season. It also served as the last
significant defeat before they began their C-USA run that left them
with a fourth seed in the conference tournament.

“Last year, we played our worst game at South Florida and came
back to finish strong, and we’ll work hard to make that same kind
of turnaround,” Soderberg said in a press release.

This loss marked their third straight defeat on the road and
puts their record away from home at a meager 2-6–abysmal when
compared to their more ample play at the Savvis Center, where they
boast a 9-1 record.

SLU now looks at a match-up this Saturday versus Memphis at the
Pyramid, the city’s downtown arena. The Tigers are coming off a win
at home to C-USA nationally ranked Louisville, leaving them with a
15-4 record (6-2 C-USA).

With the victory, Memphis further validated to be a dominating
force in the Pyramid, where they possess a 10-0 record this season.
Led by their guards, senior Antonio Burks and remarkable freshman
Sean Banks, who both average just over 16 ppg this season, the
Tigers serve as yet another demanding test. After suffering the
demoralizing loss to the Blazers, a victory could prove to be one
last chance to salvage the tattered remains of their current road
trip and head home to revitalize the current C-USA skid.

The Bills then return home to play DePaul next Wednesday. It
will be their first home game in two and a half weeks.