It’s a good thing I am not a gambling man. If someone had bet me in October that I would be writing a column on the Billikens’ post-season chances, NIT or NCAA, in late February, I would be a poorer man than I am today.
But as it stands, Saint Louis University currently finds itself tied for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 with Charlotte, and possibly fighting for one of the five predicted A-10 NCAA tournament berths. That’s another bet I would have lost. I wouldn’t have gone higher than three. Anyway, fourth place isn’t bad for the youngest team in Div. I. , a team that was selected to finish 12th out of 14 teams by a preseason coaches’ poll just over 4 months ago.
Feb. 24’s disappointing loss to Xavier brings the Bills’ overall record to 18-9 (9-4 A-10). Assuming that the Billikens can take at least one of the last three games, they will finish with 10 conference wins. Normally, 10 wins in the A-10 wouldn’t be all that impressive. But in 2010, it is quite the feat. Various bracketologists see the A-10 getting anywhere from 4-6 teams in the NCAA tournament. Not too bad for a mid-major conference, especially when the Pacific 10, a BCS conference, may struggle to get two teams in the dance.
Making the NCAAs was always going to be a long shot for the Billikens, even without the Xavier loss. SLU had won six in a row and appeared to be the hottest team in the A-10, but they were still going to need some help. On the surface, the loss to Xavier may appear crippling to the Billikens’ postseason hopes. After all, the Bills’ schedule only offers so many top-50 RPI opponents. After the loss, SLU’s record against the RPI top-50 is 3-2; however, they still have two more chances against top-50 teams.
A win over Temple (RPI 13) could put the Bills right back on the NCAA bubble, assuming, of course, they avoid a letdown when Duquesne visits on Feb. 27. Winning at Dayton (RPI 43), one of the hardest places to play in the A-10, would certainly catch some attention, too. If the Bills want to reach the big dance, without winning the A-10 tournament and the automatic bid, the team will need to win out and hope that they don’t jump Charlotte in the A-10 standings.
Currently, Charlotte holds the tie-break over SLU for fourth place. Normally, rising in the conference standings is a good thing. But, under this season’s A-10 tournament setup the top four teams all receive a first round bye. The next four seeds all receive a home game against one of the bottom four teams to make the tournament—the bottom two teams in the regular season standings do not receive an invite. This extra round could pad SLU’s résumé, boosting the team’s win total all the way up to 22 before heading to Atlantic City, N.J. Taking one or two games in Atlantic City could be all SLU needs to sway the selection committee on March 14.
Of course, winning the A-10 tournament would be nice, but it’s nice to think that the team has at least one other route to the NCAAs.
If the NCAAs aren’t meant to be, the NIT is certainly nothing to be ashamed of for this overachieving team. Majerus’ team has grown significantly over this season. The recent winning streak can make it hard to remember that this team consists entirely of underclassmen. The freshmen and sophomores of SLU went blow for blow the entire 40 minutes against Xavier last night, a much larger and more experienced team.
It will be very hard for SLU to make the big tourney, but as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter. The fact that SLU is in the conversation is reason enough for any fan to be excited. It’s also the reason I don’t gamble.
