The University News’ coverage of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is brought to you by Humphrey’s Restaurant and Tavern.
Here’s a peek at some of the unscripted banter exchanged between our on-location Billiken Basketball insiders, Michael Johnson and Chris Ackels.
CA: Billikens looked good today. I wasn’t expecting a 20-point margin, but this one seemed to be pretty much in SLU’s control the whole time. New Mexico State made a few runs, but never really seemed like a real threat.
MJ: Yeah, with an 11:10 a.m. local tip time you figure they’d be a little shaky from the getting going, but they proved me wrong. Props to Cody’s hairdresser for having his azure locks in order for the bright lights of March Madness that early too! The domination on the interior was totally unexpected, as well. Cory Remekun had a fine, efficient afternoon for himself registering 11 points in only 23 minutes of action.
CA: I’m with ya. After seeing the New Mexico State roster (featuring a 7-5 center and a handful of 6-10 forwards), I was expecting most of our points to come from the backcourt. Surprisingly, the guards were relatively quiet for SLU offensively (McCall had four points, Jett had two). The leadership came from the big men, with Evans notching 24, Ellis registering 12, and Remekun with a surprising 11. Not exactly what I expected against such a tall opponent, but then again, it was a good surprise to have.
MJ: The best part about this tournament, on behalf of everyone in America, is the quick turnaround time at these events. While notching an NCAA tourney victory is no small feat, let’s be honest; the Billikens want to top last season’s success. Let’s change our attention the Ducks of Oregon now. What do they bring to the table, or should I say bracket, Aekles?
CA: Thank you, Michael, for speaking “on behalf of” 300 million people. Also thank you for pointing out my official name for the weekend. Media relations folks don’t know how to spell my name, and that’s what I ended up with. Anyway… Oregon is a good basketball team. They’re much better than your typical 12-seed, and folks were not really all that surprised to see then take down Oklahoma State.
MJ: While SLU has bloomed into the national media darling over the past few weeks, it has allowed the Ducks to fly under the radar. They are another March team du jour, heating up on the court and claiming the Pac-12 Tournament title to earn their berth on the bracket. While about 200 Billiken fans made the trip to San Jose, Oregon has established “Eugene South” here at HP Pavilion. Their upset of Oklahoma State will bring even more quackers. Momentum, both in the stands and on the court, is surely to be in favor of the Ducks.
CA: No doubt about that. It’s an odd position for SLU to be in – they’re the favorite. The heavy favorite. So when the local crowd roots for the underdog, they end up rooting for a large school like Oregon to beat a small school like SLU. That being said, Saint Louis is probably the most talented team in this pod. Oregon has had an up-and-down kind of year, and has dealt with a number of injuries to key players. But they’re healthy now, and as you said, they’re getting hot at the right time. Sometimes that kind of team is scarier than the ones with the best stats.
MJ: They’re two freight trains, on the same track, headed in opposite directions, chugging along full-steam ahead. I can’t look away, Chris. I know the Bills have faced some solid opponents this year–including the likes of Butler, New Mexico, and VCU—but Oregon possesses some athletes in a class of their own. I was watching their shoot around yesterday and their reserves were throwing down dunks that would make Dr. J blush. Is our disciplined approach going to be able to contain their explosiveness?
CA: I think so. When I see Oregon, I see a mixture of two different teams. They are a cross between the athleticism and speed of VCU, and the spot-up-shooting abilities of Butler. And my confidence for the Oregon game is more than just a combined 5-0 record against those two squads. It was SLU’s defensive prowess – the kind of hand-in-everyone’s face, give-no-space defense – that stifled Butler’s shooting guards, and it was SLU’s offensive proficiency – the spread-the-ball-around, avoid-turnovers offense – that allowed them to beat VCU twice. I think, across the board, SLU has the ability to handle this team, and I think it is exactly that disciplined approach that Jim Crews teaches that will be the Billikens best asset Saturday.
MJ: That analogy was so true. I felt like I experienced one of those epic moments of clarity… So you got the Bills winning this game?
CA: I do. I’m always a skeptical fan, and I never like to jump the gun. But this team has proven that they can handle the spotlight, and they can handle a tough test.
MJ: I’ll take your word for it. Breaking news, people: Duck dynasty, after much hoopla, will be canceled on Saturday…
CA: [Disapproving headshake] cue: face to palm
