As St. Louis University's Chaifetz Arena begins its third season, traditions are only starting to take shape. One trend is the home team's knack for knocking off its toughest nonconference opponents.
In the building's first season, Boston College, from the ACC, came to Chaifetz and lost 53-50. Last season, Nebraska, from the Big 12, got beat 69-55. In both cases, SLU had lost the season before on the opponent's home court.
Today, Georgia comes in for a 7 p.m. game that's the lone appearance by a BCS opponent at Chaifetz this season. ("It doesn't get any better in terms of opposition coming in here," coach Rick Majerus said.) Georgia (2-0) is considered an NCAA Tournament-caliber team and a contender in the SEC East. That makes it just the kind of game SLU loves on its home court.
"Our coaches do a great job in scouting and the game plan," guard Christian Salecich said, "and they make us feel like we're more prepared than the other team, and I truly believe that. Also, the atmosphere in Chaifetz is amazing. We have good fans, and they've gotten better this year."
Georgia looks to be better than the Boston College and Nebraska teams that SLU beat, but there's a big catch for this game. Trey Thompkins, the Bulldogs' star 6-10 center and the SEC preseason player of the year, is out with an ankle sprain, and without him, Georgia has struggled in winning its first two games. As of Friday, the school was saying there was "no clear timetable for a return."
That doesn't completely defang the Bulldogs. Gerald Robinson, a 6-1 guard who sat out last season after transferring from Tennessee State, is averaging 20 points a game this season, and another guard, 6-4 Travis Leslie, averaged 14.8 points last season.
A year ago, SLU lost at at Georgia 64-56 in a game in which it went almost the first 10 minutes without making a field goal and trailed by 20 points before finally getting as close as five in the final minutes.
"I remember they had a great deal of pressure on us at the beginning," Salecich said, "and it took a little bit to get used to it. I think the second half we started to wear them down. We put ourselves in a great position to win. Coach said (when we looked at the film), we didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time. That's exactly the way we felt. We mounted a real good comeback, we just ran out of time."
Whither Willie?
Former Billiken Willie Reed set off a flurry of talk online earlier this week when he tweeted about his desire to come back to SLU, despite initial statements that he had no interest in going along with the protocol for reinstatement. As the season has begun without him, his take has changed. "Its in my heart to be a billiken," he tweeted Wednesday. "Everyone do what you can to help plz"
Reed's father, Willie Reed Sr., said Friday that's not happening. "He's real emotional right now," Reed Sr. said. "He wants to come back, but that's not even an option. It's not going to happen. So much stuff happened that's behind closed doors, it's impossible for him to (go back). He has to understand, it's time to move on. There's no going back."
Reed Sr. said they haven't settled on a school for Reed Jr. yet but would be making that decision by mid-December.
Reed Jr., meanwhile, isn't giving up. "Everyone my dad has no impact on my decision to attend slu in the spring semester," he tweeted on Friday. "If slu wants me back then I will be back! I love slu!"
In the building's first season, Boston College, from the ACC, came to Chaifetz and lost 53-50. Last season, Nebraska, from the Big 12, got beat 69-55. In both cases, SLU had lost the season before on the opponent's home court.
Today, Georgia comes in for a 7 p.m. game that's the lone appearance by a BCS opponent at Chaifetz this season. ("It doesn't get any better in terms of opposition coming in here," coach Rick Majerus said.) Georgia (2-0) is considered an NCAA Tournament-caliber team and a contender in the SEC East. That makes it just the kind of game SLU loves on its home court.
"Our coaches do a great job in scouting and the game plan," guard Christian Salecich said, "and they make us feel like we're more prepared than the other team, and I truly believe that. Also, the atmosphere in Chaifetz is amazing. We have good fans, and they've gotten better this year."
Georgia looks to be better than the Boston College and Nebraska teams that SLU beat, but there's a big catch for this game. Trey Thompkins, the Bulldogs' star 6-10 center and the SEC preseason player of the year, is out with an ankle sprain, and without him, Georgia has struggled in winning its first two games. As of Friday, the school was saying there was "no clear timetable for a return."
That doesn't completely defang the Bulldogs. Gerald Robinson, a 6-1 guard who sat out last season after transferring from Tennessee State, is averaging 20 points a game this season, and another guard, 6-4 Travis Leslie, averaged 14.8 points last season.
A year ago, SLU lost at at Georgia 64-56 in a game in which it went almost the first 10 minutes without making a field goal and trailed by 20 points before finally getting as close as five in the final minutes.
"I remember they had a great deal of pressure on us at the beginning," Salecich said, "and it took a little bit to get used to it. I think the second half we started to wear them down. We put ourselves in a great position to win. Coach said (when we looked at the film), we didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time. That's exactly the way we felt. We mounted a real good comeback, we just ran out of time."
Whither Willie?
Former Billiken Willie Reed set off a flurry of talk online earlier this week when he tweeted about his desire to come back to SLU, despite initial statements that he had no interest in going along with the protocol for reinstatement. As the season has begun without him, his take has changed. "Its in my heart to be a billiken," he tweeted Wednesday. "Everyone do what you can to help plz"
Reed's father, Willie Reed Sr., said Friday that's not happening. "He's real emotional right now," Reed Sr. said. "He wants to come back, but that's not even an option. It's not going to happen. So much stuff happened that's behind closed doors, it's impossible for him to (go back). He has to understand, it's time to move on. There's no going back."
Reed Sr. said they haven't settled on a school for Reed Jr. yet but would be making that decision by mid-December.
Reed Jr., meanwhile, isn't giving up. "Everyone my dad has no impact on my decision to attend slu in the spring semester," he tweeted on Friday. "If slu wants me back then I will be back! I love slu!"
