Saint Louis Billikens Basketball

The St. Louis University Billikens took care of business in Friday's home opener, defeating a very underrated USC-Upstate squad 76-59.

The main storylines coming out of the team's first regular season game included Dwayne Evans carrying the load left by Brian Conklin's graduation. Evans led with a game high 21 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds, including five offensive boards, both team and game highs.

Evans' strong presence down low is crucial to the Billikens' long-term success this season, particularly in Atlantic-10 conference play.

The Billikens also shot tremendously well from the foul line, sinking 19 of 22 free throws (86.4 percent). The team shot relatively well from the foul line last year, converting 72 percent of their foul shouts, good for fifth-best in the A-10.

However, after losing the team's best foul shooter (Conklin), there was fair reason to think the free-throw line would become a toxin for the team this season in close-and-late situations.

The Billikens are 1-0 and look to continue their winning ways against the Santa Clara University Broncos Wednesday night in a 7 p.m. (CT) tipoff in St. Louis. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest.

This matchup marks the second for the Billikens in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. After Wednesday's action, the Billikens are off for four days before traveling to Kansas City, Mo., for the conclusion of the tournament on November 19 and 20.

Scouting St. Louis U.

All signs point to Cory Remekun returning to game action, and the starting lineup, against Santa Clara. Remekun suffered a minor knee strain in practice before the USC-Upstate game, and could have played, if necessary. However, rather than risk further injury, the coaching staff decided to give Remekun the day off.

Furthermore on the injury front, Kwamain Mitchell was on the Billikens sideline for the first game, but he was still using crutches and wearing what appeared to be a soft cast. The cast should be coming off soon.

Story Update (Nov. 13, 6:30PM)

Tom Timmerman reported via STLToday.com that Remekun will be a game-time decision for the Santa Clara game, and that the team is in no rush to bring him back.

Mitchell's cast was officially removed on Monday, and he immediately went into the pool for rehabilitation. The break reportedly healed properly, and Mitchell remains on track for a mid- to late-December return to the court.

The JordairJett-Mike McCall backcourt was working very nice against USC-Upstate. Both played heavy minutes (Jett 35; McCall 36) and both scored in double figures (Jett 14; McCall 12).

More importantly, both Jett and McCall were extremely aggressive with the ball and rarely hesitated in attacking the basket.

If this aggressive mindset continues throughout the season, it will force defenses to play the Billiken guards tight, especially when Mitchell returns. Forcing the opponent to play SLU's ballhandlers close will give the team's frontcourt players (Evans, Cody Ellis and Rob Loe) more space near the basket and on the wing for open looks.

Scouting Santa Clara

The Broncos (1-0) come into Wednesday's game on the heels of a massive offensive explosion, scoring 106 points in a 40-point victory over Simpson.

Simpson, as a member of the NAIA, won't be the same caliber of opponent that SLU will be for Santa Clara, as evidenced by Santa Clara winning the turnover battle 20-2. But it's still eye-catching anytime a team can score that many points in  a 40-minute game.

Santa Clara struggled mightily last year, finishing with an overall record of 8-22 (0-16 in West Coast Conference play). The Broncos lost all 11 of their road games last year. Such is the fall from grace on a senior-laden 2010-11 team that won 24 games, including the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament championship.

The Broncos, however, should be a much better team this season, as they return their top eight scorers, including their entire starting lineup from last season.

They also are getting a little love from the Coaches Poll, earning just two less votes than SLU.

The highlight of Santa Clara's season last year was their 79-76 overtime victory against New Mexico. That came during the 76 Classic tournament in Anaheim, which SLU ultimately won. Just a few weeks later, the Lobos would defeat SLU on New Year's Eve in Albuquerque.

Santa Clara is led by senior guard Kevin Foster (6'2", 211 pounds). Foster led the team and WCC last year in scoring average (17.8 points per game). He also led the Broncos in steals and three-pointers (3.5 per game).

Foster played in only 18 games last year, as he missed much of the season due to suspension over disciplinary issues.

Foster was named by coaches to the All-WCC preseason team. He led the Broncos attack against Simpson, sinking seven three-pointers on his way to a 27-point effort. He also added nine assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Foster will likely be joined in the backcourt starting lineup by senior guard Raymond Cowels (6'4", 206 pounds) and junior guard Evan Roquemore (6'3", 180 pounds).

Roquemore took over as the primary ball-handler in Foster's absence last year, and he led the team in minutes played and assists (5.3 per game), while averaging nearly 14 points.

Roquemore's assist-to-turnover ratio last year was an impressive 1.88. Roquemore also shoots a sizzling 80 percent from the foul line.

Cowels started every game for Santa Clara last season, and at his size, he will be a matchup problem for SLU.

It will be interesting to see if SLU tries to match Jett on Cowels, risking the three-inch height disadvantage, or if they try to go bigger with Evans (6'5") or Remekun (6'8"). Putting Jett on Cowels will force McCall to match up against Foster, causing another size disadvantage for the Billikens.

Cowels can shoot the three (2.1 per game last season), so the Billikens will have to account for him both inside and out.

The Broncos frontcourt starts two healthy-sized forwards in Marc Trasolini (6'9", 240 pounds) and John McArthur (6'9", 228 pounds).

Trasolini is a redshirt senior, as he missed all of last year with a torn ACL. As a junior in 2010-11, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, along with a block per game.

McArthur is a work in progress for Santa Clara. He started 26 games last year, as the primary fill-in for Trasolini. For a big man, he is an outstanding free-throw shooter (81 percent). But he doesn't appear to have much of a scoring touch around the basket (40 percent on field goals).

The Broncos will also rely on heavy minutes from senior forward Niyi Harrison (6'8", 220 pounds) this season. Harrison averaged nearly 11 points with a team high 6.3 rebounds per game.

Harrison should be starting over McArthur this season, however, Harrison missed the Simpson game with back spasms and is day-to-day heading into this week's game in St. Louis.

Santa Clara needs Harrison on the court for the team to have any chance on the road against SLU.

Look for Santa Clara to want to run the court with SLU, while St. Louis will try to slow the game down. USC-Upstate tried to go with a similar gameplan, and SLU ultimately was able to pull away in the end.

Look for the same result here, although the Billikens should be able to start pulling away very early in the second half.

The St. Louis University Billikens closed out last season on the national stage, losing a heartbreaker to the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA tournament.

As things end, so they begin.

The stage will be a little smaller when the Billikens next take the court to open their regular season schedule, but they will be opposed by a group of Spartans again.

This time, the University of South Carolina-Upstate travels to St. Louis for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff on Friday evening.

This game marks the opening round of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, which will ultimately finish in Kansas City, Mo.

Here's a breakdown of the game.

Scouting St. Louis U.

This will be the first regular season game for the Billikens without the team's starting point guard, and best player, Kwamain Mitchell.

The minutes at guard will most likely be split between Mike McCall and Jordair Jett. If the game gets out of hand, as it should for SLU, expect to see heavy minutes from freshman Keith Carter.

Billikens fans should pay attention to McCall's aggressiveness with the ball. USC-Upstate is not nearly as talented as SLU, so McCall will have plenty of opportunities to attack the basket.

If McCall is not able to find open lanes to the rim against this team, it will be difficult to imagine him doing it against much superior competition.

Up front, expect Dwayne Evans, Rob Loe and Cody Ellis to start, and play significant minutes.

It was reported Thursday evening by St. Louis Post-Dispatch beat writer, Tom Timmerman, that Cory Remekun missed Thursday's practice with a knee sprain, and is unlikely to play in the opener.

The Billikens frontcourt will have a nice size advantage over the projected frontcourt starters for the Spartans, particularly at the center position. The average for SLU will be 6'8", 240 pounds., while the Spartans average 6'7", 220 pounds.

Billikens fans should pay attention to Loe's presence in the middle. Last year, Loe (6'11") could afford to spend time on the wing waiting for the spot-up jumper. That's because the Billikens had Brian Conklin to clean up down low.

Conklin has graduated, and now it's just Loe in the middle. Evans will be a beast on the boards and the block, but at 6'5", he's not capable of manning the middle by himself.

As always, early season games offer the chance to see the progress of the bench players, who should all receive significant minutes. John Manning is the next big frontcourt player for SLU to watch. Grandy Glaze and Jake Barnett also figure to see action in the back end of the rotation.

Scouting USC-Upstate

USC-Upstate was picked to finsh second in the Atlantic Sun Conference by the league's head coaches. That was after a 21-13 season (13-5 in conference, third place) last year for the Spartans.

The Atlantic Sun is of Belmont and East Tennessee State fame, having sent one of those two schools to the NCAA tournament the last seven years.

The player to watch for the Spartans is junior forward Torrey Craig (6'6", 215 lbs.). Craig led the team in scoring (16.4 per game) and rebounds (7.7 per game) last season.

Craig is also the defending conference Player of the Year for the Atlantic Sun, and he is just 10 points away from reaching 1,000 in his still young career.

The Spartans frontcourt also starts two more juniors, Ricardo Glenn (6'8", 246 lbs.) and Jodd Maxey (6'8", 200 lbs.). Maxey is an interesting talent, as he can do a little bit of everything.

Last year, Maxey averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also led the team in blocks and steals, despite starting less than half of the team's games.

The Spartans have a very young backcourt, as they are projected to start two sophomores this year, Ty Greene and Mario Blessing.

Greene (6'3", 185 lbs.) led the Spartans in minutes last year (30.5 per game) so he is not your ordinary second-year player. He averaged 11.4 points and 2.4 assists last season.

Greene is not a very good field-goal shooter (38.4 percent last season), but he is very strong from the three-point (40 percent) and free-throw line (77.8 percent).

Blessing (6'2", 165 lbs.) is originally from Germany. He also received heavy minutes (22.9 per game) last year for the Spartans. It is worth mentioning that Blessing was voted by fans at the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year.

Off the bench, watch out for junior center Babatunde Olumuyia (6'8", 220 lbs.). Olumuyiwa may not look like a center, but he plays like one. He is already third all-time in Spartans history in blocks (106).

USC-Upstate is led by head coach Eddie Payne. Payne is in his 11th year with the Spartans and 27th overall. He has 401 career wins, and was given the Hugh Durham Award as the nation's top mid-major coach.

History

SLU and USC-Upstate have met only one time before, in 2008. The Billikens won that matchup 55-38. Mitchell scored seven points in 35 minutes as a freshman for SLU that year.

The St. Louis University Billikens began forming their team for the 2013-14 season with this week's announcement of signing the team's first recruit.

Mike Crawford, from Tipton High School (Indiana), reportedly gave a verbal commitment to SLU interim coach Jim Crews last week.

Crawford also announced his intentions on Twitter last Tuesday night.

Crawford (6'5", 185 lbs) can swing between both guard and forward positions. One Indiana basketball scouting site, Indiana Basketball Source, credits Crawford as a good outside shooter who has the ability to score in many ways. That was evidenced by his 40-point effort in the Indiana state semifinals this year.

Crawford was recruited by several Division I schools including Lamar, New Orleans, Yale and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Crawford told Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via STLToday.com) that, "when Coach [Rick] Majerus got sick, the first person they called was me. [Crews] liked what I brought to the table, I guess."

Crawford's place on the Billikens’ roster is an intriguing one. Assuming Crawford plays either the 2 or 3-guard position, he should have an opportunity at starting by his sophomore year.

Cody Ellis, Cory Remekun, Dwayne Evans, Jake Barnett and Jordair Jett will all have graduated. The only upperclassmen battling Crawford for playing time would be Grandy Glaze and Jared Drew.

Glaze is an end-of-the-bench type player, and Drew is a true freshman this season, so Crawford could easily become a starter for the Billikens by the 2014-15 season.

It's very encouraging for Billikens fans that the team is still able to sign strong recruits, despite the questions surrounding Majerus' health and his status as the team's coach beyond this season.

The Billikens do not have a player of Crawford's size and versatility on their roster right now.

It looks like Mike Crawford is set to fill a much-needed role on future Billikens teams.

St. Louis University holds the key to building St. Louis back into a college basketball powerhouse.

There, I said it. Now let me show you how it can be done. 

The time is ripe for a new franchise to steal the headlines and claim territory atop the city’s sports landscape.

There are two main reasons why SLU can become 1A to the Cardinals in ranking among St. Louis’ sports franchises: cost and quality (both of play and opponent).

Since everything in sports is about money, it naturally means we should ask the question: how expensive is it to attend a sports game today in St. Louis?

Let's break it down by the numbers.

The average ticket cost to a Cardinals’ game is roughly $31. The Fan Cost Index (FCI), which takes into account the entire experience for a family (hot dogs, parking, beer, program, etc.), is almost $225.

The average ticket cost for the Blues is more expensive, coming in at $41, with a FCI of just under $250. For the Rams, we are talking $70 per ticket on average, and an FCI of $408.

Those numbers are ridiculous, and in the present economy, the average couple simply cannot afford to spend $100 or more just to see a sporting event.

Do you want to bring a family, buy a soda, or invest in season tickets? Just sign over your savings account now.

SLU takes advantage of other team's outrageous price schemes by starting season ticket prices at $180 ($10 per game).

The Cardinals and Blues offer a somewhat comparable per-game starting price ($17-18), but you either get an outfield bleacher seat 400-plus feet away from home plate, or a nosebleed seat in an arena twice as large as the Billikens’.

Parking is free on city streets for SLU games, if you are fine with a 3-4 minute walk. If you must eat or drink during the game, concession prices are admittedly pretty steep, but they are still cheaper than what you will find at the homes of the professional teams.

SLU’s pricing plan must stay stable in order to attract fans of every income level. As more and more families become priced out of football, baseball and hockey games, they will naturally look to cheaper alternatives.

That being said, fans are only willing to invest time or money into a team when there is a product worth watching. The team must win. And it doesn’t hurt to host an attractive opponent from time to time.

SLU has certainly not held up its end of the bargain in terms of bringing home a winning brand of basketball—one NCAA tournament appearance (last year) since 2000. Only three times since 1996 has the team won more than 20 games, and over the last ten years, only one time has the team finished higher than third place in its conference (Atlantic-10 or Conference-USA).

Those streaks look to be ending soon. This current crop of Billikens won 25 games last year, and this year they return six of the team's top seven scorers. 

This team was not a one-season wonder. These Billikens are at the precipice of several seasons of unparalleled success in St. Louis.

Sweetening the entire package is the high quality of opponents that the Atlantic-10 offers on a nightly basis, especially now that Butler and VCU have joined the conference.

News alert: the A-10 is now the biggest basketball conference in the nation.

A large subset of the St. Louis population believes that SLU should go back to its days as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, and compete against programs from more local, rural-based locales. I say they couldn’t be more wrong.

The Atlantic-10 conference brings teams from several major metropolitan areas (Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Cincinnati).

These cities produce basketball talent miles better than what can be found in lesser populated areas of the country (Nebraska, Kansas or Iowa).

If there are any hiccups that could derail SLU’s plan, those would include the A-10 television package and the inevitable replacing of head coach Rick Majerus.

The conference’s TV package is a little chaotic. There are at least six channels in St. Louis that have televised Billikens’ games in recent memory. Much of this is beyond SLU’s immediate control, as they are but one voice in a room of 16 when it comes to contract negotiations among the conference members.

However, things do appear to be getting better. The conference recently extended television contracts with ESPN, and the respective sports networks of CBS and NBC. These contracts will run for eight years, starting in 2013.

That will only put more SLU games on television sets in St. Louis. Right now, quantity is the school’s best friend.

More importantly for SLU’s on-court success is the team’s plan to replace Majerus on the sidelines, especially now that he has stepped aside for the year due to severe health problems.

If the team didn’t have a strong recruiting pipeline into countries like Australia, New Zealand and Greece, I’d be more worried.

If the team didn’t have such experienced assistants ready to take over in Jim Crews and Jim Whitesell (700-plus combined wins as head coaches), I’d be more worried.

If the team was still in the early stages of a rebuilding program, I’d be more worried.

Players want to play for Majerus and his coaching disciples. With continued success, and a brand new on-campus arena, more players will see SLU as a destination worth reaching.

If the Billikens continue to build on their success in the postseason last year, and follow it up with repeat performances in 2013, 2014 and beyond, I believe SLU will stand shoulder to shoulder with the mighty Redbirds as kings of St. Louis sports.

St. Louis University basketball fans woke up on Tuesday with some heart-wrenching news.

The team's best player, fifth-year senior Kwamain Mitchell, broke a bone in his left foot during practice last week.

The report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Mitchell will be in a cast for 5-6 weeks and out of game action until the beginning of 2013.

Find me a basketball team (or any team really) that loses its best player, and I'll show you a team that has mediocrity written all over it.

Mitchell leads all returning players from last year's Billikens squad in minutes played, points, assists and steals.

Mitchell's assist-to-turnover ratio, 2.1, was tied for the best among all Atlantic 10 players last season.

For a team that prides itself on smothering defense and protecting the basketball, the Billikens can ill afford to lose the best ballhandler and one of their best defenders.

The question for all Billikens fans is how will the team replace Mitchell's 31 minutes, 12 points and four assists per game?

The immediate responsibilities will fall on junior guards Mike McCall Jr. and Jordair Jett.

Both McCall and Jett will see increased playing time from their 22 minutes per game last season. Their scoring averages (7.0 and 6.5 points per game, respectively) must also increase.

Instead of relying on Mitchell to be the playmaker, McCall and Jett must initiate the offensive attack.

Mitchell is well-known among the Billiken faithful for being a fearless attacker of the basket. McCall and Jett, both taller than Mitchell, must mimic Mitchell's aggression on the floor.

Freshman guard Keith Carter will probably also see increased minutes in the first couple months of the season.

There should not be any falloff on the defensive end of the floor, as both McCall and Jett were second and third on the team in steals last year, while playing far fewer minutes than Mitchell.

McCall is a solid free-throw shooter (.755 last season) and Jett is a solid rebounder as a guard (nearly three rebounds per game, fourth among returning players).

If Mitchell can return by the New Mexico home game Dec. 31, that would be wonderful for SLU. If not, the next benchmark is the start of conference play, Jan.10 at home against Massachusetts.

Billiken radio broadcaster Bob Ramsey seems to think Mitchell will return ahead of schedule, saying this on Tuesday:

"1 day post surgery K. Mitchell back at practice...offering leadership &encouragement. 1 tough Billiken. Back on court by Xmas, I predict."

The Billikens need Mitchell if they are going to seriously contend in the A-10 this season. Seeing that SLU has aspirations beyond conference contention this season, Mitchell's return can't come any sooner.

In a wild week for the Atlantic 10 that saw Xavier expel its leading returnee Dez Wells, a fellow conference contender absorbed a body blow Friday when Saint Louis head coach Rick Majerus stepped down.

A release from SLU's athletic department announced that Majerus will take a leave of absence for the 2012-13 season to deal with an "ongoing heart condition."

Assistant coach Jim Crews, a former head coach at Evansville and Army, will lead the Billikens during the upcoming season. No decision has been made about future seasons.

Majerus's contract with SLU expires after this season, and this health scare may prompt him to take further time off from coaching after his convalescence.

Majerus's health has interrupted his career on multiple occasions. Heart surgery cut his first year at Utah (1989-90) short at only six games. He was also hospitalized in January 2004 with further heart issues.

In December 2004, Majerus accepted the head coaching job at USC, but resigned only five days later, citing fitness concerns. Later reports surfaced that he left the job at his mother's request, as she was uncomfortable with him relocating to Los Angeles, far away from the family's Wisconsin home.

Majerus has amassed 517 wins between stints at Marquette, Ball State, Utah and Saint Louis. He took Utah to two Sweet 16 berths, an Elite Eight and the 1998 championship game, where his Utes lost to Kentucky.

Crews won 294 games in 17 years at the University of Evansville, taking the Purple Aces to four NCAA tournaments. In seven years at Army, however, he struggled to a 59-140 record. Crews is a graduate of Indiana University, where he played on the undefeated 1976 national championship team under Bob Knight.

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When you think about basketball in the state of Missouri, the Saint Louis Billikens most likely aren't the first team to come to your mind. You can't be blamed, of course, because the Missouri Tigers have performed well beyond anyone's expectations and are a top-five team in the country. 

But that doesn't mean the Billikens aren't worth noticing.

In his fifth year at the helm in Saint Louis, Rick Majerus has led his team to a 21-5 overall mark with a 9-3 conference record—good enough for second in the Atlantic 10. Under the current circumstances, the Billikens are a clear NCAA Tournament team. They are clicking on all cylinders and are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. 

The buzz, however, has yet to accompany the success.

Despite the Billikens' quality season, bad timing on two different levels has hurt their chances for national recognition and has made them a huge sleeper. 

One reason for SLU's under-the-radar status is the exceptional play of several other mid-major schools across the country. Murray State and Saint Mary's, to name a few, have made headlines consistently this season and both are in the AP Top 25. The spotlight on schools outside of the power conferences is typically limited, and with the emergence of so many other mid-majors, it has been difficult for the Billikens to obtain their piece of the media pie.

Secondly, when Saint Louis' national stock was at its highest (23rd in the AP Top 25 for Week 4), the Billikens suffered their worst loss of the season against Loyola-Marymount, which knocked them well out of any national conversation for much of the season.

As a result, most of America missed out on some fantastic basketball.

Saint Louis is skilled on many levels, but the strengths that make the Billikens an upper-echelon team are their defense, their depth and their camaraderie. While their offensive play isn't always highlight-reel worthy, being perfect on offense isn't necessary when the other team is unable to score.

The Billikens hold their opponents on average to 56.5 PPG, which is best in the Atlantic 10 and sixth in the nation. They have allowed more than 70 points just four times this season, allowing less than 50 points six times and less than 40 points three times.

Keep in mind, these are college basketball scores, not middle school scores. 

Saint Louis also has an extremely deep squad, which is a testament to the recruiting abilities of Coach Majerus. Nine players on the team average over 10 minutes per game, and any player at any time has an opportunity to make an impact.

The quality leadership on the team is particularly evident, both from the coach and from the players.

Kwamain Mitchell, a junior and the Billikens' leading scorer in 2009-10, has changed his role completely on the team. Rather than taking the majority of the scoring opportunities upon himself, he has become a fantastic distributor of the basketball, consistently finding Brian Conklin, the team's leading scorer at 14.3 PPG, and Cody Ellis, the team's best three-point shooter. The team is very unselfish, and it's easy to see on the court just how much the players like each other.

Surprised you haven't heard about the Billikens before? You should be.

Saint Louis University, depending on their finish to the regular season and their performance in the Atlantic-10 Tournament, will in all likelihood be positioned in the middle of the pack in the NCAA seeding.

That doesn't mean the Billikens are a middle-of-the-pack team.

Don't forget Saint Louis as you fill out your brackets this March. A winner in the regular season may go under the radar, but when March Madness comes around, winning is the only thing that matters.    

He learned under Al Maguire, one of the more successful college basketball coaches in the 60s and 70s. He has had plenty of success in his own right through the 80s and 90s. However, its been a while since Rick Majerus has coached in the NCAA Tournament.

A longtime and successful head coach at Utah, Majerus took a three year break from coaching from 2004-2007, but returned to the coaching ranks prior to the 2007-2008 season, this time in an attempt to return the University of St. Louis to the Big Dance.

Majerus has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2003 (Utah) and the Billikens have not danced since 2000, however is this the year the two come together to snap both of those droughts?

Majerus enters his fourth season as head coach at St. Louis, last season being his most successful as the Billikens nearly crashed a crowded Atlantic-10.

St. Louis ended up in the CBI last year, but were able to keep up their strong finish before falling in the CBI Finals in back-to-back games to VCU.

The Billikens have improved each and every year under Majerus and this year they intend to keep that trend going. Following their 23-13 season in 2009-2010, St. Louis returns its top five leading scorers from a year ago and looks forward to an opportunity to be one of the top dogs in the A-10.

Kwamain Mitchell, Willie Reed, and Cody Ellis all averaged double figures last year offensively and will look to improve on their numbers heading into 2010-2011.

With the likes of Christian Salecich and Brian Conklin also returning, the Billikens have depth and an incoming freshmen class highlighted by Rob Loe and Jordair Jett that gives St. Louis a very talented roster.

After ripping through a six game winning streak in the beginning of February, St. Louis looked poised to attack the upper half of a crowded A-10 conference that at one time or another appeared to be able to get as many as six teams into the Big Dance.

However, with too many tough games, loses to Xavier, Temple, and URI racked up against the Billikens, leaving them on the outside, looking in at the NCAA Tournament representatives from the Atlantic-10.

As Majerus prepares for the 2010-2011 season, the facts remain that the Billikens have a team that is strong enough to threaten in the Atlantic-10 and after the attention and toughness the conference showed a season ago, more A-10 teams could find themselves fighting for spots in the Big Dance.

St. Louis hopes to be one of them.

This article was originally featured on The Arena Pulse

Saint Louis University has invested a fair amount of money in the past five years into athletics. First, they hired big-name Rick Majerus to coach the men's team. Although first-rate coaches usually come with high expectations and are high maintenance, this was not the case as SLU was already working on the Chaifetz Arena before he was hired.

Richard Chaifetz, a now successful business man and 1975 alum, donated a substantial amount of money to Saint Louis University for the naming rights. Without his contribution, it is pretty fair to say that the construction would have taken a lot longer.

Anyways, how does this arena affect the future of SLU men’s basketball, you might ask? Not only does Majerus have tremendous pull on recruits, but now with a brand-new arena, high-level recruits will be more inclined to play at SLU. Having Majerus as above-average tutelage will not only help out the player individually, but it will make the entire team stronger.

Majerus has already shown his ability to recruit without complete knowledge of the arena. He has inked four 3-star recruits, including headliner Brett Thompson, a 6’11” center who is widely regarded as one of the best big men in the Midwest.

SLU basketball hasn’t had this much promise since Larry Hughes played. Before Hughes, local fans may remember a high-scoring team of H Waldman, Erwin Claggett, and Scott Highmark who led the Billikens to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

After 36 wins in the past two seasons, I think SLU is on the verge of getting to the Big Dance. These recruits will certainly help on that front.

Chaifetz Arena now gives SLU the finest facilities in the Atlantic 10, a conference that features a money-making machine in Xavier. If Majerus can persuade recruits to join his corps, rather than surrounding schools, SLU can built a legitimate program from years to come.

There were two players that Majerus barely missed on, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Tyler Griffey, the senior phenom from Saint Louis chose Illinois over Kansas, Georgia Tech, and SLU. He would have been an amazing addition, as his 6’8” frame allows him to take the ball to the rack, or shoot the outside jumper. Secondly, another local product, Josh Harrellson, signed with Billy Gillespie and the Kentucky Wildcats.

I would venture to say that if these decisions were two years in the future, both players would have chosen SLU as their college destination. Once Saint Louis University can show the have the fan base to back the Chaifetz Arena, and the role players to boot, they will start seeing more interest from four and five-star recruits.

It is about time people got excited about SLU basketball. With a solid starting lineup this year, that may feature as many as three Majerus recruits, watch out for SLU to sneak up on some teams and make a serious run at playing in March.

With the beautiful Chaifetz Arena up and running, there is no reason to doubt Majerus’ chances at making this program known across the nation.

For more information on the arena, go to: http://thechaifetzarena.com/.