 Billikens Welcome Nebraska To Chaifetz Arena
Nov. 16, 2009
THIS WEEK: Fresh off a season-opening win, the Saint Louis men's basketball team welcomes Nebraska to Chaifetz Arena Wednesday, Nov. 18, for a 7 p.m. game. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest. The Cornhuskers are the first of two Big 12 opponents the Billikens face in November. SLU will play Iowa State in the Chicago Invitational Challenge Nov. 27. TV TIME: The Nebraska game will air on Fox Sports Midwest with Greg Sharpe and Eric Piatkowski calling the action. ABOUT NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers opened their season with a 76-49 victory over USC Upstate. Lance Jeter led the way with 17 points, and Jorge Brian Diaz just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Last season, Nebraska posted an 18-13 mark and qualified for the NIT. Sek Henry, the only returning regular, posted 8.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 64 assists last season. A year ago, the Cornhuskers averaged 64.5 ppg while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from 3-point range and 70.2 percent from the line. Head coach Doc Sadler is in his fourth year at Nebraska with a 56-40 mark and has a 104-58 record over six seasons. The Cornhuskers lead the series 4-3. Nebraska won 71-57 last season in Lincoln, the first meeting between the schools in more than 18 years. BILLIKEN BITS: Willie Reed recorded his first career double-double as SLU opened the season with a 59-41 win over Southeast Missouri State Nov. 14. Reed hit 6-of-8 shots, scored 15 points and pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds. Brian Conklin added 15 points and eight rebounds, six on the offensive end, while Kwamain Mitchell finished with 13 points. The Billiken defense stifled the Redhawks attack and held SEMO to 27.5 percent shooting, including a 5-for-22 mark (22.7 percent) in the second half.
YOUTH WILL BE SERVED: By two measures, the 2009-10 Billikens will be the youngest team in America. Considering only scholarship players, the Billikens' roster is 90.9 percent underclassmen (10 of 11), the highest percentage in the nation. In addition, the Billikens have the fewest upperclassmen (one - Paul Eckerle) in the country. HEAD COACH Rick Majerus: Coach Rick Majerus is in his third campaign as head coach of the Billikens with a 35-29 slate. He has a 22-year career mark of 457-176 and has never had a losing season. Majerus has taken 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament and four to the NIT. At the start of the 2009-10 season, his .722 career winning percentage tied for 13th among active coaches, and Majerus' 456 wins ranked 23rd on the active list. NOT MUCH BEYOND THE ARC: Last season, the Billikens finished third in the country in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 28.2 percent. The SLU perimeter defense proved to be tough in the Southeast Missouri State contest as the Redhawks hit just 1-of-11 from 3-point range (9.1 percent). VERSUS NON-CONFERENCE FOES: In Chaifetz Arena, the Billikens are 9-1 against non-conference teams and have won eight straight versus teams outside the Atlantic 10. The only non-league team to emerge from Chaifetz Arena with a victory has been Kent State. POWER IN THE PAINT: The Billikens controlled the paint against Southeast Missouri State. SLU scored 26 points in the paint while allowing SEMO just eight points down low. PRESEASON PLAUDITS: Sophomore guard Kwamain Mitchell was named to the Atlantic 10 preseason men's basketball All-Conference third team as selected by a poll of the league's coaches. Last season, Mitchell was chosen to the league's All-Rookie team. He averaged 11 ppg and 3.2 rpg and was second on the team with 42 3-pointers and 38 steals. THE WAITING GAME: SLU is still waiting for the NCAA to clear 6-foot-8 forward Cody Ellis (Perth, Australia/A.I.S.) for participation. Ellis was ranked the No. 1 power forward and the No. 3 player overall in the 2009 class in Australia. He helped the Emus to an undefeated pool play record at the FIBA World Championships and ended the U-19 tournament as the Aussies' second-leading scorer with 101 points. He ranked third on the team in rebounding with 51. LAST YEAR: Behind the dynamic duo of senior guards Tommie Liddell III and Kevin Lisch, the Billikens went 18-14 overall, 8-8 in the Atlantic 10. Lisch was named third-team Academic All-America, third-team All-Conference and the A-10 Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year. Kwamain Mitchell was named to the All-Rookie team. ON THE AIR: For the second consecutive year, Billiken basketball can be heard on 101.1 FM ESPN. Billiken Hall of Famer Bob Ramsey is in his 24th season as the play-by-play "Voice of the Billikens." Earl Austin Jr., sports editor of the St. Louis American, is in his 19th year in the analyst's role. BILLIKEN LEGENDS: The Saint Louis University department of athletics announced that it will recognize and honor seven "Billiken Legends" basketball teams at halftime of select home games during the 2009-10 season. The six men's basketball teams to be honored are the 1947-48 (Dec. 5, 2009), 1956-57 (Dec. 12, 2009), 1970-71 (Dec. 19, 2009), 1988-90 (Jan. 9, 2010), 1993-95 (Feb. 13, 2010) and 1999-2000 (Feb. 27, 2010) squads. In addition, the 2002-03 women's basketball team will be recognized Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. NO PLACE LIKE HOME: In its first year, Chaifetz Arena proved to be a true homecourt advantage for the Billikens. SLU posted a 14-3 mark in the inaugural season of the 10,600-seat building. The .824 winning percentage was the second best by the Billikens in the past decade, surpassed only by the 13-2 slate (.867) in 2006-07. BILLIKEN ALL-ACCESS: All Billiken regular-season home games this season are video streamed live through Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. GameTracker is again available free of charge in 2009-10. TICKETS: Season tickets and individual game tickets are on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.slubillikens.com or www.metrotix.com, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or toll free at (800) 293-5949, and at the Chaifetz Arena Ticket Office. LOOKING AHEAD: The Billikens begin the Chicago Invitational Challenge with two home games. Kennesaw State visits Sunday, Nov. 22, in a 1 p.m. contest, and Mississippi Valley State comes to town Tuesday, Nov. 24, for a 7 p.m. game. |
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