Mark your calendars, Billiken fans, the Valley is coming to Chaifetz Arena! And that is about it..
SEMO, Oral Roberts, Bowling Green, Wichita State, ROCKHURST, Wofford, Indiana State, North Carolina A&T, Yale, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, Richmond, George Mason, VCU, George Washington, Duquesne, Dayton.
Those are the teams coming to play at Saint Louis University this college basketball season. Exciting? If you take out the VCU and Wichita State games then no, not in the least bit.
But if you like SLU victories, then this is the schedule for you.
I don't see the Bills losing a game at Chaifetz. Sure, VCU will be tough and Wichita State could present some problems -- and by problems I mean Cle Early -- and no game is certain (see Rhode Island game last season), but that looks to me like 17 victories to pad the old resume with come March. Beat the Southern Illinois schools on the road, a down Vanderbilt team and boom! There is a 20-win season.
In fact, I'd venture to say the entire SLU schedule looks considerably favorable because the Atlantic 10 won't be even remotely close to what it was last year.
PREDICTION TIME
Here are my big, bold predictions on September 6, 2013.
Non-conference: 14-1
I spent some time debating a 15-0 start, but I just don't see the Bills matching up well with Wisconsin, a team just as physical and disciplined but also bigger. Can't wait to see the Over/Under on this game -- 60 seems like a good place to start. But aside from the Badgers, I just don't see where they can lose. Vandy is way down this year. Wichita State will be a tribute to Rick Majerus and there is no way they lose that game. Indiana State won't be a problem. Old Dominion or West Virginia? Not impressed. I could see the Valpo game giving them some trouble, but who will stop Dwayne Evans on that team? Nobody.
A-10: 12-4
This is tricky because only VCU really scares me. But the season is too long, and at the end of the day, it's still conference, losses will happen. I'll take the matchups at Dayton, at VCU, and at La Salle as predictable losses and throw in one extra random L that happens because 'it was just one of those nights' -- again, see Rhode Island.
A 26-win regular season is doable and breaking the 30-win mark is certainly attainable.
Although the schedule might not be filled with the likes of Duke or UCLA -- or even Mizzou for that matter -- there is a great opportunity for big things this season at Saint Louis. And last time I checked, it doesn't matter how you get to March, it's what you do once you get there. And a 26-win season would certainly give the Billikens that chance.
- @JASEBANDELOW
