For those Saint Louis University fans n and detractors n who feel the school should have opted for membership in the Missouri Valley Conference instead of the Atlantic 10, the SportsEye presents Exhibit A as to why the Billikens are better off in the A-10.
Southwest Missouri State University 65, SIU-Carbondale 61.
This was a jam job for the ages with the referees gift-wrapping a 23-point comeback for the Bears with one-sided foul calling that left the stench of rip-off from the court to the rafters. SIU-C shot 80 percent from the free-throw line, but the problem is the team shot just 10 free throws the entire game. SMS was paraded to the free-throw line a shameful 31 times and converted 27 of those.
This Saluki neutering was certainly what the conference wanted, since it was facing having one team in the NCAA Tournament if SIU-C, the league’s best team, won the conference tournament.
Exhibit B in the case against the MVC is the sloppy championship game on Monday night at Savvis Center. If the attraction to the MVC is ragged play, turnovers and thousands of empty seats, this was an engraved invitation to join this mid-major conference.
SLU is making the right move in heading east to the Atlantic 10. Neither the school nor its athletic teams should look back with any regret.