While Mizzou continues to rack up victories and has ascended to be the third ranked team in the country, St. Louis’ own Division I basketball team continues to excel, without recognition from fans, coaches, or national sportswriters.
A well respected computer ranking  ranks the Saint Louis University Billikens (SLU) as the ninth best team in the country, one spot behind our well-ranked friends a hundred miles west on I-70. So, why does SLU not receive recognition from fans, journalists, and NCAA coaches? SLU was ranked 35th in the AP Poll and 38th in the Coaches Poll in the most recent ranking.  In fact, even though SLU has not lost in three weeks and won two important road games, there has been little change in the minds of the voters.
SLU was the “trendy†team to watch early in the year. They were everyone’s sleeper pick of the year.  Then they lost to a seemingly mediocre team and disappeared from the rankings. This seemingly bad loss was the last game of an extended road trip, and this seemingly mediocre team has since between St. Mary’s and BYU, two teams which are expected to make the NCAA tournament. Sportswriters have this loss wired into their brains just like a parasite.Â
Ninth in the BPI, high thirties in the published rankings: what do the computers see that people don’t? The computers see that this loss was not in fact a resume killer. The computers see SLU has in fact won two very respectable road games in the past month. Meanwhile, the fans, coaches and sportswriters continue to give the big conference teams all the attention. Come the NCAA tournament, this will change.
