Saint Louis Preview and Game Thread -- 3/4/2026
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2026 11:58 am
Loyola Ramblers Preview – https://loyolaramblers.com/news/2026/3/ ... -road.aspx
Saint Louis Stats and Intel - https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... /2026.html
Record: 26-3 (14-2, 1st in A-10 MBB)
Rank: 25th in the Mar 2nd AP Poll
Coach: Josh Schertz
PS/G: 89.2 (7th of 365)
PA/G: 68.7 (51st of 365)
SRS: 19.66 (26th of 365)
SOS: 1.34 (120th of 365)
ORtg: 122.5 (10th of 365)
DRtg: 94.3 (5th of 365)
Preseason Odds: Championship +30000
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 7-22 (3-13) at Saint Louis Billikens 26-3 (14-2) – 7:00PM CST, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
Tonight, the Ramblers hit the road for game 2/2 this season with the #25 ranked Saint Louis Billikens. Since the last meeting on February 13th where the Billikens demolished the ‘Blers 86-59, SLU has slipped going 2-2 since (and ending their 18-game losing streak), with home wins over VCU and Duquesne, and losses at Rhode Island and at Dayton. In both losses their defense was poor, and 3pt defense was remarkably poor @ Dayton.
Last time out, the Ramblers finally won a ballgame, hanging on and defeating the Richmond Spiders 69-66. The Ramblers were led by Miles Rubin’s 19 and excellent contributions from JOJ, Nic Anderson, and Daniil Glazkov.
"I think we had our best three days of practice we've had all year coming into today. We were very consistent this week, and it paid off today," said head coach Drew Valentine. "Miles did a great job leading us today both on the court and from a mentality standpoint. Reese also stepped up big for us, too. We're without our starting point guard and Kayde got into foul trouble. Reese came in and was so steady. He knocked down free throws at the end. What an amazing career and amazing story that that he's having."
The Billikens enter the week ranked 25th in the AP poll and hold a 26-3 overall record. Saint Louis is 14-2 in A-10 play after splitting last week's play. The Billikens fell to Dayton on the road before besting Duquesne on Saturday. Saint Louis holds a perfect 18-0 record on their home court this season.
Robbie Avila leads the Billikens in scoring with 13 PPG along with a team-high 4.2 APG and 4.5 RPG while Dion Brown has 11 PPG with a team-high 5.7 RPG to lead the Billikens in rebounding. Amari McCottry has 10.2 PPG with 5.3 RPG and 2.9 APG. Trey Green has 11.4 PPG with 2.9 RPG, and is helping the Billikens to the nation's best three-point percentage (.409), while shooting the country's fourth best percentage (.461) by an individual. He is averaging 2.96 makes per game. Quentin Jones has 10 PPG with 4.1 RPG and 3 APG to cap off the scoring in double figures for the Billikens this season. Kellen Thames has 9.9 PPG with 5 RPG and Ishan Sharma has 9.3 PPG with 2.7 RPG. As a team, Saint Louis is averaging 89.2 PPG on 51.4% shooting from the field, 40.9% from three and 73.8% from the foul line this season.
SLU has won 21 straight home games (18-0 this year), which should squash any optimism and chance for the Ramblers. Saint Louis is a different beast at home, and it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest if the Billikens unload for 100+ tonight.
Stats / Facts
• Saint Louis ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (36.9%).
• Saint Louis has recorded the equal-longest winning streak among Division 1 teams this season (18 games).
• Loyola (IL) ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for opponent assist to turnover ratio this season (1.84).
• Loyola (IL) ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (4.0).
Saint Louis Probable Starters – 6-10 C Robbie Avila, 6-0 G Trey Green, 6-3 G Dion Brown, 6-6 G Amari McCottry, 6-5 G Quentin Jones
Loyola Probable Starters - Rubin, Amos, TBD, TBD, Dotson
LAST 10 GAMES FOR BOTH SQUADS
Billikens: 8-2, averaging 85.4 points, 33.9 rebounds, 18.1 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.7 points per game.
Ramblers: 2-8, averaging 65.1 points, 31.5 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 4.2 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 41.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.3 points.
Watch / Listen – Wednesday night’s game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network with Jack Gordon and Chris Walker on the call, and can be listened to Rambler Sports Network with our friends Sudikoff and CT.
Postgame Show - Tune in to Sudikoff on RSN, followed by TalkinBlers Spaces on the X: https://x.com/blerstalking?s=21
Odds: SLU -22.5 (were -24.5 earlier at 8am)
Saint Louis Stats and Intel - https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... /2026.html
Record: 26-3 (14-2, 1st in A-10 MBB)
Rank: 25th in the Mar 2nd AP Poll
Coach: Josh Schertz
PS/G: 89.2 (7th of 365)
PA/G: 68.7 (51st of 365)
SRS: 19.66 (26th of 365)
SOS: 1.34 (120th of 365)
ORtg: 122.5 (10th of 365)
DRtg: 94.3 (5th of 365)
Preseason Odds: Championship +30000
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 7-22 (3-13) at Saint Louis Billikens 26-3 (14-2) – 7:00PM CST, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
Tonight, the Ramblers hit the road for game 2/2 this season with the #25 ranked Saint Louis Billikens. Since the last meeting on February 13th where the Billikens demolished the ‘Blers 86-59, SLU has slipped going 2-2 since (and ending their 18-game losing streak), with home wins over VCU and Duquesne, and losses at Rhode Island and at Dayton. In both losses their defense was poor, and 3pt defense was remarkably poor @ Dayton.
Last time out, the Ramblers finally won a ballgame, hanging on and defeating the Richmond Spiders 69-66. The Ramblers were led by Miles Rubin’s 19 and excellent contributions from JOJ, Nic Anderson, and Daniil Glazkov.
"I think we had our best three days of practice we've had all year coming into today. We were very consistent this week, and it paid off today," said head coach Drew Valentine. "Miles did a great job leading us today both on the court and from a mentality standpoint. Reese also stepped up big for us, too. We're without our starting point guard and Kayde got into foul trouble. Reese came in and was so steady. He knocked down free throws at the end. What an amazing career and amazing story that that he's having."
The Billikens enter the week ranked 25th in the AP poll and hold a 26-3 overall record. Saint Louis is 14-2 in A-10 play after splitting last week's play. The Billikens fell to Dayton on the road before besting Duquesne on Saturday. Saint Louis holds a perfect 18-0 record on their home court this season.
Robbie Avila leads the Billikens in scoring with 13 PPG along with a team-high 4.2 APG and 4.5 RPG while Dion Brown has 11 PPG with a team-high 5.7 RPG to lead the Billikens in rebounding. Amari McCottry has 10.2 PPG with 5.3 RPG and 2.9 APG. Trey Green has 11.4 PPG with 2.9 RPG, and is helping the Billikens to the nation's best three-point percentage (.409), while shooting the country's fourth best percentage (.461) by an individual. He is averaging 2.96 makes per game. Quentin Jones has 10 PPG with 4.1 RPG and 3 APG to cap off the scoring in double figures for the Billikens this season. Kellen Thames has 9.9 PPG with 5 RPG and Ishan Sharma has 9.3 PPG with 2.7 RPG. As a team, Saint Louis is averaging 89.2 PPG on 51.4% shooting from the field, 40.9% from three and 73.8% from the foul line this season.
SLU has won 21 straight home games (18-0 this year), which should squash any optimism and chance for the Ramblers. Saint Louis is a different beast at home, and it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest if the Billikens unload for 100+ tonight.
Stats / Facts
• Saint Louis ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (36.9%).
• Saint Louis has recorded the equal-longest winning streak among Division 1 teams this season (18 games).
• Loyola (IL) ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for opponent assist to turnover ratio this season (1.84).
• Loyola (IL) ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (4.0).
Saint Louis Probable Starters – 6-10 C Robbie Avila, 6-0 G Trey Green, 6-3 G Dion Brown, 6-6 G Amari McCottry, 6-5 G Quentin Jones
Loyola Probable Starters - Rubin, Amos, TBD, TBD, Dotson
LAST 10 GAMES FOR BOTH SQUADS
Billikens: 8-2, averaging 85.4 points, 33.9 rebounds, 18.1 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.7 points per game.
Ramblers: 2-8, averaging 65.1 points, 31.5 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 4.2 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 41.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.3 points.
Watch / Listen – Wednesday night’s game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network with Jack Gordon and Chris Walker on the call, and can be listened to Rambler Sports Network with our friends Sudikoff and CT.
Postgame Show - Tune in to Sudikoff on RSN, followed by TalkinBlers Spaces on the X: https://x.com/blerstalking?s=21
Odds: SLU -22.5 (were -24.5 earlier at 8am)