Ranked for the first time in five years, No. 24 Saint Louis is taking things one game at a time as it travels to face Duquesne on Tuesday in Atlantic 10 play in Pittsburgh.
Saint Louis (17-1, 5-0 A-10) will play its first game as a Top 25 team since the No. 22 Billikens fell to Dayton 76-71 on Jan. 26, 2021. Following its 88-63 dismantling of Richmond on Saturday, the current Saint Louis squad became the second in program history to win 17 of its first 18 games (the 1993-94 team began 19-1).
Second-year head coach Josh Schertz’s team’s only blemish is a 78-77 loss on a last-second shot to Stanford on Nov. 28. Since then, the Billikens have rattled off 11 straight wins. For Schertz, the hope is to avoid peaking in January.
“I think all of our best moments are ahead of us as a group,” Schertz said. “Getting nationally ranked, being 17-1, all that stuff is great. This group’s best moments are ahead of us and not behind us. We’ve just got to keep working, getting better.”
With a NET ranking of 22 and a current share of first-place in the conference, Saint Louis is on track to appear in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Schertz also knows his team’s resume can take a hit on any given day.
“I am so appreciative of where things are right now, but I don’t think it’s going to be like a knife through butter all year,” Schertz said. “I know there’s hard stuff coming. We’ve got a big road game coming at Duquesne. I’m sure that place will be ready to go. It’s a great challenge. It’s a privilege, but it’s a challenge. We’ll have our hands full.”
The Billikens are paced by Robbie Avila’s 12.8 points per game and Dion Brown’s 11.5 average. Kellen Thames — a rare four-year player with the same program — led Saint Louis with 16 points in each of its last two wins. Thames was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Monday.
Duquesne (10-8, 2-3) has dropped three of its last four games, but earned a 74-63 win at Fordham on Saturday to stop the bleeding. The Dukes are hosting a ranked opponent for the first time since No. 7 Dayton came to Pittsburgh in January 2020.
After missing all of last season with injury, Duquesne’s Alex Williams has averaged 9.8 points per game off the bench in conference play, giving head coach Dru Joyce III another weapon to use.
“Just the confidence that my teammates and Coach Dru instill in me,” Williams said of what’s led to a strong showing in Atlantic 10 play. “I’m just trying to bring energy every time I come into the game, whether that’s scoring, being a good defender, doing whatever I can to help the team win.”
UT Martin transfer Tarence Guinyard leads the Dukes with 16.2 ppg, while Jimmie Williams follows with 15.3. Former Pitt, Oklahoma and Xavier forward John Hugley IV adds 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
–Field Level Media
