Saint Louis is 18-1 because its best player volunteered for a smaller role, its coach sacrificed salary for depth, and six different Billikens are averaging at least 10 points—fueling the A-10’s most unselfish contender.
The meeting that flipped the roster
After a first-round NIT exit last March, Robbie Avila walked into Josh Schertz’s office expecting a pep talk. Instead, the coach slid the Billikens’ entire NIL budget across the table and explained how every extra dollar given to Avila would subtract from the talent needed around him.
Avila’s reply—“I’m in”—instantly reset the program’s culture. The 6-foot-10 center, who led all NCAA post players with 4.0 assists per game last season, accepted a pay cut and a usage drop. His scoring (17.3 to 12.8), rebounding (6.9 to 4.3) and minutes (29.1 to 25.3) are all career lows since his freshman year, yet Saint Louis is 18-1 and alone atop the Atlantic 10 standings after Tuesday’s 81-77 win at Duquesne.
Depth by design
Schertz’s honesty created a roster no one saw coming. The Billikens are the only Division I team with six players averaging double figures, and the rotation runs 10 deep without a single grad-transfer bust:
- Kellen Thames – 10.6 PPG, A-10 Player of the Week (Jan. 20)
- Dion Brown – 14.0 PPG, 48% from three in league play
- Trey Green – 13.2 PPG, 89% FT, closer in final four minutes
- Brady Dunlap – 11.4 PPG, 6-8 wing who guards 1-4
- Robbie Avila – 12.8 PPG, 3.6 APG, gravity creator at the elbow
- Philip Alston – 10.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, A-10’s best offensive-rebound rate
That balance produces the country’s No. 2 assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78) and a league-best 25.0-point scoring margin in A-10 games.
System > sets
Schertz refuses to call plays. Instead, he installs spacing rules and lets his players “solve the puzzle” on the fly. The concept, borrowed from his 13-year Division II dynasty at Lincoln Memorial, has produced three straight 25-win seasons and an NIT finals appearance at Indiana State.
The on-the-fly approach keeps defenses guessing: Saint Louis has recorded 19+ assists in 14 of 19 games despite averaging the 283rd-slowest tempo in the country. Avila functions as a 6-10 point guard from the nail, freeing cutters like Thames and Brown for back-door layups when opponents overplay hand-offs.
Target acquired
The Billikens’ return to the AP Top 25 this week ended a five-year absence and lined them up for their first NCAA berth since 2019. Every remaining opponent now circles the date; a win Friday at St. Bonaventure would match the 1993-94 team for the best 20-game start (19-1) in school history.
“You want to be the team to catch,” Avila said. “Getting everybody’s best shot is the biggest compliment we can get.”
March forecast
Bracketologists currently slot Saint Louis as a No. 7 seed, but the metrics hint at a climb. NET ranks the Billikens 22nd; BartTorvik’s T-Rank projects a 27-4 finish if they split their final 12 regular-season games. A 15-3 A-10 record would almost certainly lock up an at-large bid even without the conference tournament title.
The defense, 42nd in efficiency, still has room to improve. Duquesne shot 50% in the second half Tuesday and trimmed a 17-point deficit to two possessions in the final minute. Cleaning up late-game turnovers—16 against the Dukes—will determine whether this fairytale has a second-weekend chapter.
For lightning-fast breakdowns of every bubble race, seed projection and bracket twist, keep tabs on onlytrustedinfo.com—the fastest route to the smartest take on college basketball’s road to March Madness.
