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MBB Preview: Billikens Open A-10 Play in New York

SLU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 14 Saint Louis (7-6, 0-0 A-10) at Fordham (8-5, 0-0 A-10)
Date // Time Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 // 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT
Location Bronx, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gym)
Radio KMOX 1120AM | Varsity Network App (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
TV SNY (Mike Watts, Andrew Bogusch)
Stream ESPN+ | International Streaming
Live Stats FordhamSports.com
Series History Saint Louis leads 15-5
Game Notes Saint Louis

SETTING THE SCENE
  • Saint Louis opens its 18-game Atlantic 10 Conference slate on Tuesday afternoon against Fordham at the historic Rose Hill Gymnasium. Tip time on New Year's Eve is set for 1 p.m. CT.
  • Following the Fordham game, SLU hosts Saint Joseph's in a short turnaround on Friday night for the A-10/ESPN Friday Night Showcase on ESPN2. Tipoff at Chaifetz Arena is 8 p.m. CT. The Billikens are also home for the next game after that – Wednesday, Jan. 8, against St. Bonaventure on Peacock. 

FOLLOWING THE ACTION

  • Tuesday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will be televised on SNY. Mike Watts and Andrew Bogusch will call the action.
  • KMOX 1120 AM is the home for Billiken Basketball on the radio. Billiken Hall of Famers and longtime SLU men's basketball radio partners Bob Ramsey and Earl Austin Jr. will the call the action for all SLU games, both at home and on the road. Ramsey is in his 39th season calling SLU games, while Austin is in year No. 34. 

BILLIKEN NOTABLES

  • The Billikens close out one year and open another as the A-10 season gets underway on New Year's Eve in the Bronx against Fordham.
  • Saint Louis finished the non-conference slate 7-6 overall, which included a 7-1 record at Chaifetz Arena. The Bills are in search of their first win of the season away from their home arena.
  • This is the Billikens' 20th season in the A-10. They have won two regular-season titles (2013 and 2014) and two tournament crowns (2013 and 2019).
  • SLU is led in scoring by the trio of Isaiah Swope (17.9 ppg), Robbie Avila (17.8 ppg) and Gibson Jimerson (17.8 ppg). The Billikens are the only program in the country with three players averaging 17.0 or more points per game.
  • Gibson Jimerson will break the school record for games played with his next appearance (his 146th). Jimerson is the Billikens' school record holder for career points (2,056) and career 3-pointers made (355) as well.
  • Robbie Avila has scored in double figures in each of his 10 appearances. His 4.7 assists per game and 1.9 3-pointers made per game lead all centers in NCAA Division I this season.
  • Isaiah Swope is the Billikens' top scorer (17.9 ppg) and assists man (5.4). He is one of three players in NCAA Division I averaging those numbers 
  • Kalu Anya leads the A-10 in rebounds per game (9.8). 
  • Head coach Josh Schertz is in his first season at SLU. His .781 winning percentage ranks No. 8 among active coaches across all three NCAA divisions.

ABOUT THE RAMS

  • Fordham University (Bronx, N.Y.) has won five in a row and enters Tuesday's game with an 8-5 record.
  • The Rams and Billikens both played San Francisco in the non-conference season. The Rams lost to the Dons by 21 in a neutral site game, while the Billikens fell by 17 at War Memorial Gym in San Francisco.
  • Jackie Johnson III is the Atlantic 10 Conference's scoring leader with 18.5 ppg. He has tossed in a team-best 34 treys and is tied for the team lead with 20 steals. Johnson also leads the A-10 in field goals (86) and field goals attempted (192). He transferred to Fordham after two years at UNLV and one year at Duquesne, averaging 7.0 ppg in his first three seasons of college ball.
  • Jahmere Tripp scores 10.9 ppg, while Japhet Medor contributes 10.5 ppg and a team-high 45 assists.
  • Abdou Tsimbila is seventh in the conference with 20 blocked shots.
  • The Rams lead the A-10 in average bench points per game (27.3). Conversely, SLU is last in bench points per contest with 10.7.
  • Keith Urgo is in his third season at Fordham with a 46-33 record. He was tabbed the 2023 A-10 Coach of the Year after leading the Rams to a 25-8 record and the No. 3 seed in the A-10 Championship in his first season at the helm. 

SERIES HISTORY

  • Saint Louis leads the all-time series 15-5, but Fordham has won the last two. 
  • Gibson Jimerson is the only Billiken who has played at Rose Hill Gym. He scored 14 points (including four treys) in SLU's win here in 2021.
  • Billiken assistant coach Zak Boisvert is a 2010 graduate of Fordham. He was a four-year team manager for the Rams.
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