SLU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 21	Saint Louis (12-8, 5-2 A-10) vs. VCU (16-4, 6-1 A-10)
Date // Time	Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 // 7 p.m. CT
Location	St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
Chaifetz Arena	Tickets | Parking | Clear Bag Policy
Radio	KMOX 1120AM | Varsity Network App (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
TV	CBS Sports Network (Tom McCarthy, Chris Walker)
Stream	CBS Sports Digital
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Series History	VCU leads 17-5
Game Notes	Saint Louis

SETTING THE SCENE

• Saint Louis begins a two-game homestand on Tuesday when it welcomes the VCU Rams into Chaifetz Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
• Next up, the Billikens host Dayton on Friday night in a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN2. That game serves as the annual Billiken Blizzard. All SLU fans in attendance will receive a free white "The Lou" T-shirt.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION

• Tuesday's game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. Tom McCarthy and Chris Walker have the call.
• 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. 

SUITS & SNEAKERS

• The Billiken coaching staff will be wearing suits and sneakers on Tuesday.
• The American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer – Suits and Sneakers week is a nationwide event that unites coaches across the country to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer and promotes the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer. While coaching games during the week, coaches war sneakers with their suits as a visible reminder of their support of the American Cancer Society.

BILLIKEN NOTABLES

• Saint Louis hosts two games this week at Chaifetz Arena – VCU on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Dayton on Friday for the Billiken Blizzard at 6 p.m.
• Saint Louis is coming off a 67-61 loss at George Washington on Saturday. The Bills battled back after trailing by as many as 16 in the second half and had a 3-pointer to tie it late, but the shot was off the mark.
• The Billikens are 10-1 at Chaifetz Arena this season.
• VCU and SLU are meeting for the second time in two weeks. The Rams defeated SLU 78-62 at the Siegel Center Jan. 14.
• Robbie Avila leads the Billikens with 18.1 ppg. His 4.3 assists and 1.8 3-pointers made per game lead all centers in NCAA Division I.
• Gibson Jimerson is second on the Billikens in scoring with 17.2 ppg. He is the Billikens' all-time leader in points and 3-pointers made.
• Isaiah Swope averages 16.7 points and is fourth in the A-10 with 5.0 assists.
• With the scoring trio of Avila, Jimerson and Swope, the Billikens are the only program in the country with three players averaging 16.7 ppg or more.
• Kalu Anya leads the A-10 in rebounds per game (9.4).
• Saint Louis leads the A-10 in effective FG% at 56 percent. Meanwhile, the Rams are 12th in the NCAA in scoring defense. 
• Head coach Josh Schertz is in his first season at SLU. His .780 winning percentage ranks No. 6 among active coaches across all three NCAA divisions.

ABOUT THE RAMS

• Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Va.) is one of the hottest teams in the country. The Rams enter Tuesday's game riding a six-game winning streak and are 16-4 overall and in a tie for first in the Atlantic 10 with a 6-1 record.
• VCU defeated the Billikens 78-62 two weeks ago at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. VCU out-rebounded the Bills 38-26, which included a 22-4 edge on the offensive glass. The Rams turned those 22 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points.
• Joe Bamisile leads three Rams in double figures with 16.8 ppg. He led VCU with 23 points against the Billikens earlier this year. 
• Max Shulga, a first-team All-Conference choice last year, averages 15.2 ppg to go along with team bests of 2.1 steals and 4.0 assists per game.
• Phillip Russell, a St. Louis native who played in eight games for the Billikens in 2020-21, averages 11.9 ppg. He drained four treys en route to 16 points in the Rams' win last Friday over St. Bonaventure.
• Luke Bamgboye leads the Rams and the A-10 in blocks per game (2.2).
• Brandon Jennings scored a career-best 10 points in the SLU game two weeks ago.
• VCU is the A-10's top defensive team, allowing just 62.5 ppg. The Rams also lead the league in turnovers forced per game (15.3) and are second in FG% defense (.393).
• Ryan Odom is in his second season at VCU. He led Utah State to the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago and also guided UMBC to the NCAA Tournament in 2018, when the 16th-seeded Retrievers famously defeated No. 1 seed Virginia in the first round. 

SERIES HISTORY

• VCU owns a 17-5 lead in the series.
• The Rams have won six in a row. The last SLU win came on March 5, 2022, a 69-65 Billiken win at Chaifetz Arena.