WHAT'S ON TAP?

• Saint Louis hosts the VCU Rams on Friday night in the annual Billiken Blue Out at Chaifetz Arena. Game is set for 6 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to wear their Billiken Blue!
• It's a battle for first place, as the Bills enter the game first in the conference standings with a 12-1 record. VCU, which is riding a league-best 10-game winning streak, has played one more conference game than SLU and is 12-2 in league play. 
• Due to an early tip (6:01 p.m. CT) and a sold-out crowd, fans are encouraged to arrive early and utilize the various parking options on campus, including the Laclede parking garage.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION

• Friday's game will be televised on ESPN2 as part of the A-10/ESPN Friday Night Showcase. Mike Corey and Dr. John Giannini will call the action.
• 104.1 FM / 1120 AM KMOX 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 call the action for all SLU games, both at home and on the road. Billiken Basketball sends a special salute to Rammer, who is in his 40th season as the radio voice of SLU hoops, and Austin who is in year No. 35. The duo were recently honored with the Burnes-Broeg Award at the Missouri Athletic Club's Jack Buck Awards.

NEWS & NOTES

• Saint Louis is No. 18 in this week's AP Top 25, the fifth straight week in the rankings. It is their highest ranking since reaching No. 10 in consecutive polls late in the 2013–14 season.
• The Billikens had their 18-game winning streak snapped the last time out. It was the second-longest win streak in school history and the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
• Friday's game against VCU is a rematch from earlier this season, which SLU won 71-62 in Richmond. The Bills ended the game on a 10-0 run for their first win ever at the Siegel Center.
• The Billikens lead the nation in scoring margin at +22.3 and are sixth nationally in scoring offense (90.2 ppg).
• Scoring 90.2 ppg, the Bills are on pace to break the A-10 team scoring record of 87.3 ppg, set by West Virginia in 1990-91.
• SLU is second in the NCAA in 3FG% (.408). Its 296 3-pointers are already No. 2 in a single season in school history. 
• Defensively, the Bills lead the NCAA in both FG% defense (.365) and 3FG% defense (.276).
• SLU is also No. 7 in the NCAA in rebound margin (+9.9). It leads the NCAA in defensive rpg (31.1).
• Seven Billikens average 9.3 ppg or more. Eight different SLU players have led the team in scoring in a game this season.
• Robbie Avila leads the Billikens in scoring with 12.7 ppg. He ranks first among Division I centers in assists per game (4.3) and 3-pointers made per game (1.8). His 1,873 career points are No. 7 among all active players in NCAA Division I.
• Trey Green averages 11.7 ppg and leads the A-10 in 3-pointers made per game (3.08) and 3FG% (.467, third in the NCAA). His 77 3-pointers are already No. 9 on the Billikens' single-season list.

ABOUT VCU

• The VCU Rams enter Friday's matchup 21-6 overall and 12-2 in A-10 play. Their 10-game winning streak is the seventh-longest active streak in the country.
• Friday's game will feature the league's top two offenses, as VCU is second to the Bills in both points per game (83.7) and scoring margin (11.1). The Rams are third in the conference in 3-pointers made per game (9.5).
• Terrence Hill Jr. comes off the bench for the Rams and leads the team in scoring with 14.6 ppg.
• Lazar Djokovic contributes 13.7 ppg and a team-leading 5.7 rpg. He leads VCU in blocked shots with 34. Djokovic gets to the free-throw line more than any player in the A-10 and hits 76.6 percent from the stripe.
• Jadrian Tracey also scored in double figures with 10.0 ppg.
• Like SLU, the Rams feature a balanced scoring attack as seven players average 7.0 ppg or more. The Rams have had nine different players lead the team in scoring in a game this season, tied for the most nationally with George Washington and Tarleton State.
• Head coach Phil Martelli Jr. is in his first year with the Rams. He came to VCU after three seasons at Bryant University in Rhode Island.

SERIES HISTORY

• VCU owns a 17-7 lead in the series, but the Billikens have won the last two meetings.
• Earlier this season in Richmond, Kellen Thames scored a career-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds as the Billikens knocked off the Rams 71-62. The Bills finished the game on a 10-0 run to post their first win at the Siegel Center.
• The teams first met in the 2010 CBI championship round, a best-of-three series. VCU, led then by Shaka Smart, defeated Rick Majerus' Billikens in the first two games to win the CBI title.