OUTLOOK
First round: Lost to Utah, 48-45
No friend to the last bubble teams bumped from the field, Saint Louis is one of the unlikeliest of teams in this year's field. The Billikens were a mere 15-13 a week ago with the NIT on their minds. After a superb Conference USA run to the tourney title, Saint Louis is in the Big Dance.
Justin Love triggers the attack, notching an 18.3-ppg scoring clip and hitting 42.3 percent of his 3-point shots. He was fabulous in the C-USA tourney, and this team won't go anywhere if he fails to play at that level in the NCAAs. He is the only Billiken to average double-figures in scoring.
The loss of Marque Perry to a season-ending injury pushed Dave Fergerson into a starting role. That wasn't new to Fergerson, who started 22 games last season. -- Greg Collins, ESPN.com
ROSTER
| PROBABLE STARTERS |
F -- Matt Baniak (6-9, Jr., 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.6 apg)
F -- Maurice Jeffers (6-4, Jr., 6.5, 4.3, 1.7)
C -- Chris Heinrich (6-11, Jr., 5.8, 4.6, 0.3)
G -- Dave Fergerson (6-0, Sr., 6.7, 2.1, 2.2)
G -- Justin Love (6-2, Sr., 18.5, 4.9, 2.6)
|
| |
| TOP RESERVES |
F -- Justin Tatum (6-7, Jr., 8.4, 6.0, 1.1)
G -- Marque Perry (6-1, Fr., 6.0, 1.1, 2.0)
F -- Chris Braun (6-10, Fr., 3.1, 3.0, 0.2)
G -- Troy Robertson (6-4, Sr., 2.8, 1.3, 1.0)
G -- John Redden (6-1, Sr., 2.7, 1.5, 1.4)
F -- Andrew Latimer (6-9, Fr., 2.1, 1.5, 0.1)
|
NOTABLE
Seed, Region and Bid: 9, Midwest, Automatic
Total NCAA Tournament Bids: 6
NCAA Tournament Record: 3-6 (.333)
Final Four Appearances: 0
NCAA Tournament Championships: 0
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: Regional finals (1952)
Final ESPN/USA Today ranking: NR
Final Associated Press ranking: NR
Final Ratings Percentage Index: 33
Final Sagarin Computer Ranking: 51
RECORD VS. RANKED TEAMS (303)
Dec. 16 -- Lost to No. 1 Cincinnati, 79-64
Dec. 30 -- Lost to No. 10 Kansas, 71-60
Jan. 22 -- Beat No. 22 DePaul, 75-69
Mar. 4 -- Lost to No. 2 Cincinnati, 84-41
Mar. 9 -- Beat No. 1 Cincinnati, 68-58
Mar. 11 -- Beat DePaul, 56-49
(Opponents ranking reflects ranking on game day)
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Overall Record: 3-6
1998--Tenth seed in South Region
Defeated Massachusetts in first round, 51-46
Lost to Kentucky, 88-61
1995--Ninth seed in East Region
Defeated Minnesota in first round, 64-61 (OT)
Lost to Wake Forest in second round, 64-59
1994--Seventh seed in Midwest Region
Lost to Maryland in first round, 74-66
1957--Midwest Region
Lost to Oklahoma City in regional semifinal, 75-66
Lost to SMU in regional third place, 78-68
1952--West Region
Defeated New Mexico State in regional semifinal, 62-53
Lost to Kansas in regional final, 74-55
|
Watch a pre-tournament news conference of the Saint Louis Billikens.
