February 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Billikens center Robbie Avila (21) reacts after hitting a 3-pointer against the Duquesne Dukes in the 30th minute of the second half at Chaifetz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Image No. 25 St. Louis can cap off an impressive regular season Saturday when it travels to George Mason for the Atlantic 10 Conference finals in Fairfax, Virginia.
St. Louis (27-3, 15-2 A-10) swept the season series with a 79-65 home win over Loyola Chicago on Tuesday. The Billikens clinched the No. 1 seed in next week’s Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and compiled an undefeated home record of 19-0.
Meanwhile, the Patriots (22-8, 10-7) have struggled, going 1-5 in their last six games. Kory Mincy led the way with 18 points and Riley Allenspach had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s 70-65 loss at VCU.
With two straight wins, Saint Louis’ metrics are trending in the right direction again, which could theoretically withstand the chaos of the conference tournament and still earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens are ranked 23rd in the NCAA NET rankings and 34th in Wins Above Bubble.
The Billikens’ bench, led by Amari McCottry (10.4 ppg), Kellen Thames (9.9 ppg) and Ishan Sharma (9.2 ppg), is among the best in the nation scoring 34.1 points per game. McCottry led the Billikens with 18 points, Dion Brown added 15 and Robbie Avila had 12 against Loyola Chicago.
St. Louis ranks first in the nation with a 3-point shooting percentage of 41.2% and fourth with an effective field goal percentage of 60.9%.
The Billikens are also dangerous in transition, ranking sixth in the country with 17.6 points per game while shooting at a high clip from beyond the arc. This is the kind of team St. Louis coach Josh Schertz envisioned when he took the helm two years ago.
“When we first came in, we talked about having a program that could do everything and not put limits on everything,” Schertz said. “These guys have done an incredible job so far. Of course, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but a regular season win is a sign of team greatness. From our perspective, it’s the start of something special. Now there’s a connection and we need to continue to work and build on that and try to have success in the postseason.”
The Patriots were unable to keep up with No. 4 Dayton and failed to secure a head-to-head win over No. 6 Davidson, forcing them to play a one-off match against No. 5 in next week’s A-10 Tournament. George Mason has tournament experience, reaching the conference title game last season before losing to VCU 68-63.
With a middling conference mark, 82nd in Wins Above Bubble ranking, and 97th in NET ranking, George Mason will not be considered for an at-large bid. If they win 4 times in 4 days, they will win the league and automatically advance to the NCAA tournament.
“We’ve shown glimpses of what (a great defensive team) can be,” coach Tony Skeen said after the Patriots lost 71-58 to St. Bonaventure on Feb. 28. “For whatever reason, that fight has left us the last few games.”
–Field level media
