SLU senior Dion Brown drives for a layup in the Billikens’ NCAA Tournament win over Georgia, Thursday night in Buffalo. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| #9 SLU (29-5) | 49 | 53 | 102 |
| #8 Georgia (22-11) | 32 | 45 | 77 |
BUFFALO, NY — The Saint Louis University men’s basketball team earned its first NCAA Tournament win in over a decade, when it blasted Georgia, 102-77, in a first round game, Thursday night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
Saint Louis set NCAA Tournament program records for points scored (102), field goals made (42), assists (27), and margin of victory (+25) in earning its first tournament win since 2014.
The Billikens, who are the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, are now 29-5 on the season — also a program record for wins in a season — and will face No. 1 seed Michigan in a second round game on Saturday. Tip off for that contest is set for 11 a.m., with the game scheduled to be televised nationally on CBS.
“Our guys set a great tone from a physicality standpoint,” SLU head coach Josh Schertz said. “It felt like in Pittsburgh our fight was coming back and we needed to put some physicality and brains to it.”
Junior Amari McCottry scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in SLU’s NCAA Tournament win over Georgia on Thursday. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
The Billikens raced out to a quick 11-point lead early in the first half and never looked back. Georgia tried to rally and keep the game close, but SLU opened the second half with an 18-0 run that put the Billikens up by 31 points and left no doubt who the better team was, Thursday evening.
“It was so much fun,” SLU standout Amari McCottry, who finished the night with 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds, said. “We were just all really aggressive and making plays. Guys were making tough shots. We were playing strong defense, like we know we can. It just fun to be out there with my guys and have everybody just play so well.”
Senior Dion Brown led the Billikens with 18 points and was a key factor in getting his team off to a good start, as he scored the first six points of the game.
“I’m a senior and it’s my first time in the tournament,” Brown said. “I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and I plan to play every minute that I’m out there like it’s my last.”
#9 SLU 102
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Brown, Dion | * | 21 | 9-10 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| 04 | McCottry, Amari | * | 27 | 6-10 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-7 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| 21 | Avila, Robbie | * | 28 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 1-4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| 01 | Jones, Quentin | * | 26 | 4-10 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 03 | Green, Trey | * | 25 | 3-7 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 09 | Sharma, Ishan | 23 | 5-10 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |
| 11 | Dunlap, Brady | 17 | 4-7 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 00 | Thames, Kellen | 14 | 5-7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 25 | Otieno, Paul | 11 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 5-5 | 2-2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
| 15 | Kerr, Jax | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | Hutson, Cam | 3 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 05 | Schertz, Jaden | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Holmes, Isaac | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 42-72 | 9-28 | 9-11 | 11-36 | 47 | 20 | 27 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 102 |
#8 GEORGIA 77
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Millender,Marcus | * | 30 | 5-15 | 2-8 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| 00 | Cain,Blue | * | 23 | 2-7 | 0-4 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 01 | Stagg,Kareem | * | 19 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 06 | Catchings,Kanon | * | 17 | 0-11 | 0-5 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 02 | Cyril,Somto | * | 12 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 05 | Wilkinson,Jeremiah | 29 | 9-21 | 7-15 | 5-5 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | |
| 03 | Ross,Jordan | 20 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 11 | James,Dylan | 17 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 21 | Wilkins,Jake | 9 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 2-1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 07 | Bailey,Justin | 11 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 25 | Abson,Justin | 13 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 25-72 | 10-39 | 17-26 | 15-21 | 36 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 77 |
2025-26 SLU BILLIKENS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2025 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | SEMO | Chaifetz Arena |  | W, 92-67 (1-0) |
| November 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 7 pm | Home | Chicago State | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 108-86 (2-0) |
| November 10, 2025 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | Lindenwood | Chaifetz Arena |  | W, 109-66 (3-0) |
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Grand Canyon | Chaifetz Arena |  | W, 78-64 (4-0) |
| November 21, 2025 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | Purdue-Fort Wayne | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 91-60 (5-0) |
| November 27, 2025 (Thursday) | 6 pm | Neutral | Santa Clara | Palm Desert, Calif. |  | W, 71-70 (6-0) |
| November 28, 2025 (Friday) | TBA | Neutral | Minnesota or Stanford | Palm Desert, Calif. |  | L, 78-77 (6-1) |
| December 2, 2025 (Tuesday) | 9 pm | Away | Loyola Marymount | Los Angeles, Calif. | | W, 91-70 (7-1) |
| December 7, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | Central Michigan | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 107-65 (8-1) |
| December 13, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | San Francisco | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 85-75 (9-1) |
| December 17, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Bethune-Cookman | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 112-53 (10-1) |
| December 21, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | New Hampshire | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 93-79 (11-1)) |
| December 28, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | Principia | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 114-33 (12-1) |
| December 31, 2025 (Wednesday) | 3 pm | Home | Saint Joseph’s | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 102-79 (13-1) |
| January 7, 2026 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. | | W, 71-62 (14-1) |
| January 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | La Salle | Philadelphia, Pa. |  | W, 84-72 (15-1) |
| January 14, 2026 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Fordham | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 78-56 (16-1) |
| January 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Home | Richmond | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 88-63 (17-1) |
| January 20, 2026 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Duquesne | Pittsburgh, Pa. | | W, 81-77 (18-1) |
| January 23, 2026 (Friday) | 4:30 pm | Away | St. Bonaventure | St. Bonaventure, N.Y. |  | W, 97-62 (19-1) |
| January 27, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | George Washington | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 79-76 (20-1) |
| January 30, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 102-71 (21-1) |
| February 3, 2026 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Away | Davidson | Davidson, N.C. | | W, 91-82 (22-1) |
| February 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | La Salle | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 82-58 (23-1) |
| February 13, 2026 (Friday) | 7:30 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. | | W, 86-59 (24-1) |
| February 17, 2026 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. | | L, 81-76 (24-2) |
| February 20, 2026 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 88-75 (25-2) |
| February 24, 2026 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | | L, 77-62 (25-3) |
| February 28, 2026 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Duquesne | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 91-76 (26-3) |
| March 4, 2026 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Loyola Chicago | Chaifetz Arena | | W, 91-76 (27-3) |
| March 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | George Mason | Fairfax, Va. | | L, 86-57 (27-4) |
| March 13, 2026 (Friday) | 10:30 am | Neutral | #9 George Washington | Pittsburgh, Pa. | | W, 88-81 (28-4) |
| March 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Neutral | #4 Dayton | Pittsburgh, Pa. | | L, 70-69 (28-5) |
| March 19, 2026 (Thursday) | 8:45 pm | Neutral | #8 Georgia | Buffalo, N.Y. |  | W, 102-77 (29-5) |
| March 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 11:10 am | Neutral | #1 Michigan | Buffalo, N.Y. | |