The SLU men’s hoops team got 11 first-place votes and was picked to finish second in the A-10 this season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
PITTSBURGH, PA — The Atlantic 10 Conference held its preseason men’s basketball Media Day on Tuesday and with it released its annual preseason poll and all-conference teams.
Saint Louis University was picked to finish second in the conference standings this season, one point behind defending league champ VCU.
Both clubs received 11 first-place votes, but VCU finished with 342 total points to earn the title of preseason favorites, while Saint Louis finished just behind with 341 total points. The voting was conducted among the league’s 14 head coaches, as well as a media representative covering each team.
Dayton received three first-place votes and finished third in voting (321 points), followed by George Washington (296 points) and Loyola-Chicago (two first-place votes and 286 points), who were fourth and fifth, respectively.
The SLU Billikens received 11 first-place votes and were picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Last year, SLU went 19-15 overall and 11-7 in conference play, which earned the team the No. 6 seed in the A-10 Tournament. The Billikens received a first-round bye and won their second-round game against Davidson, before losing in the tournament quarterfinals to Loyola-Chicago.
The Billikens missed the NCAA Tournament, but did receive an invite to play in the NIT, where their season ended with a first-round loss to Arkansas State.
SLU senior center Robbie Avila was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason all-conference team on Tuesday. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
This year, the second under head coach Josh Schertz, the Billikens return seven players from last year and have added 10 newcomers (six transfers and four true freshmen) to piece together a club many expect to be one of the most improved teams in the country.
SLU will be led by senior center Robbie Avila, who was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason All-Conference Team, after being named second-team All-Conference last year.
Avila, 6-foot-10 dual threat shooter and passer, averaged 17.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game last year. He also led all NCAA Division-I centers in three-pointers made per game (1.8).
The Billikens also bring back senior forward Kalu Anya, who averaged 6.5 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game, along with sophomore guard Amari McCottry and redshirt junior and St. Louis native Kellen Thames.
Redshirt junior and St. Louis native Kellen Thames will be back with the SLU Billikens this season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Fall training camp began for Saint Louis last Friday, with all eyes on the season opener on Monday, November 3 at Chaifetz Arena against Southeast Missouri State.
The SLU athletic program recently released the Billikens’ full 2025-26 schedule. SLU will play 19 home games this year, including five straight to begin in season in November and six more in December, before Atlantic 10 Conference play begins in January.
(Image courtesy: Atlantic 10 Conference)
2025-26 SLU BILLIKENS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2025 (Monday) | TBA | Home | SEMO | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| November 6, 2025 (Thursday) | TBA | Home | Chicago State | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| November 10, 2025 (Monday) | TBA | Home | Lindenwood | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Grand Canyon | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| November 21, 2025 (Friday) | TBA | Home | Purdue-Fort Wayne | Chaifetz Arena | Acrisure Invitational | |
| November 27, 2025 (Thursday) | TBA | Neutral | Santa Clara | Palm Desert, Calif. | Acrisure Invitational | |
| November 28, 2025 (Friday) | TBA | Neutral | Minnesota or Stanford | Palm Desert, Calif. | Acrisure Invitational | |
| December 2, 2025 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | LMU | Los Angeles, Calif. | ||
| December 7, 2025 (Sunday) | TBA | Home | Central Michigan | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| December 13, 2025 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | San Francisco | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| December 17, 2025 (Wednesday) | TBA | Home | Bethune-Cookman | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| December 21, 2025 (Sunday) | TBA | Home | New Hampshire | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| December 28, 2025 (Sunday) | TBA | Home | Principia | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| December 31, 2025 (Wednesday) | TBA | Home | Saint Joseph’s | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| January 7, 2026 (Wednesday) | TBA | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. | CBSSN | |
| January 10, 2026 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | La Salle | Philadelphia, Pa. | USA Network | |
| January 14, 2026 (Wednesday) | TBA | Home | Fordham | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| January 17, 2026 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Richmond | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | |
| January 20, 2026 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | Duquesne | Pittsburgh, Pa. | ||
| January 23, 2026 (Friday) | TBA | Away | St. Bonaventure | St. Bonaventure, N.Y. | ESPN Networks | |
| January 27, 2026 (Tuesday) | TBA | Home | George Washington | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| January 30, 2026 (Friday) | TBA | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | |
| February 3, 2026 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | Davidson | Davidson, N.C. | CBSSN | |
| February 7, 2026 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | La Salle | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| February 13, 2026 (Friday) | TBA | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. | ESPN Networks | |
| February 17, 2026 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. | ||
| February 20, 2026 (Friday) | TBA | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | ESPN Networks | |
| February 24, 2026 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | ||
| February 28, 2026 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Duquesne | Chaifetz Arena | ||
| March 4, 2026 (Wednesday) | TBA | Home | Loyola Chicago | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | |
| March 7, 2026 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | George Mason | Fairfax, Va. | USA Network | |
| March 11-15, 2026 | TBA | Neutral | TBD | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament |
Go Billikens!
Schertz has got a really good group this yr… Nice size, great athleticism… Should be a fun yr for the Bills.