The SLU Billikens went 21-12 and finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference last season. (Photo courtesy: SLU Athletics)
SLU Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 1 – Southern Indiana (0-0) at Saint Louis University (0-0)
Date/Time – November 6, 2023 – 7 pm
Location – Chaifetz Arena — St. Louis, MO
Broadcast – Bally Sports Midwest
Live Stats – SLU StatBroadcast
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — The very new look Saint Louis University men’s basketball team will tip off its 2023-24 season, Monday evening, when it hosts Southern Indiana in a non-conference game at Chaifetz Arena. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
The Saint Louis returns two starters from last year’s squad, which went 21-12 overall and 12-6 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which was good enough for fourth place. This season’s Billiken roster features eight scholarship newcomers – five freshmen and three transfers.
SLU is 83-25 all-time in season openers, including a 13-2 mark in season debuts at Chaifetz Arena. Head coach Travis Ford is 24-2 in season openers in his career and 6-1 in his previous seven season openers at SLU.
Southern Indiana is in its second season as an NCAA Division I member, after a long and successful stint in Division II, including the 1995 season when the Screaming Eagles won the national championship under then head coach Bruce Pearl. Current head coach Stan Gouard played on that 1995 Eagles championship team.
USI went 16-17 last season, with a 9-9 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Screaming Eagles also made their first two postseason appearances as a D1 team last year. They competed in the OVC Championship Tournament and the College Basketball Invitational.
Monday’s matchup will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs.
Players to Watch: Even with all the changes, Saint Louis will be led by Atlantic 10 preseason All-Conference player, Gibson Jimerson. The 6’5 guard has led SLU in scoring the past two seasons. Last year, Jimerson averaged 14.0 points per game and made 85 three-pointers.
Other returning veterans for the Billikens will include senior forward Terrance Hargrove and junior Sincere Parker. SLU will also feature a couple of native St. Louisans and local high school stars in sophomore guards Larry Hughes, Jr. and Kellen Thames.
Like SLU, USI will feature a number of new players this season. The Eagles will have eight new players making their debut on Monday, including junior guard Ryan Hall, who returns to the team after redshirting last year.
Up Next: It’ll be a busy week at Chaifetz for the Billikens this week. After Monday, the team will host Lincoln University on Wednesday, then face Illinois State on Saturday.
The SLU women’s team will also play two home games this week. The Billikens will host their season opener on Thursday, November 9, against Drake, before facing in-state rival Missouri on Sunday, November 12.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SCREAMING EAGLES STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Ryan Hall | Jr. | Guard | 6’5/190 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 14 | 14 |
| 5 Jack Campion | So. | Guard | 5’11/170 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 35 | 12 |
| 10 Jack Mielke | Jr. | Forward | 6’7/220 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 18 | 12 |
| 21 A.J. Smith | So. | Forward | 6’6/215 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 17 | 9 |
| 50 Nick Hittle | Jr. | Center | 6’10/245 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 16 | 11 |
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY BILLIKENS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Larry Hughes, Jr. | So. | Guard | 6’4/185 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 14 | 11 |
| 7 Michael Meadows, Jr. | Gr. | Guard | 6’2/175 | 11.0 | 2.7 | 46 | 12 |
| 21 Sincere Parker | Jr. | Guard | 6’3/195 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 8 | 11 |
| 22 Terrance Hargrove | Sr. | Forward | 6’5/215 | 5.9 | 3.7 | 18 | 9 |
| 24 Gibson Jimerson | Jr. | Guard | 6’5/215 | 14.0 | 3.5 | 38 | 18 |
2023-24 SLU Billikens Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 6, 2023 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | Southern Indiana | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 8, 2023 (Wednesday) | 8 pm | Home | Lincoln (Mo.) | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 11, 2023 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Illinois State | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW EXTRA & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 16, 2023 (Thursday) | 1 pm | Neutral | Wyoming | Conway, S.C. (HTC Center) | ESPN2 | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 17, 2023 (Friday) | 11a/1:30p | Neutral | Charleston or Vermont | Conway, S.C. (HTC Center) | ESPN Networks | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 19, 2023 (Sunday) | Time TBA | Neutral | TBA | Conway, S.C. (HTC Center) | ESPN Networks | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 25, 2023 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Dartmouth | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| November 28, 2023 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | Utah State | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW EXTRA & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| December 2, 2023 (Saturday) | 2:30 pm | Away | Southern Illinois | Carbondale, Ill. (Banterra Center) | KMOX 1120AM | |
| December 6, 2023 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Away | Drake | Des Moines, Iowa (Knapp Center) | KMOX 1120AM | |
| December 9, 2023 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Hofstra | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| December 16, 2023 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Louisiana Tech | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW EXTRA & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| December 20, 2023 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Away | NC State | Raleigh, N.C. (PNC Arena) | KMOX 1120AM | |
| January 3, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Home | Loyola Chicago | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 6, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | George Mason | Fairfax, Va. (EagleBank Arena) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 10, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Home | Saint Joseph’s | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 16, 2024 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena) | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 19, 2024 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) | ESPN2 | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 24, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Home | Davidson | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Massachusetts | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. (Gentile Arena) | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 3, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Home | Fordham | Chaifetz Arena | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 7, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 pm | Away | La Salle | Philadelphia, Pa. (Gola Arena) | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 10, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:30 am | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 16, 2024 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | ESPN2 | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 20, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Duquesne | Pittsburgh, Pa. (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse) | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | George Washington | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 28, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Richmond | Chaifetz Arena | BSMW & ESPN+ | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. (Ryan Center) | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:30 am | Away | St. Bonaventure | St. Bonaventure, N.Y. (Reilly Center) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 12-17 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | TBA | Neutral | TBA | Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclay’s Center) |