SLU junior Tim Dalger has emerged as one of the Billikens’ best all-around players this season. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
SLU Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 13 – Saint Louis University (7-5) at North Carolina State (7-3)
Date/Time – December 20, 2023 – 6 pm
Location – PNC Arena — Raleigh, NC
Broadcast – ACC Network Extra
Radio – KMOX 1120AM
Live Stats – SLU StatBroadcast
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
RALEIGH, NC — Coming off a pair of thrilling comeback wins at the cozy Chaifetz Arena, including Terrance Hargrove’s epic last-second buzzer beater last Saturday night against Louisiana Tech, the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team will play its final game of the 2023 calendar year Wednesday night, when it travels to the east coast to play North Carolina State.
The Billikens are 7-5 on the year, which isn’t the best record, but is quite an accomplishment considering the amount of injuries and side issues the team has had through the first two months of the season.
NC State is 7-3 this season, and coming off a tough loss to No. 7 Tennessee, last Saturday at the Hall of Fame Classic in San Antonio. Before that, the Wolfpack had won three straight, including its conference opener against Boston College (an 84-78 overtime win) back on December 2.
The Wolfpack is also a fast-paced team, which leads the ACC and ranks No. 15 nationally in fast break points (16.8 per game). On missed shots of any sort, the Billikens will have to make sure they get back to keep the ‘Pack from running away with the game.
Players to Watch: SLU’s top scorer this season has been redshirt junior guard Gibson Jimerson. He had 23 points and four three-pointers in the win over La. Tech and has scored 20 points or more in five of his last six games.
Hargrove was the star of SLU’s last contest though, as he scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 90 seconds to lead the Billikens to the win. For the year, the senior is averaging 14.1 points and leads the team with a 6.3 rebounds per game average.
SLU fans also got their first look at 6-9 center Bradley Ezewiro last Saturday. He made his much-anticipated Billiken debut, after sitting out the first 11 games of the season waiting to hear if he’ll be eligible to play this season.
In his debut, Ezewiro was fantastic, posting 17 points and five rebounds in the win.
For NC State, senior guard DJ Horne led the Pack in scoring with 16 points. He’s the first NC State player to go back-to-back games as the team’s scoring leader. In 10 games this season, NC State has had six different players lead the team in scoring. Horne was 6-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also led the team with three steals.
Senior forward DJ Burns, Jr., added 15 points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists vs. Tennessee. Burns has had four or more assists in five of 10 games this season and now leads the Pack in assists this season.
Up Next: After tonight’s matchup, SLU will enjoy a much-needed and much-deserved two week break before beginning Atlantic 10 Conference play on January 3, with a home game against Loyola-Chicago.
NC State will host Detroit in another non-conference game on Saturday. The Wolfpack will then go back to ACC league play, when it travels to Notre Dame for a game on January 3.
2023-24 SLU Billikens Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |