Senior guard Gibson Jimerson will be back to lead the SLU Billikens men’s basketball team this season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

The Saint Louis University men’s basketball program announced on Thursday that it will open the 2024-25 season on Monday, November 4, with a game against Santa Clara at the historic Stanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The game will be part of the season-opening Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on the Field of 68 media network, which is available on YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter).

This contest will mark the SLU debut for new Billikens head coach Josh Schertz, who took over the job last month, after leading Indiana State to a regular season championship in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Last season, SLU went 13-20 overall and finished 5-13 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Head coach Travis Ford stepped down, which opened the door for Schertz to step in and take over.

This year’s Saint Louis team will bring back three players and has added 10 newcomers (seven transfers and three freshmen). The SLU athletics department is working on completing the entire Billiken basketball schedule and will announce the full slate, including the date, time, and opponent for the home opener later this summer.

Santa Clara went 20-13 overall and 10-6 in West Coast Conference play last season, advancing to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. The Broncos have finished near or inside the top 100 of the NCAA NET rankings each of the last three seasons under head coach Herb Sendek.

Saint Louis and Santa Clara, both Jesuit institutions, will be meeting for the fifth time on the hardwood. Santa Clara owns a 3-1 series advantage and has won two in a row, including the last meeting on Nov. 14, 2012, at Chaifetz Arena.

SLU media information contributed to this story.