NCAA Basketball: 5 breakout teams to watch in 2018-19

3. Saint Louis Billikens

Like Loyola-Chicago a year ago, Saint Louis appears poised to be the breakthrough mid-major team that will emerge from national irrelevancy.

Head coach Travis Ford is building something solid and the Billikens appear poised to make some noise in the third year of his tenure.

Four of Saint Louis’ top six players return, including their two leading scorers in Javon Bess and Jordan Goodwin. Neither guard is a great shooter, but both are phenomenal on the glass – they averaged 7.4 and 7.5 rebounds per game, respectively, last season. That backcourt will receive a boost from Maryland transfer Dion Wiley, who will add some much-needed shooting.

However, the Billikens aren’t a guard dominant group. They have three quality big men in senior D.J. Foreman (6.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg), rising sophomore Hasahn French (9.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.8 bpg) and incoming freshman Carte’Are Gordon, who was a top-80 national recruit and is listed at 6-9 and 230 pounds.

If Gordon’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you saw this:

Expectations are high for the freshman because of the combination of strength and athleticism on display there, and he should round out this big, tough, and physical starting lineup.

Saint Louis also has plenty of depth, headlined by Drexel grad transfer Tramaine Isabell Jr. among others. The Billikens have eight or nine players they can put on the court without having their level of play drop at all. They could really go about 10 or 11 deep if Ford decided to go that route.

Their size, length, and physicality should make Saint Louis one of the better defensive teams in the country. They enter 2018-19 as one of the preseason favorites in the A-10 and, I think, could crack the top 25 on their way to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.