Saint Louis Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Billikens

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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: Bo Zeigler #35 of the George Washington Colonials has his shot blocked by D.J. Foreman #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens during the first half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

With arguably as talented a roster as they’ve ever had, Saint Louis Basketball enters 2018-19 as one of the favorites in the A-10. Can they meet their lofty expectations?

Saint Louis Basketball has assembled the kind of roster that should make them one of the best mid-major teams in the entire country in 2018-19.

The Billikens return four of their top six players from last year’s team including their two leading scorers in Javon Bess and Jordan Goodwin. They also welcome in two key grad transfers in Dion Wiley (Maryland) and Tramaine Isabell (Drexel) along with a consensus top-100 freshman in Carte’Are Johnson.

Expectations are certainly raised for the Billikens after their 17-16 campaign a year ago. That team lacked depth and anything resembling offensive firepower.

Now, head coach Travis Ford believes his team has addressed those weaknesses – but he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that rebounding and defense will still be the focal point of this team.

"“It just became a point of emphasis because we had struggled to score. We became pretty good at developing that mentality, and they ran with it. Our rebounding needs to be great. It should be. It should be a strength of the team, no doubt about it.”"

Saint Louis is expected to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2013-14 season with this revamped roster. But will they?

Here’s a full preview of the Billikens’ season, including a look at their projected rotation and a breakdown of their non-conference schedule.

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