23. Saint Louis (17-1)
There isn’t quite the same attention on the A-10 as in some previous years but this mid-major league still has some brilliant basketball. In his second year in town, Josh Schertz sure has built something special at Saint Louis and has the Billikens playing like a well-oiled machine. Save for a 1-point loss to Stanford right around Thanksgiving we might be having a different conversation about this team.
The winning continued Wednesday with an 88-63 home win over Richmond, themselves a decent team. Kellen Thames actually led the scoring with 16 points off the bench while star Robbie Avila added 14 points. It was the same story yet again over the weekend, with the Billikens coming up with a 78-56 win against Fordham. Thames again scored 16 points while Amari McCottry had a notable 12-point, 8-rebound performance.
This slide isn’t here to praise the A-10 or throw attention on a mid-major with a good record; Saint Louis is for real and keep showing it. They may not have the grittiest playmakers or the best defense but the Billikens have found ways to win important games, notably winning at VCU just over a week ago. We’ll see how long they can keep this rolling as they head back on the road to Duquesne and St. Bonaventure next week.