Saint Louis burst onto the scene last year with a 24-1 start to the season and an NCAA Tournament victory. Josh Schertz, the man behind the special 2024 Indiana State team, put together one of the most fun teams in the country last season and had a handful of returners.
Everyone knew getting good opponents on the schedule was a challenge, but on Friday, the Billikens had an opportunity against an in-state rival in Missouri. With possibly their biggest game of the season staring them in the face, Schertz’s
group didn’t blink. Saint Louis controlled the Show Me Showdown and beat Mizzou 90-84.
Despite the game’s magnitude, Saint Louis was more than ready.
“In these games, you got to believe you belong,” Schertz said. “You can’t look at yourself as some sort of ‘lesser than.’”
The “Atlantic-10 Splash Bros” set the tone early for Saint Louis. After a 3-0 Mizzou start, Ishan Sharma buried a 3 that resulted in a four-point play. Trey Green hit a 3 before Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates could use his first timeout of the game. By the time Gates got his team over to talk, it was Saint Louis by eight.
The hot start for the Billikens continued as they went into the halftime break shooting nearly 57% from the field and 56% from distance. Mizzou forward Bryson Tiller noted how good Saint Louis’ offense is.
“With Sharma and Green, those [other] guys, they can really spread the floor,” Tiller said. “Michaeli can really drive it.”
Saint Louis didn’t slow down in the second half, but did have to withstand multiple late Mizzou pushes. It was Alon Michaeli who sealed the game with a couple of key baskets and free throws in the final two minutes.
“He had played a good game up until the final two minutes… but the scoring down the stretch was huge for us,” Schertz said.
Saint Louis held Mizzou five-star freshman Jason Crowe Jr. to just 3-for-18 shooting from the field. Schertz credited Quentin Jones for his defense on Crowe Jr. throughout the game.
“Amari (McCottry) and Kellen (Thames) were on the All-Defensive team, and I would make a case that Q is the best individual defender of all those guys,” Schertz said.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Billikens and their fans were ecstatic. Over the summer, Trey Green and Ishan Sharma said that they had the Mizzou game circled. On Friday, Saint Louis proved that they were no one-year wonder. Even without Robbie Avila, who was barred from playing for Saint Louis on Friday by the College Sports Commission, Saint Louis was the better team against a high-major team with a ton of talent.
“The best way to get what you want in your life is to deserve what you want in your life,” Schertz said.
