Saint Louis vs. Troy
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 | 7 p.m. | St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
TV:Â FOX Sports Midwest (Dan McLaughlin, Scott Highmark)
Radio:Â 101 ESPN (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
Online Coverage: FOX Sports App stream | ESPN+ (blacked out in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa) | Live Stats | @SaintLouisMBB on Twitter
++ SLU Game Notes ++
SETTING THE SCENE
– Saint Louis welcomes Troy University to Chaifetz Arena on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
– The game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest. Dan McLaughlin and Scott Highmark are on the call.
– The game will be streamed live nationwide on the FOX Sports App. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ outside of the FSMW footprint. The game will blacked out in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa for ESPN+ users. The game will be streamed for international viewers through Atlantic10.com.
– The radio broadcast will air on 101 ESPN (101.1 FM and 101Sports.com). As always, Billiken Hall of Famer Bob Ramsey provides the play-by-play, while St. Louis American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr. handles the analysis.
– Saturday’s game is part of the Barclays Center Classic exempt tournament. Central Arkansas, the Bills’ opponent on Nov. 24, is the other team that will play in the campus games. SLU faces Pitt at Barclays Center on Nov. 21.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
– The Billikens were picked to win the Atlantic 10 Conference via a vote by A-10 coaches and media. The Bills claimed 15 of the 26 first-place votes to finish ahead of Saint Joseph’s (second) and Davidson (third).
– The Billikens defeated SEMO 75-65 on Tuesday in the season opener. The Bills led by as much as 22 points in the second half.Â
– Senior guard Javon Bess, the Billikens’ leading returning scorer (13.3 ppg), tied for game-high honors with 18 points in the win against SEMO. He also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Â
– Senior guard Tramaine Isabell Jr. scored 18 points in his Billiken debut.Â
– Sophomore forward Hasahn French registered a game-high 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Â
– Senior forward D.J. Foreman was 5-of-6 from the field en route to 12 points off the bench for Saint Louis.
– Up next for the Billikens is a matchup against North Alabama on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. That game will be part of a double-header with the women’s team, which hosts Indiana State for its home opener at 4:30 p.m.
ABOUT THE TROJANS
– Troy University is located in Troy, Alabama, and is a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
– Troy began its season on Tuesday, Nov. 6, with a home win against NCAA Division II Fort Valley State.
– The Trojans went 16-17 overall and 9-9 in league play a season ago.
– Forward Jordon Varnado led Troy with 18 ppg a season ago. He made a team-high 174 field goals, shooting 47.8 percent (174-of-364) from the field. Varnado was named to the Sun Belt’s preseason All-Conference team and to the Julius Erving Award Watch List. That award is given to the Division I men’s basketball top small forward.
– Forward Alex Hicks averaged 11.7 ppg and a team-best 8.4 rpg last season. He also led the team with 37 blocks, 277 rebounds and 14 double-doubles.
– Guard B.J. Miller averaged 7.5 ppg and led the Trojans with 104 assists and 41 steals.
– Phil Cunningham is in his sixth season as Troy’s head coach. Cunningham previously spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi State and one season as assistant coach at Western Kentucky.
SERIES HISTORY
– This is the second meeting between the Billikens and Trojans.
– SLU defeated Troy 63-55 in 2004 at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
– Reggie Bryant paced the Billikens with 16 points, six assists and six boards.
