“It was so much fun.”
That’s how Amari McCottry described opening up the second half on a 18-0 run to bury the Georgia Bulldogs, as SLU ended up demolishing Georgia 102-77. Most Billiken fans would agree.
SLU had not won a NCAA Tournament game since 2014, and it’s hard to imagine a more cathartic way to win than dismantling a SEC team so completely that the fans were chanting “We Want Jaden!” with minutes left in the second half. Up by as many as 40 points in the second half, SLU had Georgia looking like they wanted to speed away from Buffalo as quickly as possible, even if that meant collecting a traffic violation or two in the process.
SLU’s three point barrage gets the bulk of the attention in the Billikens’ explosive offense, but Josh Schertz has always been adamant that his philosophy flows from rim 2s. That was beautifully evident last night. SLU only shot 32% from deep on the night, and every single bucket on the game-defining 18-0 run was a layup. Dion Brown set the tone with 3 straight rim-buckets (5 layups and 1 dunk) to start each half. Looking like a beat-up boxer the day after a fight with stitches over his eye, Brown went 9-10 from the field, all layups and led the team with 18 points.
“I’m a senior, my first time in the tournament, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” said Dion Brown, and his play reflected that.
Amari McCottry had a great game, with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. He played a huge role in SLU’s physicality asserting itself against a SEC team. Ishan Sharma struggled to get his three point shot going early, but the 6’5 guard had some huge rebounds. Similarly, Trey Green also struggled with his shot, but he wound up with a triple nickel of 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and his playmaking was crucial for SLU early. Quentin Jones got himself going a bit in the second half on offense, punctuated by a putback slam and then a huge dunk over a Georgia player, unquestionably the highlight of the game. However, his defense and playmaking were invaluable all night. After spending the first two years of his college career on sub-300 KenPom teams, Jones did a masterful job of contributing to winning in a NCAA Tournament game without scoring and that is not an easy adjustment to make.
SLU’s improved physicality built on signs of progress in Pittsburgh, where SLU roared to a 21 point comeback against George Washington and outrebounded Dayton in that heartbreaking loss.
“Our guys set a great tone from a physicality standpoint,” said Josh Schertz. “It felt like in Pittsburgh our fight was coming back and we needed to put some physicality and brains to it.”
People who defend putting mediocre power conference teams in over mid-majors who win games often point to the difference in physicality between those conferences, yet SLU had far more physical games in A-10 Conference play than what they faced in Georgia. Fordham and La Salle played far more physically than the Bulldogs. Even though Georgia had a size and athleticism advantage in the front court, SLU imposed its physicality and its game on the Bulldogs.
Robbie Avila played a huge role in it. On paper, it looked like a difficult matchup between him and Georgia center Somto Cyril, a 6’10, 250 pound big with a 7’7 wingspan and elite athleticism. However, Avila set the tone for a stiff Billiken interior defense, with 2 blocks, consistently great vertical contests and 5 rebounds to go with his 12 points and 5 assists. Cyril on the other hand, only had 1 rebound and no blocks, and only played 12 minutes.
Josh Schertz has talked repeatedly about how badly he wants to give Robbie Avila the March experience he deserves, and Avila took full advantage of that chance last night. He drained threes, he put defenders in a spin cycle, he made beautiful passes, he gave all the content creators all the “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” content they needed. At the core of his performance though, was the rim protection and interior defense.
After the game, Avila rejected the notion that beating Georgia was any type of statement game.
“I think we’ve been making a statement all year,” Avila said.
With Georgia in the rear view mirror, SLU now faces Josh Schertz’s good friend Dusty May and 1-seed Michigan. Schertz calls Michigan the best team in the country in his opinion, and defeating the Wolverines will be a difficult endeavor. The last time SLU played a 1-seed from the state of Michigan, Rick Majerus and his Billikens nearly picked off Draymond Green and the Michigan State Spartans. This SLU team is capable of matching and perhaps surpassing that performance, but as Schertz noted, it will take their best game of the season.
SLU will need to find a way to stop 7’3 Aday Mara, who is as elite of a passer you will find at 7’3. Michigan’s other frontcourt stars are even more of a load in 6’9, 250 pound Morez Johnson Jr., and 6’9 Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg. If SLU is going to win, they are going to need to find a way to stretch out Mara to neutralize his rim protection, which Avila’s shooting will play a big role in. The biggest key, as it was with Georgia, will be getting stops and then rebounding those stops. Johnson especially is tough to keep off the boards. However, if SLU can hold firm on that end, they can attack a Michigan defense before it sets, keep them on their back foot, and Schertz can steal a game from one of his best buddies.
As Schertz said after the Georgia game, it’s not a seven game series. It’s just one game. And anything can happen in just one game.