With the most exciting month in basketball approaching, speculations are starting to fly about who will be dancing by the time March arrives. Recent headlines are showing a familiar face to many, the Saint Louis University (SLU) Billikens. As of Feb. 10, the Billikens are ranked 18th in the Associated Press (AP) polls. Reaching a 16-game win streak on Feb. 7 after a win over La Salle, the team advanced to a record of 23-1 overall, and 11-0 in the Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference. Accolades have reached the players as well, with sophomore Trey Green being dubbed the A10 player of the week on Feb. 2.
Spanish teacher Cady Villmer, whose daughter cheers for Billikens, said that senior center Robbie Avila is one of her favorite players to watch.
“Of course I really like Robbie Avila who is Mexican-American, his dad spoke spanish. But, he wears goggles when he plays, and he’s not your typical basketball look. So he’s a playmaker out there,” Villmer said.
Looking back on past Cinderella stories in March Madness, there is always one face of the team. In 2022, it was Saint Peter’s Doug Edert, University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Jarius Lyles in 2018, and even Chaplin Sister Jean from Loyola Chicago becoming a basketball legend. SLU doesn’t just have one player to carry them through the tournament, however, they have players like Trey Green, Robbie Avila, Dion Brown, and many others coming off of the bench averaging over ten points per game. With this level of depth on a team, the likelihood of success in the post-season increases significantly.
March has become a classic month for basketball fans over the years, with 16 seed teams defeating teams seeded at number two, there truly is nothing like it. The energy surrounding college basketball rings through the country, and SLU is no exception. Villmer said that the energy at Chafietz Arena has only gotten more intense as the season continues.
“It’s been a really big transition since the beginning of the year, because at the beginning of the year, some of them weren’t attended as well, there were a lot of open seats. And now it is completely full, sold out games, and the energy is just amazing, everybody is just celebrating together,” Villmer said.
The classic Cinderella typically consists of a mid-major Division 1 school who gets hot at the right time of year, and this includes SLU. Many basketball analysts are speculating that the Billikens are not your average Cinderella story, they have more depth, stronger team play, and precisely the type of basketball fans only see during March.
Looking forward, the A10 tournament begins on March 11, 2026, and will determine the Billikens’ role in March Madness.