The Saint Louis Billikens entered March Madness playing with house money, after going 28-5 en route to winning the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship and earning an at-large berth in the big dance. Making the tournament for the first time since 2019, the Billikens looked to focus on effort and discipline, removed from results, for a team that trudged to the end of the season. 

On Thursday, March 19, 2026, SLU defeated the University of Georgia handily 102-77 in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. It was a school-record 29th win of the season. During the game, the Billikens set multiple university records for an NCAA Tournament game, including points (102), field goals (42), assists (27), and overall margin of victory (+25). 

SLU fans got to witness their team fire on all cylinders against Georgia. Guard Dion Brown could not be stopped in the paint, constantly reminding the Bulldogs that he plays bigger than his 6’3”, 180-pound frame may let on. The Saint Louis Splash Bros, Ishan Sharma and Brady Dunlap, went a combined 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. Quentin Jones and his menacing presence around the perimeter will haunt the dreams of Georgia’s ball handlers for the remainder of their offseason.

With 1:33 left to play in the first half, Georgia’s best scorer, Jeremiah Wilkinson, hit a stepback three to cut SLU’s lead to 12. SLU would score 5 to close out the half at 49-32. Georgia did not score again until 5 minutes had elapsed in the second half, when bench piece Justin Bailey hit a huge corner three to drop SLU’s lead to 32. 

The Billikens’ victory against Georgia was a major upset, demonstrating that an elite mid-major can absolutely outplay a shaky Power Five team. The nation was split down the middle on who to pick in this matchup, but the Bills showcased that mid-major hoops are not dead.

Knowing this, many SLU fans had already penciled in the Georgia matchup as a victory and were looking ahead to their game against the #1 seed.

“I was feeling very confident going into the matchup,” said Bryden Fuemmeler, a sophomore SLU student studying neuroscience and psychology. “I believed strongly in our ability to compete at a high level and put ourselves in a position to win.”

Advancing to the round of 32, the Billikens had a monumental task facing the Michigan Wolverines, who finished their regular season with a 32-3 record. Finishing at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 entering March Madness, the Wolverines received the top seed of the Midwest region bracket. 

Because the Billikens were unable to win the A-10 Championship after losing a nail-biter to Dayton in the semifinals 70-69, they were unfortunately relegated to the No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, resulting in the difficult Michigan matchup in the second round.

The Billikens and Wolverines swapped the lead seven times before Michigan pulled away, but SLU kept hot on their tails. Michigan would not get comfortable in their lead until later in the second half, pulling ahead by 14 off of free throws by Yaxel Lendeborg with nine minutes to go. 

Despite the loss, coach Josh Schertz said that he was proud of the team’s consistent and undying effort.

“They fought tooth and nail for the entire 40 minutes. There is nothing for them to hang their heads about,” Schertz said. 

Schertz recently reached a six-year, $22 million extension before the tournament started. He will look to continue building upon the immense success of this season for years to come. 

Humphrey’s Restaurant & Tavern on Laclede held watch-parties for both games on Thursday night and Saturday morning, respectively. The environments were extremely energetic and loud, especially during the whalloping of the Georgia Bulldogs. Chants would frequently erupt, as if the game were being played at Chaifetz Arena, despite the Billikens playing over 700 miles away.

Despite the loss to Michigan, it was a historic season for SLU. Saint Louis’ 29 total wins are a school record, surpassing the 28 victories set by the 2012-2013 team. The Billikens also set single-season school records for 3-pointers made (369) and points scored (2,981). 

The unforgettable 2025-2026 campaign will not soon be forgotten by the greater SLU community and fanbase. Even though the season ended more abruptly than most Billiken fans would have wanted, it has brought a renewed love for Saint Louis basketball and sparked an unprecedented optimism regarding the future trajectory of the program.