# 2018–19 Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team represented Saint Louis University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Travis Ford in his third season at Saint Louis. The team played their home games at Chaifetz Arena as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 23–13, 10–8 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They defeated Richmond, Dayton, Davidson and St. Bonaventure to be champions of the A-10 tournament. They received the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Virginia Tech.

## Previous season

The Billikens finished the 2017–18 season 17–16, 9–9 in A-10 play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the A-10 tournament, they defeated George Washington in the second round before losing to Davidson in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Davell Roby | 5 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Senior | Memphis TN | Graduated |
| Jalen Johnson | 20 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Sophomore | Baton Rouge, LA | Transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette |
| Markos Psimitis | 21 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Redshirt Junior | Mytilene, Greece | Walk On; Graduated |
| Aaron Hines | 24 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Senior | St. Louis, MO | Graduated |
| Rashed Anthony | 25 | C | 6'9" | 230 | Graduate Student | Orangeburg, SC | Graduated |
| Luis Santos | 42 | C | 6'8" | 250 | Junior | Santiago, Dominican Republic | Withdrew - 9/25/2018 |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Tramaine Isabell Jr. | 2 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Senior | Seatlle, WA | Transferred from Drexel. Graduate Transfer, eligible immediately |
| Dion Wiley | 4 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Oxon Hill, MD | Transferred from Maryland. Graduate Transfer, eligible immediately |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Carte'Are Gordon PF | St. Louis, MO | Webster Groves High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Aug 26, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Fred Thatch SG | Sikeston, MO | Sikeston High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jan 12, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Mickey Pearson SF | Elizabethtown, KY | John Hardin High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 14, 2017 - released June 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Demarius Jacobs SG | Chicago, IL | Hillcrest Prep Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Feb 25, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Ingvi Þór Guðmundsson SG | Grindavík, Iceland | Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 11, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| KC Hankton SF | Charlotte, NC | United Faith Christian Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | May 31, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: ||||||

## Preseason

At the Atlantic 10 Media Day, the Billikens was picked to win the Atlantic 10 in the league's annual preseason poll. Also, senior guard Javon Bess and sophomore guard Jordan Goodwin were named preseason second-team All-Conference, while sophomore forward Hasahn French was named to the third team. Bess landed on the league's preseason All-Defensive team as well.

## Roster

On January 3, 2019, after appearing in 13 games, Carte'Are Gordon was granted his release from his scholarship and left the team. After appearing in two games, Ingvi Þór Guðmundsson withdrew from school and left the team on January 21, 2019.
Source

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2018* 7:00 pm | | Quincy | W 85–42 | | 19 – Isabell Jr. | 9 – Gordon | 7 – Isabell Jr. | Chaifetz Arena St. Louis, MO |
| November 1, 2018* 7:00 pm | | UMSL | W 71–49 | | 19 – French | 11 – Goodwin | 4 – Tied | Chaifetz Arena St. Louis, MO |
| Non-conference Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSMW+ | | Southeast Missouri State | W 75–65 | 1–0 | 18 – Tied | 12 – French | 4 – French | Chaifetz Arena (6,028) St. Louis, MO |
| November 10, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSMW | | Troy Barclays Center Classic | W 62–58 | 2–0 | 16 – Isabell Jr. | 9 – Goodwin | 5 – Tied | Chaifetz Arena (6,523) St. Louis, MO |
| November 13, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSMW | | North Alabama Barclays Center Classic | W 69–58 | 3–0 | 16 – Bess | 10 – Bess | 5 – Foreman | Chaifetz Arena (4,972) St. Louis, MO |
| November 17, 2018* 7:00 pm, FS2 | | at Seton Hall | W 66–64 | 4–0 | 17 – Wiley | 13 – Bess | 3 – Goodwin | Prudential Center (7,854) Newark, NJ |
| November 21, 2018* 11:00 am, ACCN Extra | | vs. Pittsburgh Barclays Center Classic | L 73–75 | 4–1 | 16 – Goodwin | 10 – French | 4 – Goodwin | Barclays Center (355) Brooklyn, NY |
| November 24, 2018* 3:00 pm, FSMW | | Central Arkansas Barclays Center Classic | W 73–61 | 5–1 | 19 – Bess | 9 – Gordon | 6 – Goodwin | Chaifetz Arena (6,512) St. Louis, MO |
| December 1, 2018* 4:00 pm, FSMW | | Butler | W 64–52 | 6–1 | 18 – Bess | 8 – French | 3 – Tied | Chaifetz Arena (9,572) St. Louis, MO |
| December 5, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southern Illinois | L 56–61 | 6–2 | 13 – French | 15 – Bess | 6 – Bess | SIU Arena (5,021) Carbondale, IL |
| December 9, 2018* 2:30 pm, ESPNU | | Oregon State | W 65–61 | 7–2 | 24 – Bess | 6 – Foreman | 3 – French | Chaifetz Arena (6,853) St. Louis, MO |
| December 16, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 24 Houston | L 64–68 | 7–3 | 17 – Bess | 10 – Goodwin | 2 – Isabell Jr. | Fertitta Center (6,131) Houston, TX |
| December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSMW | | North Carolina Central | W 75–64 | 8–3 | 19 – Bess | 7 – French | 6 – Bess | Chaifetz Arena (6,678) St. Louis, MO |
| December 22, 2018* 1:30 pm, FS2/FSMW+ | | vs. No. 11 Florida State Orange Bowl Classic | L 59–81 | 8–4 | 16 – Bess | 9 – Goodwin | 4 – Goodwin | BB&T Center Sunrise, FL |
| December 30, 2018* 2:00 pm, FSMW | | Appalachian State | W 83–55 | 9–4 | 20 – Bess | 12 – French | 6 – Isabell Jr. | Chaifetz Arena (7,143) St. Louis, MO |
| A-10 Regular Season |||||||||
| January 6, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | Rhode Island | W 60–53 | 10–4 (1–0) | 24 – Bess | 11 – French | 5 – Isabell Jr. | Chaifetz Arena (7,356) St. Louis, MO |
| January 9, 2019 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | Massachusetts | W 65–62 | 11–4 (2–0) | 25 – French | 7 – Isabell Jr. | 7 – Isabell Jr. | Chaifetz Arena (6,325) St. Louis, MO |
| January 12, 2019 5:00 pm, NBCSN | | at La Salle | W 71–64 | 12–4 (3–0) | 12 – Tied | 10 – French | 6 – Goodwin | Tom Gola Arena (1,821) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 15, 2019 6:00 pm | | at Fordham | W 63–60 | 13–4 (4–0) | 20 – Goodwin | 11 – Bess | 6 – Goodwin | Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,778) Bronx, NY |
| January 18, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Saint Joseph's | W 68–57 | 14–4 (5–0) | 20 – Tied | 11 – French | 8 – Isabell Jr. | Chaifetz Arena (7,852) St. Louis, MO |
| January 23, 2019 7:00 pm | | at Duquesne | L 73–77 | 14–5 (5–1) | 24 – Bess | 12 – Goodwin | 12 – Goodwin | Palumbo Center (3,011) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 26, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | Davidson | L 53–54 | 14–6 (5–2) | 12 – Tied | 12 – French | 6 – Goodwin | Chaifetz Arena (9,358) St. Louis, MO |
| January 30, 2019 6:00 pm, FSMW | | Richmond | L 81–84 | 14–7 (5–3) | 31 – Bess | 12 – French | 6 – Isabell Jr. | Chaifetz Arena (4,597) St. Louis, MO |
| February 2, 2019 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Rhode Island | L 54–65 | 14–8 (5–4) | 17 – Goodwin | 10 – French | 3 – Bess | Ryan Center (6,129) Kingston, RI |
| February 5, 2019 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | Dayton | W 73–60 | 15–8 (6–4) | 18 – Foreman | 9 – Foreman | 5 – Goodwin | Chaifetz Arena (6,311) St. Louis, MO |
| February 8, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Saint Joseph's | L 61–91 | 15–9 (6–5) | 17 – Isabell Jr. | 8 – Goodwin | 4 – Isabell Jr. | Hagan Arena (2,784) Philadelphia, PA |
| February 13, 2019 5:30 pm, CBSSN | | at George Washington | W 73–58 | 16–9 (7–5) | 26 – Bess | 13 – French | 9 – Goodwin | Charles E. Smith Center (2,012) Washington, D.C. |
| February 16, 2019 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | La Salle | W 62–49 | 17–9 (8–5) | 23 – Isabell Jr. | 11 – French | 5 – Goodwin | Chaifetz Arena (7,531) St. Louis, MO |
| February 23, 2019 5:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Dayton | L 62–70 | 17–10 (8–6) | 23 – Isabell Jr. | 12 – Bess | 7 – Isabell Jr. | UD Arena (13,137) Dayton, OH |
| February 26, 2019 6:30 pm, CBSSN | | at VCU | L 65–71 | 17–11 (8–7) | 16 – French | 9 – Goodwin | 4 – Isabell Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| March 2, 2019 2:00 pm, NBCSN | | George Mason | W 81–71 | 18–11 (9–7) | 24 – Goodwin | 8 – Goodwin | 5 – Goodwin | Chaifetz Arena (6,814) St. Louis, MO |
| March 6, 2019 7:00 pm, FSMW | | Duquesne | W 85–75 | 19–11 (10–7) | 39 – Isabell | 11 – French | 7 – Goodwin | Chaifetz Arena (6,711) St. Louis, MO |
| March 9, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at St. Bonaventure | L 57–66 | 19–12 (10–8) | 20 – Stockard | 6 – Osunniyi | 7 – Stockard | Reilly Center (4,819) Olean, NY |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 7:30 pm, NBCSN | (6) | vs. (11) Richmond Second Round | W 71–68 | 20–12 | 22 – French | 12 – French | 5 – Isabell Jr. | Barclays Center (5,968) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 15, 2019 7:30 pm, NBCSN | (6) | vs. (3) Dayton Quarterfinals | W 64–55 | 21–12 | 24 – Isabell Jr. | 9 – Goodwin | 6 – Isabell Jr. | Barclays Center (6,857) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 16, 2019 2:30 pm, CBSSN | (6) | vs. (2) Davidson Semifinals | W 67–44 | 22–12 | 24 – Bess | 11 – Foreman | 8 – Isabell Jr. | Barclays Center (8,133) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 17, 2019 12:00 pm, CBS | (6) | vs. (4) St. Bonaventure Championship | W 55–53 | 23–12 | 16 – Goodwin | 14 – Goodwin | 5 – Isabell Jr. | Barclays Center (8,371) Brooklyn, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2019* 8:57 pm, truTV | (13 E) | vs. (4 E) No. 16 Virginia Tech First Round | L 52–66 | 23–13 | 14 – Bess | 11 – Bess | 3 – French | SAP Center (12,824) San Jose, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source