stu durando

The best way to get on the SLU basketball bandwagon is to subscribe to my Substack stuonslu.substack.com. Covering one school with emphasis on one program with no recent postseason success was a risk. The daily grind for 1 1/2 years is paying off with heavy traffic. #notretired

I went to support my college team at March madness yesterday great win for us they love me already (st Louis)

Sounds familiar.

Really cool moment tonight postgame after VCU upset UNC. VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. made a point to shoutout the student reporters that made the trip. Lots of great stuff this time of year, but this was a really awesome, genuine exchange.

I think he was kidding.

SLU asst Zak Boisvert said this Monday during chat on my Substack re: Georgia. “It’s hard for opponents to know what’s coming because we don’t know what’s coming because of the flow nature of what we do. Especially on 3-day prep, I don’t envy what their staff is doing today."

Michigan is a 12 1/2-point favorite against SLU on Saturday.

March Madness Day 1 by Category 🍀🍿

Basketball isn't the only thing Billikens excel at. ♟️ The SLU chess team will compete in the @USChess President's Cup, also known as the "Final Four of college chess," March 20-23! Freshman Aaryan Chopra shares how he became one of the world's youngest GMs and how he balances chess with his studies.

Georgia got beat so bad the official March madness account changed the seedings.

As a coach, I’ve been fortunate enough to go to multiple NCAA tournaments. I’ve prepared for games against the likes of Kansas and L’ville in Sweet 16’s. But nothing compares to getting ready to watch my son on this stage.

Kellen Thames emerged from the locker room late for the start of the 2nd half due to some cramping. He’s also been dealing with a cold that might have exacerbated the situation, Josh Schertz said. He was able to play 6 minutes in the 2nd half and finished with 11 points.

Josh Schertz has now had a player make 9 3s a day after getting stitches for a cut near his eye and 9 layups — that being Dion Brown — a day after a similar cut. “We’re going to start just cutting all our players’ eyes. Everybody is getting stitches before the Michigan game.”

SLU re-discovered its midseason execution to dismantle Georgia. Said guard Dion Brown, "It’s kind of refreshing to say, ‘Oh, we can still do this.’" Story at stuonslu.substack.com

Josh Schertz’s prep for SLU to face Michigan on Saturday started long ago. He has a file on his computer labeled “Michigan practice.” Thievery? He and friend Dusty May have been exchanging practice video for a while.

Saint Louis is the second team in NCAA Tournament history to put up 100+ points and win by 25 or more as a No. 9 seed or worse. The other was No. 11 seed Loyola Marymount in their 149-115 win over No. 3 seed Michigan in 1990.

SLU hammers Georgia 102-77 to set a school record for wins in a season with 29. It also set a program mark for most points and largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game.

SLU's run to open the 2nd half is now 18-0, all on layups and dunks. Georgia is extremely sloppy but the Billikens are taking advantage of everything. It's a 35-point lead and complete destruction.

Dion Brown starts the 2nd half the same way he started the game with three straights layups (actually also a dunk). Amari McCottry adds a putback and SLU leads 57-32.

SLU takes a 49-32 lead to halftime against Georgia. The Billikens shot 55%, making 17 of 22 layups and 3 of 15 3-pointers. Georgia is shooting 26%. Dion Brown leads the Billikens with 10 points.

The SLU layup count is now 14 and a 12-0 run has extended the lead to 37-18. SLU also outrebounding Georgia 24-9 with 7 offensive boards.