Saint Louis Billikens

The Saint Louis Billikens carry one of college basketball's most distinctive identities, named after a good-luck charm mascot with a permanent grin, and play their home games at the modern Chaifetz Arena. Billikens basketball has been a fixture in St. Louis sports culture for over a century, giving the program deep local roots even as conference affiliations have shifted over the decades. The team is known for disciplined, defensive basketball that has kept it competitive in the Atlantic 10. It's a program with a long, if quiet, history of NCAA tournament appearances.

Saint Louis basketball began competing in 1914-15 and has made 11 NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight in just its first trip in 1952 under coach Ed Hickey. The Billikens have also reached the NIT championship game four times, winning the title in 1948. Saint Louis has never won an NCAA national championship, but its century-plus of continuous Division I play makes it one of the more historic programs in the Atlantic 10. The Billikens returned to the NCAA tournament as recently as 2026.