St. Louis U. returns home Friday after a two-game homestand in which the Billikens snapped a losing streak then lost in the closing seconds.
St. Louis U. (9-15, 2-9 Atlantic 10) plays four of its final seven regular-season games at home, starting with Friday's ESPN2-televised game vs. VCU.
The Rams routed the Billikens in their earlier meeting. SLU had one of its worst offensive outputs of the season in that game with an effective field goal percentage of just 39.3.
Avoiding a repeat could be difficult, as VCU boasts one of the league's best defenses.
St. Louis U. is led by Sincere Parker (15.8 points per game), Gibson Jimerson (14.2), Terrence Hargrove Jr. (12.6) and Bradley Ezewiro (12.6).
Parker has scored career highs in each of his last two games, 33 last Wednesday vs. La Salle then 34 Saturday vs. St. Joseph's.
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VCU (16-8, 8-3) is coming off a 49-47 win over No. 18 Dayton.
Max Shulga (14.5 points per game) leads the Rams in scoring, followed by Joe Bamisile (12.2), Zeb Jackson (11.6) and Sean Bairstow (10.5).
All of the Rams' top four scorers are transfers, Shulga and Bairstow from Utah State, Jackson from Michigan and Bamisile from Oklahoma.
First-year VCU head coach Ryan Odom led Utah State for the previous three seasons. Before that, he helped author one of the NCAA Tournament's greatest upsets: 16-seed UMBC over top-seeded Virginia.
VCU has won five of its last six meetings vs. SLU and is 15-5 vs. the Billikens overall.
Here's how to watch St. Louis U. vs. VCU basketball:
St. Louis Billikens vs. VCU Rams TV, live stream and radio
Game time: 6 p.m. CST/7 p.m. EST Friday, February 16
Location: Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis
TV channel: ESPN2
Live stream: ESPN2
Radio: KMOX (1120 AM and 98.7 FM) in St. Louis and online via KMOX or through The Varsity Network.
Streaming apps: The Varsity Network app on the Apple Store or Google Play (free).
Storylines
A season-high 22 turnovers was too much for SLU to overcome at St. Joseph's.
SLU overcame defensive shortcomings with offense to win at La Salle.
An accumulation of issues led to SLU's sixth straight loss.
Travis Ford's eighth year here similar to at Oklahoma State.
Porous interior defense has killed the Billikens.
SLU's loss to Loyola, its fifth straight defeat, looked familiar.
This should be Travis Ford's final year, columnist Benjamin Hochman writes.
The Billikens fell into last place alone with a loss to UMass.
SLU digging itself a hole with inability to force turnovers.
Signs of stress continue to outscore optimism at SLU, columnist Ben Frederickson writes.
SLU players had an honest talk after their loss to Davidson.
Tim Dalger left the team, it was announced Monday, for a family matter.
Defensive deficiencies and poor offense doom SLU at VCU.
Gibson Jimerson wants to leave a legacy at SLU.
SLU led at half and stayed within striking distance but fell at No. 21 Dayton.
SLU reached full strength — or as close as it has been — Wednesday in a win over St. Joseph's.
Its 3-point defense has been a problem area for SLU.
Fouls, turnovers burned the Billikens vs. George Mason.
Coach Travis Ford questioned the Billikens' toughness in a league-opening loss to Loyola.
The Billikens hope to play a faster pace now that they've gotten healthier.
SLU basketball staffers have added coaching duties to their responsibilities.
Terrence Hargrove's late flurry saved SLU vs. Louisiana Tech.
Jayson Tatum's presence gave SLU extra motivation to beat Hofstra, Benjamin Hochman writes.
A more methodical approach keyed the Billikens' win over Hofstra.
Stef van Bussel is rounding into form after he had a rod inserted into his leg.
The Billikens are a strong 3-point shooting team, but more looks can be hard to find.
The Billikens are working on their interior scoring, in area in which they've struggled mightily.
SLU's Kellen Thames is gaining height as well as experience.
A look at the people born in the St. Louis area to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame