These teams head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for this opener. Saint Louis was 3-9 on the road last season and has a new head coach in Josh Schertz, who was previously at Indiana State. The new coach has to work on improving a defense that was last in the A-10 in points surrendered (78.7 per game) and in shooting allowed. Saint Louis is on a 4-11-1 spread run. Santa Clara won 20 games last year and is projected to be the third-best team in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll. Eight key rotation players return, led by First Team All-WCC senior guard Adama-Alpha Bal (14.4 ppg), plus they add 6-7 forward Elijah Mahi, the California Player of the Year. They ranked third in the WCC in field goal shooting allowed (.425) behind St. Mary's and Gonzaga, even beating the Zags, 77-76, as a +8 underdog. Play Santa Clara.
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