By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The rest of the Atlantic 10 has as much right to be upset about Yuri Collins’s Cousy Award watch list snub as Collins himself.
Saint Louis’s point guard leads the nation in assists per game and has led the Billikens to a 17-6 record without star backcourt mate Javonte Perkins, who tore his ACL in October. Collins was not included on the 10-person midseason watch list for the country’s top point guard award, however, despite owning comparable scoring and defensive numbers to the top candidates.
Collins has dominated in the three games since the list was released, averaging 19.7 points, nine assists and six rebounds. The Billikens won each of those games, including a double-overtime victory at George Mason and an emotional rivalry triumph over Dayton, to extend their league-best winning streak to six games.
SLU has now overtaken the league-leading Davidson Wildcats in the NCAA NET (No. 49) and KenPom (No. 48) metrics. The Billikens have elevated their NCAA Tournament profile over the last two weeks, due in large part to Collins’s command of the conference’s top scoring offense. They have recorded at least 70 points in seven consecutive contests and the junior has either scored or assisted on 103 of the 209 field goals (49.2 percent) during that span.
A flashy passer who often finds his teammates for high-percentage looks from the opposite paint area, Collins is priority No. 1 on the Bonnies’ gameplan for the next four days. Bona first travels to St. Louis for its third ESPN2 Friday Night Showcase matchup in four weeks (tip scheduled for 9 Eastern Time), then hosts the Billikens to complete a home-and-home on Monday evening.
“Collins is really good in pushing the ball and hitting the open man, getting into the paint and making that extra pass,” Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt assessed. “He’s playing extremely well and when he hits those guys, especially (Gibson) Jimerson, it’s usually a basket.
“They’ve got good players around him, but it’s important to build up walls around him and try to force a 5-on-5 game, try to limit the amount of fast break points and open court baskets that they get.”
Jimerson may claim the league’s Most Improved Player honor after scoring nearly 10 more points a night and shooting 48.4 percent from 3-point range during league play. Few have amassed a greater two games this year than Jimerson did against UMass and George Washington on Jan. 23 and 26, when he tallied 59 points and made 13 of his 21 3-point attempts as the Billikens won by 31 and 13 points, respectively.
Count Memphis transfer Jordan Nesbitt, who made a pair of 3-pointers against George Mason, and junior forward Terrence Hargrove, who has converted at least 3-point attempt over the last three games, as SLU’s other top perimeter threats. Bona’s last two opponents combined to make just 13 of their 55 3-point tries, a trend the Bonnies hope continues; the Billikens made 11 3s in their win over Bona at Chaifetz Arena last year.
“We’ve gotta be physical,” Schmidt commented. “That’s their game and that’s our game, and the team that’s more physical, that plays the best, is gonna win.”
Saint Louis won the lone regular season meeting in 2021, but St. Bonaventure secured that season’s more important victory: a 71-53 rout in the A-10 Tournament semifinal. Collins is the only Billiken who started that game that is still on the active roster, but coach Travis Ford’s offense has maintained an elite offense that is currently 47th nationally on KenPom.com after finishing 50th in 2020-21.
“Those guys in the program that are good programs, they get better,” Schmidt acknowledged. “Collins and Jimerson have really improved their games, but they’re playing the same way. … One of the reasons why they’re having success is one, they have good players and two, they’re playing really hard. They’re executing.”
The Bonnies executed better against Fordham on Tuesday than they performed last Friday at Richmond, with three of their five starters compiling a greater offensive rating in the win.
Saint Louis isn’t the only team in this meeting with a chip on its shoulder, either. St. Bonaventure’s social media accounts captured Jaren Holmes telling the fans who did not attend Tuesday’s game (the listed paid attendance declined by 381 ticket holders from last Tuesday to this one) to “keep that same energy.”
Defeating the hottest team in the conference is one method to regain some fans.
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