ST. LOUIS (AP) The swatch of blue hair and Batman stud earrings call attention to Saint Louis sixth man and free spirit Cody Ellis, the Australian import who's also the team's top 3-point threat.
A return to form in the regular-season finale Saturday for Ellis greatly increases the odds for a school that's one win away from its first conference title in more than 40 years.
Ellis was 0 for 15 in an overtime loss Wednesday at Xavier, 11 of the misses from 3-point range. And with his parents right behind the bench after making the arduous, 40-hour globe-hopping trip to see the 6-foot-8 senior off in style, too.
"I'm just going to try to get it out of my head," Ellis said. "Probably next game, the law of averages says I should knock a couple down, eh?"
Ellis has made three or more 3-pointers nine times this season, including six at Fordham to tie his career best. He leads the team with 52 3-pointers and reasoned, "I've just got to stay confident."
Interim coach Jim Crews' advice at Xavier was simple: Fire away.
"I told him probably three times in the game to keep shooting," Crews said. "You're not going to pinch-hit for Pujols or Mantle or Musial or someone who's good, are you? If he's open, I want him shooting it."
Crews has kept the program built by the late Rick Majerus humming with the 16th-ranked Billikens (23-6, 12-3 Atlantic 10) tied for first place in the conference heading into the finale against La Salle (21-7, 11-4), which also has a title shot.
Saint Louis last earned at least a share of a conference regular season title in 1970-71, in the Missouri Valley. The last outright title was in 1956-57.
To accomplish that, the Billikens need a win coupled with a VCU loss against Temple.
Crews won four conference championships at Indiana as a player, including the Hoosiers' unbeaten season in 1976, but coaching has been a reality check. In 24 years at Evansville and Army, he produced four NCAA tournament teams.
"I'd say the majority of players go through college without a championship," Crews said. "This league has 16 teams and that body of work, you've got to earn it."
The opponent is no pushover. La Salle, which has won seven of eight, needs a win on Saturday and a VCU loss against Temple to take the championship.
La Salle has beaten two Top 25 teams and is 2-0 at Saint Louis' Chaifetz Center.
"It's a big game for La Salle, it's a big game for us," Crews said. "It would really be neat and cool for these kids, all the things they've been through, to win a championship."
That Saint Louis is NCAA tournament-bound for the second straight season after ending a 12-year drought last year is a given.
"When I first got here we were on the bottom of the league," senior reserve forward Cory Remekun said. "Now we're fighting for a championship. It's crazy to see how much we've improved."
The Xavier loss ended an 11-game winning streak for Saint Louis, which has had a season of high notes with one of the stingiest defenses in the country and a balanced attack with six players averaging seven or more points.
"Some of the guys I've played with have gone through a lot," said senior guard Kwamain Mitchell, who was suspended for a semester in 2010 and returned as a calming presence on the court. "I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it and I'm going to leave everything on the court."
The three seniors plus Femi John, who had a career-ending knee injury a few seasons ago, will be honored after the game.
"It is emotional, should be emotional," Crews said. "Personally, I've always had a hard time with senior day. It's hard on the coaches, too."
Saint Louis (23-6, 12-3 A-10) looks to clinch a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title Saturday when it hosts La Salle at Chaifetz Arena. Game time is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
Following the game, seniors Cody Ellis, Kwamain Mitchell and Cory Remekun will be recognized. In addition, Femi John will be recognized. John played for the Billikens in 2009-10 before suffering a career-ending injury. He has remained a valued asset to the program and is seen on the bench at all Billiken home games.
• Saint Louis constructed a late rally to send the game into overtime, but fell 77-66 in overtime Wednesday at Xavier.
• The loss snapped the Billikens' 11-game winning streak, which was tied for the seventh-longest active streak in the country.
• SLU trailed by six with 1:11 remaining in regulation before the Billikens finished regulation on a 8-2 rally, capped by a Jordair Jett tip-in with time winding down to send it into overtime.
• Kwamain Mitchell led the Billikens with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Dwayne Evans registered 16 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. Mike McCall Jr. and Jordair Jett also scored in double figures. Cody Ellis had a tough shooting night, going 0-for-15 from the field including 0-for-11 from 3-point range.
• With a win today, the Billikens can clinch at least a share of the A-10 regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in next week's A-10 Championship in Brooklyn, N.Y. A win and a VCU loss tomorrow at Temple would give the Billikens the A-10 regular-season crown outright. SLU has already clinched a first-round bye in the A-10 Championship and begins play Friday, March 15, at a time to be determined.
• La Salle, which has already clinched a first-round bye in the A-10 Championship, can capture the No. 1 seed with a win Saturday and a VCU loss on Sunday.
• Immediately following today's game, SLU will honor four seniors as part of its Senior Day celebration: Femi John, Cody Ellis, Kwamain Mitchell and Cory Remekun.
• SLU is ranked No. 15 the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the AP Top 25. The Billikens are ranked in consecutive weeks for the first time since the 1993-94 season.
• The Billikens saw their 11-game winning streak snapped Wednesday in a 77-66 overtime loss at Xavier. Senior guard Kwamain Mitchell led three Billikens in double figures with 17 points.
• The Billikens lead the A-10 in scoring defense, yielding 58.5 ppg.
• Saint Louis features a balanced scoring attack, with six players averaging 7.0 points or more per game. Three players score in double figures.
• Junior forward Dwayne Evans, the reigning A-10 Player of the Week, leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg).
• Senior forward Cody Ellis averages 10.3 ppg. Earlier this year, he became the 27th member of the Billikens' 1,000-point club.
• Junior guard Mike McCall Jr. scores 10.1 ppg and leads the team with 39 steals.
• Junior guard Jordair Jett scores 9.9 ppg, which includes 10.9 ppg in A-10 play, and leads the team with 97 assists.
• In A-10 play, senior guard Kwamain Mitchell is third on the squad with 10.2 ppg.
• Up next for the Billikens is the A-10 Championship at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• A win Saturday against La Salle would ensure the Billikens at least a share of the A-10 regular season title. A SLU win and a VCU loss (at Temple on Sunday) would give the Billikens the outright regular season crown.
• The last time the Billikens earned at least a share of a conference regular season title was in 1970-71, when SLU tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• SLU's last outright regular-season conference title was in 1956-57 in the Missouri Valley Conference. In all, the Billikens have won five regular-season conference titles (3 outright, two shared).
• La Salle University enters Saturday's game 21-7 overall and 11-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
• The Explorers have clinched a first-round bye in next week's A-10 Championship.
• La Salle is coming off an 84-70 win over George Washington Wednesday. Senior guard Ramon Galloway pumped in 29 points to lead the Explorers, who shot 60.9 percent from the field.
• La Salle has won 20 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1988-89 (26-6) and 1989-90 (30-2). La Salle won 20 games in 27 tries, the fastest by an Explorer team since the 1989-90 team won 20 games in 21 games.
• Senior guard Ramon Galloway leads four Explorers in double figures with 17.8 ppg, which is second in the A-10. Galloway also leads the team in assists and steals. Junior guard Tyreek Duren averages 15.0 ppg and is second to Galloway in assists and steals. Junior guard Tyrone Garland contributes 12.6 ppg. Sophomore forward Jerrell Wright scores 10.4 ppg and pulls down a team-leading 6.6 rpg.
• La Salle is in the top 30 nationally and second in the A-10 in free-throw percentage, connecting on 384-of-511 (.751) chances from the charity stripe.
• Dr. John Giannini is in his ninth season as head coach at La Salle, where he is 140-135. He is 437-284 in 24 seasons overall. He won an NCAA Division III national championship and Rowan in 1996 and is Maine's all-time winningest coach. He holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois.
• Saint Louis leads 9-6 in a series that dates to the 1950s. SLU holds a 6-3 series lead in A-10 play. Last season, the Billikens topped the Explorers 59-51 in Philadelphia during the regular season, then again by a score of 78-71 in Atlantic City in the A-10 Championship quarterfinals.
On Aug. 24, 2012, it was announced that SLU head coach Rick Majerus would take a leave of absence. Jim Crews was named interim head coach for the 2012-13 season. Crews, an assistant under Majerus last season, has 24 years of additional experience as head coach at Army (seven seasons) and Evansville (17 seasons). He played and coached at Indiana under Bob Knight, winning national championships as a player (1976) and assistant coach (1981). His 25-year coaching record stands at 377-354.
