Before Saint Louis played a single minute of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, its mascot jumped through a folding table at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The stunt was a deliberate nod to Bills Mafia, the famously passionate fan base of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, who have made table-jumping a signature pregame ritual. The video spread quickly across social media. Then the Billikens went out and made the moment feel earned.
Saint Louis dismantled eighth-seeded Georgia 102-77 on Thursday, leading by as many as 40 points in a performance that set three program records for an NCAA Tournament game. The Billikens scored 102 points, made 42 field goals and won by a margin of 25, all firsts in program history for a tournament contest.
Now they face a considerably steeper challenge. Ninth-seeded Saint Louis meets top-seeded Michigan Today at 12:10 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center, with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line. It would be the program’s first appearance in the regional semifinals since 1957.
Dion Brown and a balanced attack powered the blowout
Senior guard Dion Brown led Saint Louis with 18 points in the first-round win. Amari McCottry added 13, while Robbie Avila and Ishan Sharma each contributed 12. The Billikens led Georgia from start to finish in a performance that left little doubt about the outcome.
The win ended a 12-year drought in the tournament for Saint Louis, which had not won a first-round game since 2014. The Billikens earned a ninth seed out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, a league that does not regularly produce matchups against Big Ten programs of Michigan’s standing.
Saint Louis’ best wins during the regular season came against fellow Atlantic 10 member VCU, which the Billikens defeated twice. VCU, a No. 11 seed, also advanced Thursday with an 82-78 win over North Carolina, giving the conference two teams in the second round.
Michigan enters as the Midwest Region’s top seed
The Michigan Wolverines handled Howard 101-80 in their first-round game, with center Morez Johnson Jr. finishing with 21 points on perfect shooting from the field to go along with 10 rebounds. Aday Mara added 19 points and Nimbi Burnett contributed 15, connecting on three of four attempts from three-point range.
Michigan presents a level of talent Saint Louis has not encountered this season. The Wolverines are the top seed in the Midwest Region and a program with the depth and size to create problems for an Atlantic 10 team in a second-round environment. The Billikens will need to replicate the offensive efficiency they showed against Georgia while finding ways to slow a frontcourt that dominated a first-round opponent.
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A mascot with a century of history behind it
The Billiken itself carries a story worth knowing. The mythical figure was created in 1908 by Florence Pretz, a Missouri art teacher who patented her design while working in Kansas City. The name is believed to have come from a poem by Bliss Carman. The figure, which represents things as they ought to be, became a national novelty in the early 1900s, appearing on dolls, candies and belt buckles.
The connection to Saint Louis University came through a series of overlapping legends. One traces the nickname to John Bender, a law student and football coach whose resemblance to the good-luck figure inspired a local caricature. A sportswriter who witnessed the moment first used the name in print, and it eventually spread to all of the university’s athletic programs.
Outside the team’s home arena, Chaifetz Arena, a golden statue of the Billiken stands as a fixture for fans and students seeking good luck before games and exams. In Buffalo this weekend, its table-jumping counterpart seems to have done the same.
