Mustangs to Play NCAA D1 St. Louis Billikens Tues. Aug. 23rd Alumni Hall 7pm

Press Release from St. Louis University Website Click Here

Men's Basketball to Play Five Games in Canada

Will face Windsor, Western Ontario and Carleton

June 14, 2011

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University men's basketball will head to Canada in August for five exhibition games in preparation for the 2011-12 season. The trip, which takes advantage of an NCAA guideline allowing a program to take a foreign trip once every four years, grants the Billikens additional practice and playing time before the fall semester and gives fans an early glimpse of this year's team.

In addition to the five exhibition games, the Billikens receive 10 full-squad practice days in St. Louis prior to departing for Canada. Check SLUBillikens.com at a later date for information on open practices and other fan-friendly events.

"We are certainly excited about the trip to Canada," SLU head coach Rick Majerus said. "A key benefit of the trip is that it provides us with an opportunity for 10 days of practice. We're excited to be able to work with our players, and we feel confident that each and every one of them can become significantly better during that practice time by virtue of the individual attention we will be able to devote to them."

The first of the five exhibition games takes place Monday, Aug. 22, in Windsor, Ontario, located just across the border from Detroit, Mich. SLU faces the University of Windsor at 6 p.m. (CT) at the 2,500-seat St. Denis Centre on Windsor's campus.

SLU then heads east to London, Ontario, where it faces the University of Western Ontario Tuesday, Aug. 23. Game time at Alumni Hall is slated for 6 p.m. (CT).

Next, the Billikens head east through Ontario to Ottawa for three games against Carleton University Aug. 25-27. Those games will be played on campus as well, with times and ticket information to come.

"We will be competing against the Duke of Canadian basketball, Carleton University," Majerus said. "We are also going to face the University of Windsor and the University of Western Ontario, two teams the University of Kentucky played last year on its Canadian trip. All three teams are extraordinarily coached by Chris Oliver (Carleton), Dave Smart (Windsor) and Brad Campbell (Western Ontario). 

"This is a great springboard into next season," Majerus continued. "We are so excited because right now we anticipate that 13 scholarship players will make the trip to Canada. It will be an educational and cultural endeavor. The Saint Louis Billikens are the beneficiaries of what figures to be a wonderful experience in life and on the court."

The Billikens return all five starters and all but two letterwinners from last year's squad. Sophomore guard Mike McCall led the team in scoring as a freshman last year, pumping in 10.4 ppg while also dishing out 93 assists. Senior forward Brian Conklin was second on the squad in scoring (8.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.3 rpg). Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie forward Dwayne Evans hauled in a team-best 6.5 rpg.

SLU also welcomes back junior guard Kwamain Mitchell, who redshirted a year ago. In 2009-10, Mitchell collected second-team All-Conference plaudits after tallying 15.9 ppg. Incoming freshman center John Manning and redshirt sophomore guard Jake Barnett, who sat out last season after transferring from Toledo, will be eligible to suit up for the Billikens in Canada.

Ticket information for the 2011-12 season can be obtained by visiting SLUBillikens.com or calling the Billiken Ticket Office at (314) 977-4SLU

Canadian Exhibition Tour
Monday, Aug. 22 vs. University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario)
Tuesday, Aug. 23 vs. University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario)
Thursday, Aug. 25 vs. Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario)
Friday, Aug. 26 vs. Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario)
Saturday, Aug. 27 vs. Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario)