The difference between finishing in fourth place and getting a double bye in the Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament last season and coming in fifth place may well have been the composition of SLU’s conference schedule.

SLU had to play four of the top five teams in the league twice last season, giving it the toughest conference strength of schedule in the league, and having to play VCU or Dayton twice rather than Richmond or Rhode Island a second time may have made the difference between finishing 11-7 and being in a tie for fifth place and finishing 12-6 and being in a tie for fourth. The top two teams in the league, Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason, had in-conference schedule strengths that ranked 12th and 15th, according to kenpom.com .

SLU will have that challenge again this season. The league announced its conference schedule home and road template Tuesday, and SLU will face VCU, Dayton, Loyola of Chicago, Duquesne and La Salle both home and away in Atlantic 10 play next season. Those teams finished, in order, first, third, fourth, ninth and 13th in the A-10 standings last season.

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In addition to those schools, SLU will face Fordham, George Washington, Richmond and St. Joseph's at Chaifetz Arena. SLU will play Davidson, George Mason, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure on the road.

With the departure of Massachusetts, dropping the number of teams in the league from 15 to 14, teams will now play five teams both home and road compared to four teams last season. In 2024-25, SLU played VCU, Dayton, Loyola and St. Joseph's twice.

The SLU women’s team will face Davidson (third place last season), Dayton (fifth), Duquesne (eighth), Fordham (ninth) and Loyola (12th) twice. The SLU women came in 10th in the Atlantic 10 last season. The women’s team will face Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph’s and VCU at home and George Mason, George Washington, La Salle and Rhode Island on the road.

Josh Schertz begins his first season as St. Louis University men's basketball coach in 2024-25.