Saint Louis basketball had not lost since Black Friday. Rhode Island just lost to Fordham at home and had not beaten a ranked team since Dan Hurley was stomping on the sidelines. History and logic was on the Billikens' side, until it wasn't. The Rams overcame impressive showings by Robbie Avila and Dion Brown and picked up a big 81-76 upset win in the Ryan Center on Tuesday night. The visitors, who were ranked No. 18 entering this Atlantic-10 matchup, could drop rather significantly after this loss.

Saint Louis can probably afford one bad game, which is not something the undefeated Miami (OH) RedHawks can claim, but this outcome is a rude awakening to the team and its fans. Rhode Island is ranked 111th in the KenPom rankings, 85 spots below the Billikens. If this squad was going to slip up, most assumed it would have done so against VCU, Dayton or George Mason, all of whom reside in the top-five in the A-10 standings.

Those upcoming games suddenly feel much bigger now. Saint Louis picked a bad time to stumble. Josh Schertz's squad failed to protect the 3-point line, allowing the Rams to shoot a scorching 41 percent from deep. The Billikens were also sloppy on offense, committing 18 turnovers that resulted in 28 points. Avila and Brown combined for 40 points and five steals, but their opponent had a thunderous response.

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Rhode Island guard Jonah Hinton exploded in Kingston, dropping 29 points and drilling nine 3-pointers. He helped deliver this embattled fan base a desperately needed celebration.

Conversely, Saint Louis basketball (24-2, 12-1) will be sporting a scowl as its departs The Ocean State. Since the schedule is due to intensify in the final stretch of the regular season, a momentous run could devolve into disappointment. It is a good thing hypotheticals can be rendered meaningless on the court. The Billikens will try to learn from this stinging defeat and regain momentum, but they must do so pronto.

A huge Friday night home game versus VCU (21-6, 12-2) will determine who is in first place to begin the new week.