After proudly watching his team run through Georgia, Josh Schertz knows what Saint Louis is up against as a heavyweight battle with Michigan looms. Regardless, the second-year head coach is not ready for his first March Madness run to end.

The Billikins ran through Georgia in the first round to set themselves up against one-seeded Michigan, which beat Howard in the previous game. Immediately after his team's first-round win, Schertz praised the Wolverines as the “best team in the country” while acknowledging that Saint Louis still has the ability to beat them once.

“They are, in my opinion, the best team in the country,” Schertz said, via Frank Cusumano of KSDK News. “They have elite players [and] an elite coach. I think they're the favorites to win the national championship, but it's a one-game deal. We just gotta beat them once, we don't gotta beat them four. We'll do everything we can to prepare as well as we can. We know what we're up against and how good they are. We'll have to play our best game of the season to give ourselves a chance. We'll have to find a level even higher than tonight to give ourselves a chance on Saturday, but that's what we plan on doing.”

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Saint Louis ended the regular season on a low note, going just 4-4 in its last eight games, including a disappointing loss to Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. But following its 25-point rout of Georgia in the Round of 64, the Billikens appear to have everything back in order.

Yet, Michigan will certainly be Saint Louis' biggest challenge of the 2025-2026 college basketball season, literally and figuratively. Schertz's team thrives on scoring in the paint, where the Wolverines are elite at defending, led by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Aday Mara.