Commute: The SLU vs. Mizzou matchup just got more interesting

The Morning Commute for Friday, November 6th, 2026.

Cream Abdul-Jabbar. Larry Blurred. Milk Chamberlain. The many nicknames of the fan favorite throughout college hoops.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 06: Robbie Avila #67 of the Los Angeles Lakers is guarded by Tarris Reed Jr. #10 of the San Antonio Spurs in the first quarter at Chase Center on July 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) Getty Images Here’s more from Mid-Major Madness:

Robbie Avila has been granted an injunction for a fifth year of eligibility by St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser. The injunction, placed on Thursday, also prohibits the NCAA from enforcing its enshrined roster limits to keep Avila, the 2026 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, from playing for Saint Louis University.

Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz told Mid-Major Madness in the wake of the injunction that Avila “will be dressing and available for sure” for Saint Louis’ matchup with in-state rival Missouri on Friday night at the Enterprise Center.

Avila’s situation is almost identical to Mark Mitchell’s. He played four seasons in four years, and was seeking a court allowance to rejoin the Billikens roster. Like Mitchell, he also played in the NBA Summer League, but never signed a contract with an NBA club. And like Mitchell, he was the best player on an NCAA Tournament team last season.

Both Josh Schertz and Dennis Gates built their teams thinking they would not have either Avila or Mitchell, but given the chance to run it back with your best guy from a year ago, and a more seasoned and talented roster, it’s hard to turn down. If anything, it makes tonights game more intriguing.

Avila is a terrific shooter and adept passer, but he’s slow footed and not very athletic. His basketball IQ is excellent, so you shouldn’t underestimate him. Just put him in enough situations where he has to defend quicker and more athletic guys, and attack the rim. Simple, right?

It was a quiet day yesterday. There was no game action, but today things start to heat up. Games today: Mizzou Tennis is playing in the June Stewart Invite in Nashville to close out the fall schedule. Mizzou Basketball, both Men and Women play tonight. The men are in St. Louis to take on SLU, the women travel to Little Rock to play UALR. Both games tip at 7pm. Also at 7, Volleyball takes on Texas at Hearnes.

The race for the CFP responded to the first rankings being released, so Sammy’s updated post is a response to those rankings: With the Irish ranked No. 11 in the first CFP rankings, the selection committee clearly isn’t impressed with the lack of quality wins. Notre Dame has a statement opportunity on Saturday night vs Miami (FL) — as ND is 7.5-point favorites in South Bend.

Notre Dame is definitely one of the more curious teams to watch. They’re really good, but the loss to BYU exposed their lack of quality on the schedule. They’ll have a big chance up against Miami this weekend but if they don’t win it’s hard seeing a path to the playoff. Another reason why they need to join a real league.

Best Bets? (is anyone keeping track of Nathan’s record ATS?) More like Beamer Believer! I think it truly is a sign of the apocalypse, but I’m picking a Shane Beamer team for two weeks in a row! The Gamecocks have been the hottest team in the country since their overtime loss to Kentucky and I’m not sure the lackluster Aggies will do anything to slow them down in Columbia East this week. If South Carolina can put up 40+ points against the Oklahoma defense in Norman despite four turnovers, I think they’ll score more than enough to beat the Aggies by a touchdown at home, because lord knows Texas A&M isn’t going to score a whole lot.

It’s hard to believe that much in the Gamecocks, but some of their losses have aged really well!

Risers & Fallers of the week? Jaden likes what he’s seen from Damarion Fowlkes: On Monday, we observed how Mizzou incorporated Fowlkes more in the offense and how it helped spark more creativity in the team’s rushing attack. While he didn’t record a reception, Fowlkes rushed the ball 3 times for 18 yards, while being targeted twice by Simmons.

But the past three games have seen an increased usage by the sophomore. Between weeks 2-5, Fowlkes saw just 5.8 snaps per game offensively. Over the past three weeks, that number has leaped to 18 per game. While the receiving statistics haven’t been there, there’s been an effort to involve him more in the offense.

We already know he’s a dangerous returner on special teams, scoring once already, but his increased role on offense is a positive development.

I like a versatile player like Fowlkes.

Colin noticed a trend in the lack of sacks from the defensive line: Mizzou’s defense made it look relatively easy to get to the quarterback through the first half of the season. Over the past two weeks, however, the Tigers have struggled to generate the same pressure, giving the Texas offense an opportunity to exploit its pass-protection vulnerabilities.

After 18 sacks through the first six games, Mizzou has managed just one over its last two contests. The Tigers have also totaled just three tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries during that stretch.

It might have something to do with playing more mobile quarterbacks the last three weeks. Coming up they’ll face Arch Manning, who is good using his legs, but has a tendency to wait and hold the ball in the pocket.

Rock M+ has the goods , Matthew Harris reviewed the lineups for the Cleveland State game ($), and came away with some takeaways: Take a gander at the substitution pattern. Aside from the steadily expanding lead, what do you see? Gates largely kept the doors to the crash lab locked until the final five minutes. Rowe and Randall made brief appearances late in the first half, but throughout the second, Gates cycled through lineups that could credibly receive run in games that truly matter — like the one against the Billikens.

He also has the SLU lookahead up early, for an in depth preview of tonight’s opponent. The discussion has picked up, mostly around Robbie Avila’s ability to play in the game.

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Commute: The SLU vs. Mizzou matchup just got more interesting

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