The Bears left the weekend with a 6-0 record, bolstering their nationally-ranked pedigree. But they struggled in games for the first time this season, unable to put teams away, particularly against Rhodes. Whether or not this persists remains to be seen, but WashU’s identity seems to be taking form.

Hosts Rishi Chiniga and Elias Kokinos turn up the heat as they sit down with WashU’s head men’s basketball coach, Pat Juckem.

After finishing last season with an NCAA Division III Sweet 16 loss to Trine University, WashU opened the 2024-2025 season with a decisive 75-53 win at home against Rhodes College. 

After his game-winning shots, Oliff sat down with Student Life to discuss that high-pressure situation, his adjustment to college basketball, his experience as a Jewish college athlete, and his interests off the court.

After making the flight from Atlanta to upstate New York, the Bears showed up ready to play on Sunday, Feb. 11. From the opening tipoff to the final whistle, the Bears put on a clinic, riding a 15-0 start, a rebounding performance for the history books, and lockdown defense to a 75-61 victory. 

The sharpshooting junior sat down with Student Life to talk about his locked-in summer, learning from older players like Jack Nolan, and advice he would give to the Student Life basketball team as they search for rec league glory.

Sunday’s win against a UAA-leading Case Western squad, along with a win Friday night against the gritty Carnegie Mellon University Tartans, capped off a season-defining weekend for the Bears.

“We want a student athlete [who’s] here 20 years from now, 30 years from now, 50 years from now, we want to be very clear to them how unique and powerful this story and this young man was.”

Coming off an OT thriller against the University of Rochester where the Bears barely escaped with a win, it seemed now that the engine pushing their late-game heroics had run out of fuel as WashU headed East for a two game trip against the New York University Violets and Brandeis University Judges.

In this week’s Athlete of the Week feature, Senior Sports Editor Josh Shapiro talks with Kevin Davet, a sophomore center on the men’s basketball team.