Updated

Rob Loe is accustomed to being the giant on the floor. The 6-foot-11 forward for Saint Louis will actually be looking up in the NCAA tournament opener against New Mexico State on Thursday.

The 13th-ranked Billikens are the No. 4 seed in the Midwest and have won 15 of 16. They encounter perhaps the NCAA's tallest front line when they take on 14th-seed New Mexico State and a front line that includes a 7-5 freshman and has piled up a school-record 186 blocked shots.

Loe, a junior from Auckland, New Zealand, represented his country in the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament and is among a trio of foreigners playing for Saint Louis (26-7). He's among five Billikens proficient from 3-point range, hitting three in a game twice this season and making a career-best five as a freshman against Georgia.