Loyola at Michigan State

12/15/2002

• Michigan State Notes

Loyola (4-3) at #21 Michigan State (5-2)
Dec. 17, 2002 - East Lansing, Mich.
7:00 pm EST - WYLL (1160 AM)

Tonight's Game: Fresh off of a sub-par effort in a 75-57 loss to Belmont, Loyola looks to regroup tonight, but its task is a difficult one, as the Ramblers travel to No. 21 Michigan State. In the midst of a six-game road swing, Loyola has had its fair share of trouble away from home, winning just three non-conference road affairs since the start of the 1999-2000 campaign. Following this evening's contest, the Ramblers open up Horizon League play by traveling to preseason favorite UW-Milwaukee.

Loyola - Michigan State - The Series: Michigan State holds a 7-2 lead in the all-time series and is a perfect 3-0 in games played in East Lansing. Loyola participated in the Spartan Classic in 1999, but this is the first time the teams are facing each other in East Lansing since Jan. 10, 1936. In the last meeting between the Ramblers and Spartans, a Gentile Center record crowd of 5,513 saw a then second-ranked MSU squad pummel Loyola, 103-71 on Dec. 9, 2000. David Bailey burst onto the national scene in that contest by scoring 25 points and dishing out five assists. Corey Minnifield came off the bench to post 16 points for the Ramblers.

That's a Winner: This season marks the 40th anniversary of Loyola's 1963 NCAA Championship squad. That team remains the only one in the state of Illinois to claim a NCAA Division I basketball title.

Head Coach Larry Farmer: No one compares to Larry Farmer when it comes to success as a player. The NCAA record holder for the best three-year career record (89-1) by any player in college basketball annals, Farmer is in his fifth season as the head coach at Loyola. A 1973 graduate of UCLA, Farmer was a member of three NCAA Championship teams under Hall of Fame coach John Wooden. In four-plus years at Loyola, Farmer has compiled a 51-69 (.425) record and he owns a career 146-146 (.500) mark. He is 0-1 against Michigan State as the Ramblers' skipper.

Balancing Act: Through the first seven contests of the season, Loyola has four players - David Bailey (17.2), Terrance Whiters, (14.3), Paul McMillan (13.1) and Demetrius Williams (12.7) - averaging in double figures in scoring. The last time the Ramblers had four players contributing at least 10.0 ppg for a season was 1997-98. Further proof of Loyola?s balanced offensive attack - four different players have led the team in scoring and six players are averaging at least 6.0 ppg.

Big Trouble With the Big Ten: Loyola has dropped its last six meetings against Big Ten foes and is 36-76 all-time versus current members of that conference. The Ramblers' last victory over a Big Ten team was a 70-69 decision at Northwestern on Nov. 28, 1994.

Putting the "O" in Loyola: Through games of Dec. 14, the Ramblers are the Horizon League leaders in scoring offense with 78.7 ppg. Loyola also has four players ranked among the top 12 in the league in scoring average. Should the Ramblers maintain their frenetic scoring pace for the remainder of the season, they would post the highest scoring average since the 1988-89 edition accounted for 84.5 ppg.

Eighty Is Enough: Since Larry Farmer took over at Loyola, the Ramblers are 14-3 when scoring 80 or more points. LU has prevailed in each of the last 11 games, and all four contests this year, in which it has scored 80 or more points.

Consistently Inconsistent: After posting a horrific -10.7 rebounding margin through the first three games of the year, Loyola reversed its fortune under the glass in its next three contests by posting a +11.0 edge on the boards. However, at Belmont, the Ramblers were dominated on the boards, 41-27. Opponents have outrebounded Loyola 136-93 in the Ramblers? three setbacks.

Shooting Gone South: In its last two contests, Loyola has shot just .381 (48 for 126) from the field, .214 (9 for 42) from three-point territory and .633 (38 for 60) from the foul line. Through the first five games of the year, those numbers were .464 from the field, .365 from beyond the arc and .725 from the charity stripe.

Big Game Player: David Bailey's career numbers in games versus ranked opponents are not far from his overall averages - 16.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 5.3 apg. However, in his last two showdowns with ranked schools, both in the top ten (#7 Illinois and #2 Michigan State) - the senior guard is posting 24.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 5.0 apg.

Center of Attention: In Demetrius Williams, Loyola has something it has not had in quite awhile -- a prolific offensive threat in the post. The 6-foot-9 center posted his third double-double of the year against UMKC, racking up a season-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds. Williams' 24 tallies are the most by a Rambler starting center since Bernie Salthe dropped in 24 points against Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 2, 1995. Over the last four contests, Williams is contributing 14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 1.3 bpg while shooting a blistering .647 (22 for 34) from the field. Currently the Horizon League's second-leading rebounder (7.8 rpg), behind only teammate Paul McMillan, Williams had his worst shooting day (3 for 7) of the year at Belmont.

Mighty Mite: Tabbed as the Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year, David Bailey has lived up to his billing despite being slowed by a knee injury in November. The 5-foot-8 guard is averaging a team-best 17.2 ppg, 5.5 apg and 2.0 spg.

Fab Frosh: Terrance Whiters has been at home when on the road. In three contests away from the Gentile Center, the Baltimore native is averaging 20.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 3.0 spg while converting .553 (21 for 38) of his field-goal attempts and .438 (7 for 16) of his tries from beyond the arc. By posting 10 or more points in each of his first four collegiate outings, Whiters became Loyola's first true freshman to accomplish the feat since Tony Parker in 1973-74. Whiters was forced out of action at Belmont due to a bout with the flu.

Not Just a Passing Clancy: A terrific floor player, Kevin Clancy owns a remarkable 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. In his last five appearances, the senior has dished out 18 assists and committed just a pair of miscues in 146 total minutes of action. One of only two Ramblers to start all seven contests this year, Clancy has been among Loyola's starting five in 33 consecutive outings. In his last four games, Clancy is contributing 8.8 ppg, 3.8 apg and 3.0 rpg while shooting at a .545 (12 for 22) clip from the field.

Adjusting to Adversity: Last season, Loyola did not have to face many setbacks due to injuries or other factors. This year has been another story however, as six different players have missed games due to injuries, sickness, suspension or academic reasons.

Big Numbers for the Little Man: At 5-foot-8, Bailey is the shortest player in Loyola history to score 1,000 points. The senior, who was named to Dick Vitale's "All Rip Van Winkle Team", has reached double figures in scoring in 59 of his last 64 contests. A bona fide Frances Pomeroy Award candidate, Bailey currently ranks ninth on the Loyola career scoring chart with 1,484 points. With a 19-point performance at Belmont, Bailey surpassed Loyola Hall of Famer Les Hunter (1961-64). The Chicago native also ranks tied with Eric Dolezal (1990-93) for seventh place on the LU career steals chart with 135 thefts.

Helping Hand: When Bailey dishes out seven or more assists, Loyola is 15-8 (.652) since the start of the 1999-2000 campaign. However, over the past two years, when he set up seven or more scores, the Ramblers are 6-0, including a 2-0 mark this season. With nine assists against UMKC on Dec. 10, Bailey moved ahead of Earl Brown (1996-2000) into fourth place on the school's career set-up list and now has 455 dishes. Over the past three contests, Bailey is handing out 7.6 helpers per game. He ranks second in the Horizon League in assists (5.5 apg) behind his younger brother, Martell, of Illinois-Chicago.

Doubling Up: Junior Paul McMillan has been on a tear in the last four contests, accounting for 13.8 ppg and 13.3 rpg while notching a double-double in three outings. Against Belmont, the power forward failed to score in double digits for the first time this season, registering only five points. When he scores 15 or more points this year, the Ramblers are 3-0.

Instant Impact: A highly touted recruiting class of McMillan, Whiters and Demetrius Williams has certainly been as good as advertised. The trio is combining for 40.1 ppg and 18.4 rpg while shooting .508 from the field (90 for 177) through the first seven games. The three newcomers have been responsible for six of Loyola's seven double-doubles this year.

Shot Parade: Rambler opponents have shot .588 (57 for 97) from the field and .429 (18 for 42) from beyond the arc in the last pair of outings after shooting just .430 and .244, respectively, in the first five games of the season.

The Graduate: With so many players leaving school early to play professional basketball, guard Kevin Clancy is a rarity in today's game. He is a walk-on who is currently pursuing his master degree in business administration and also happens to hold down a spot in the Ramblers' starting lineup.

It's All Greek to Him: Vasilis Tsimpliaridis has broken out of a four-game slump, tallying 10.0 ppg and shooting .533 (8 for 15) from three-point range, despite coming off the bench in the last three contests. His resurgence began with a 19-point effort against Valparaiso on Dec. 7, as he hit 5 of 7 treys. The Greece native has not found his stroke away from home however, as he is hitting just .182 (2 for 11) from the field.

Guarded Optimism: A pair of highly touted back court players signed with Loyola during the early period in November. Andre Knox, a 6-foot-2 combo guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago has been rated as high as the 30th-best player in Illinois according to High School Elite. In Majak Kou (pronounced May-Jack Coe), the Ramblers gain a 6-foot-5 wing player who averaged 22.6 ppg and 11.3 rpg as a junior at Cathedral High School in Hamilton, Ontario. Kou has been rated as the top wing player in Canada.