Sept. 25, 2006

CHICAGO - Four games versus teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and an appearance in the Black Coaches Association Classic hosted by Ohio State, highlight the 2006-07 Loyola University Chicago men's basketball schedule which was announced today by Ramblers' head coach Jim Whitesell.

"We think that we have put together a schedule that our fans and season ticket holders will enjoy," Whitesell said. "With four Jesuit schools coming to the Gentile Center and games against quality opponents that have competed in the postseason, I think this year's schedule will prepare us for what awaits us in Horizon League play."

Loyola, which is coming off a 19-11 season, its best showing in over 20 years, lifts the lid on the 2006-07 campaign by competing in the eight-team field at the BCA Classic in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 10-12. Hosted by nationally ranked Ohio State, the BCA Classic lineup also features Kent State and Princeton, among others. The Ramblers, who posted a Gentile Center-record 13 victories there a year ago, open the home portion of their season Nov. 17 versus John Carroll in a rare Friday night contest. Loyola hosts San Diego (Nov. 20) before heading east to face Fairfield over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 25), and Saint Louis pays its first-ever visit to the Gentile Center Nov. 29 as the former conference mates lock horns for the first time since 1991.

A change in months brings the opening of the Horizon League season as the Ramblers play their earliest conference contest ever, a pivotal match-up versus league-title contender UW-Green Bay, Dec. 2. Following its first trip to West Lafayette, Ind., since 1992 to face Purdue (Dec. 5), Loyola returns to the Windy City to play three of its next four games at home. Loyola (New Orleans) tangles with its sister school for the first time since the Ramblers' NCAA Championship season in 1963, Dec. 9 at the Gentile Center in a Hurricane Relief Game. A week-long break for final exams precedes back-to-back encounters with a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from the Missouri Valley Conference as Loyola hosts Northern Iowa (Dec. 16) and travels to Bradley (Dec. 19). Loyola closes out the calendar year by entertaining UC Irvine (Dec. 22) and heading to Youngstown State (Dec. 30) for its first road game on the League slate.

The new year brings six home games for Loyola in the month of January, with five of those being Horizon League contests. Cleveland State (Jan. 4) and defending champion UW-Milwaukee (Jan. 6) visit Rogers Park before the Ramblers hit the road for three consecutive games, at Wright State (Jan. 10), Illinois-Chicago (Jan. 13) and Detroit (Jan. 17). After that trip, a four-game homestand to close out the month awaits Whitesell's squad, starting with a non-league tilt with IPFW, Jan. 20, then a grueling, three-games-in-five-days stretch versus Butler (Jan. 25), Wright State (Jan. 27) and Youngstown State (Jan. 29).

Loyola closes out the regular season by playing four of its final seven games on the road and kicks off February at Cleveland State, Feb. 1. Detroit pays a visit to Chicago, Feb. 7, before a rematch with UW-Green Bay (Feb. 10) and trip to UW-Milwaukee (Feb. 14). For the second straight campaign, the Ramblers will host a game from the Bracket Buster Saturday pool, before shutting the door on the regular season with a game at Butler (Feb. 22) and what should be a spirited finale at home versus city and league foe Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 24).

Once again, the Horizon League Championship kicks off with games on campus sites as the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds host games, Feb. 27. The top-seeded team will host the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, March 2-3, with the title game being played at the site of the highest-remaining seed, March 6.