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CHICAGO (January 23, 2018) - Winners of five straight games, Loyola wraps up a two-game road trip when it visits Drake Wednesday night in a battle of first-place teams. The Ramblers' five-game winning streak is their longest in conference play since capturing six straight contests during the 2006-07 season as a member of the Horizon League. At 16-4 overall, the Ramblers have their best record through 20 games since the 1965-66 squad won 18 of its first 20 contests. In fact, last two times Loyola has opened by winning at least 16 of its first 20 games it has reached the NCAA Tourney (1966, 1963). The Ramblers are 12 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1984-85 season when they reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished 27-6 overall.
 
Series Stuff
Loyola and Drake are meeting for the 28th time in a series that dates back to 1934. The Ramblers, who lead the series, 15-12, have won four of the last six meetings between the teams, and the squads have split the season series each of the last two years. When playing in Des Moines, Loyola is just 5-8 against Drake and has dropped the last two games at Knapp Center, where it has lost five of the last six. The Ramblers' last win in Des Moines was an 80-75 decision in overtime on February 25, 2015, as Earl Peterson and Christian Thomas tallied 20 points apiece.
 
Four of the last six meetings between the Ramblers and Bulldogs have been decided by five points or less. When the teams last met, on February 22, 2017 at Gentile Arena, Milton Doyle, Aundre Jackson and Ben Richardson recorded 16 points apiece to power Loyola to an 80-65 victory. In last year's game in Des Moines, Drake held on for a 102-98 victory in a shootout despite 30 points and 10 boards from Donte Ingram and 22 points and eight assists from Ben Richardson.
 
Since joining the Missouri Valley, Loyola is 5-3 versus Drake but just 1-3 at Knapp Center.
 
Scouting Drake
Under the direction of first-year head coach Niko Medved, Drake, which was picked last in the MVC Preseason Poll, has won seven of its last nine games and enters the week tied with Loyola for first place. The Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 at Knapp Center this season and have put up 81.1 ppg on their home floor.
 
Drake leads the Valley in scoring offense with 75.6 ppg and ranks 14th in the nation in free throw percentage (.774). Senior guard Reed Timmer leads the Bulldogs with 18.5 ppg and adds 3.3 rpg and 2.8 apg, while shooting 45 percent (58-for-129) from three-point land. Three other Drake players are averaging double-figure points - Nick McGlynn (11.3 ppg), De'Antae Murray (11.1 ppg) and Graham Woodward (10.0 ppg).
 
Loyola –Drake Connections
Drake assistant coach JR Blount was a standout guard at Loyola from 2005-09 and currently ranks 10th in school history with 1,603 points. To this day he shares the Gentile Arena single-game record with 42 points scored versus Rockhurst (Nov. 14, 2008).
 
Brian Hardin, who was named director of athletics on October 31, 2017, got his career in collegiate athletics started by serving as an intern in the athletics communications office at Loyola during the 2002-03 academic year.
 
Up Next
Loyola returns home on Sunday, Jan. 28, when it hosts UNI in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.