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CHICAGO (January 30, 2018) - Loyola takes to the road for another important game as it visits Bradley Wednesday night. The Ramblers enter the week on a seven-game winning streak, matching their longest of the season, and at 8-2 in Missouri Valley play are off to their best league start since 1986-87 when they also opened 8-2 in Midwestern Collegiate Conference action. Over the last six outings, Loyola is averaging 74.7 points per game and shooting an impressive 53.9 percent (166-for-308) from the field. At 18-4 overall, the Ramblers have their best record through 22 games since the 1965-66 squad won 20 of its first 22 contests. In fact, last two times Loyola has opened by winning at least 18 of its first 22 games it has reached the NCAA Tourney (1966, 1963).
 
Series Stuff
Longtime rivals Loyola and Bradley are meeting for the 59th time in a series that dates back to 1928. The Braves hold a 33-25 edge in the all-time series, but the Ramblers have had the upper hand lately, winning eight of the last nine matchups, including each of the last five. When the teams met earlier this month in Chicago, Cameron Krutwig collected 21 points and 13 rebounds and Loyola shot 57.7 percent from the field en route to an 81-65 victory on January 13.
 
Loyola has prevailed in five of its last six visits to Peoria, including each of the last three, but is only 8-21 all-time on Bradley's home floor. In last year's game at Carver Arena, Milton Doyle pumped in a career-high 35 points to power the Ramblers to a 78-62 victory. The Ramblers have dominated the last three meetings, winning by an average margin of 17.3 points, and in those three outings are averaging 76.3 ppg and shooting 55.4 percent (87-for-157) from the field and 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from long range. Since joining the Missouri Valley for the 2013-14 season, Loyola is 8-3 versus Bradley.
 
Scouting Bradley
After a stretch in which it lost three of four games, Bradley has bounced back to win three straight heading into Wednesday's game against Loyola. The Braves are 11-0 at Carver Arena this season and have won 13 straight home games dating back to last season. Bradley has limited opponents to just 54.8 ppg on its home floor this year. Head coach Brian Wardle's squad ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.390) and ninth in scoring defense (62.7).
 
Sophomore guard Darrell Brown leads the Braves with 13.4 ppg and 4.3 apg. Nate Kennell scored a game-high 25 points off the bench to lead Bradley to an 81-73 victory at Indiana State, its first MVC road win of 2017-18, on Saturday. 
 
Up Next
Loyola opens a two-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts Missouri State at 1 p.m.