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CHICAGO (March 18, 2019) - For the third time in the last five seasons under head coach Porter Moser, seventh-seeded Loyola will play in the postseason, opening up National Invitation Tournament play Tuesday night when it visits No. 2 seed Creighton. The Ramblers are making their first back-to-back postseason appearances since 1963 and 1964, when they reached the NCAA Tournament in consecutive campaigns.

This is Loyola's fifth appearance in the NIT and first since 1980. The Ramblers are 6-4 (.600) all-time in NIT competition The Ramblers are making their fifth appearance in the NIT and first since 1980. Loyola is 6-4 (.600) all-time in NIT play, most recently falling at Illinois, 105-87, March 5, 1980, despite 24 points each from Darius Clemons and LeRoy Stampley. Twice in its storied basketball history, Loyola has placed runner-up in the NIT, falling to Long Island in the championship game in 1939, then to San Francisco in 1949. Legendary coach George Ireland guided the Ramblers to their last NIT victory, a 95-84 decision over Duquesne in the third-place game, in 1962.

The Ramblers have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1983-84 (20-9) and 1984-85 (27-6) and have won 20+ games three times in the last five years. Under eighth-year head coach Porter Moser, Loyola has won the College Basketball Invitational (2015), reached the NCAA Final Four (2018) and made a NIT appearance (2019). Moser is 9-1 (.900) in postseason play at Loyola.

Loyola – Creighton – The Series

Jesuit rivals Loyola and Creighton are meeting for the 19th time in a series that dates all the way back to 1926. The Ramblers won eight of the first nine matchups and despite going 4-5 in the last nine meetings, have won two of the last three. This is the first-ever postseason meeting between the programs.

When the teams last met, on December 5, 2015, in Chicago, Loyola jumped out to a 14-point, first-half lead and held on for a 68-65 victory, as Milton Doyle scored a team-high 17 points for the Ramblers, who also received 10 points from Donte Ingram, one of the stars of last year's Final Four squad.

Loyola is 133-200 (.399) all-time versus current members of the Big East Conference, holding winning records against Creighton (12-6) and Villanova (3-0). At some point in their history, the Ramblers have been conference mates with current Big East members Butler, Marquette and Xavier.

The Ramblers are making their eighth trip to Omaha to face Creighton and are 4-3 on the Bluejays' home floor. However, Loyola has dropped its last three games at Creighton, earning its last win in Omaha on February 18, 1970 (84-74) behind 22 points from Wade Fuller and 17 from 1972 NBA No. 1 overall draft pick, LaRue Martin. In Loyola's last visit to Omaha, it suffered a 78-58 setback on February 20, 2010, despite 15 points from Walt Gibler.

Scouting Creighton

Creighton has won five of the last six contests and its last five losses have each come by seven or fewer points. The Bluejays are 11-6 at CHI Health Center Omaha this season, winning four of their last five there, including each of their last three. Creighton is making its 21st appearance in the postseason in the last 22 years and this is its 12th all-time trip to the NIT.

Sophomore guard Ty-Shon Alexander heads a high-powered Bluejays offense, which averages 78.8 ppg, by contributing a team-best 16.2 ppg, while three of his teammates also put up 10 or more points per contest.

Loyola head coach Porter Moser played under coach Tony Barone at Creighton from 1986-90, helping the Bluejays to a pair of postseason berths, including the 1989 NCAA Tournament.

Up Next

The winner of Tuesday's game moves on to the NIT second round, where it will face the winner of the Memphis/San Diego game.