CHICAGO (December 3, 2020) – After a delayed start to the year, the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team will raise the curtain on the 2020-21 season Saturday (Dec. 5) when it hosts NCAA Division II rival Lewis at 2 p.m. at Gentile Arena. Fans will not be permitted in Gentile Arena but can watch the action on ESPN+ or listen on the Rambler Radio Network via LoyolaRamblers.com. 
 
The Ramblers and Flyers will be meeting for the first time in a regular-season contest in 45 years and Loyola owns a 6-2 edge in the all-time series, winning each of the last five encounters. In the last regular-season meeting between the teams, on December 2, 1975, Loyola earned a 98-67 victory over Lewis behind 29 points from Tony Parker. 
 
Although this is the first regular-season match-up between the squads since 1975, they have squared off on a handful of occasions in exhibition action, most recently on October 17, 2017 at Gentile Arena.  Aundre Jackson scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Ramblers that night in what wound up as one of the most memorable seasons in program history. The 2017-18 Loyola squad wound up year ranked No. 7 in the final USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll and made the program's first trip to the NCAA Final Four since 1963.
 
Loyola went 21-11 a year ago for its third straight campaign with 20 or more wins. Tenth-year Ramblers head coach Porter Moser returns all five starters from last year's squad, including All-Missouri Valley Conference seniors Cameron Krutwig and Tate Hall.