CHICAGO (January 22, 2021) - Winner of eight of its last nine games overall, including four in a row, Loyola puts a nine-game win streak versus in-state rivals on the line when it visits Bradley on January 24 and 25. A win Sunday would give the Ramblers their best start to conference play through eight games since 1984-85 when they went 7-1 to open Midwestern Collegiate Conference action. 

Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Loyola has notched 17 road wins in Missouri Valley Conference action, the most by any Valley team during that stretch. Missouri State ranks second with 13 league wins away from home in the last four seasons.


The Ramblers are allowing only 43.5 points per game and holding opponents to 32.9 percent (31-for-94) shooting from the field and 29.4 percent (10-for-34) from three-point land, in their last two road games. 

Loyola's depth has been on display all season and eight players average at least 5.0 points per game. The Rambler reserves are accounting for 30.7 points per outing this season and have scored 40 or more points four times. Over the last two contests, Loyola's bench has totaled a whopping 126 points (42.0 per game). 

Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Loyola owns the most wins (84) of any of the 13 NCAA Division I teams in the state of Illinois. Bradley ranks second with 72 wins, followed by UIC (61), Southern Illinois (60) and Illinois (57) to round out the top five teams. 

Sunday's game will be televised live on NBC Sports Chicago+, FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports Indiana Plus (in Evansville, Indianapolis and Terre Haute). In the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, the game will be blacked out on ESPN3/ESPN+ but will be available on tape delay. Monday's game will televised live on CBS Sports Network.

Loyola – Bradley – The Series
The Ramblers and Braves are meeting for the 66th time in a series that traces its roots all the way back to 1928. Bradley holds a 36-29 edge in the all-time series, but Loyola has taken nine of the last 12 matchups between the teams, including each of the last two. 

Since joining the Missouri Valley, Loyola is 12-6 against Bradley. The Ramblers are just 9-23 against the Braves when playing on their home floor in Peoria, but the Maroon and Gold has captured four of the last six meetings at Carver Arena.


When the teams last met, in the 2019-20 regular-season finale in Peoria, Cameron Krutwig scored a team-high 16 points and Loyola escaped with a 67-66 victory when Elijah Childs' jumper at the buzzer rimmed out.


Three of Loyola's last four setbacks to Bradley have been by two points or less and the Ramblers' last three losses in the series have come by a combined 11 points. 

Scouting Bradley
Bradley has split its last six contests and is coming off of a 71-56 setback at Illinois State Wednesday night. The Braves lead the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.373).


The Braves have won five straight outings on their home floor at Carver Arena and are 6-1 there this season. 

Senior forward Elijah Childs is one of the premier players in The Valley and paces Bradley with 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, while guard Terry Nolan Jr., a transfer from George Washington, contributes 11.8 ppg. 

Up Next
Loyola and Bradley finish out the two-game series January 25. Next weekend, the Ramblers conclude a five-game road trip with a pair of contests at Missouri State (Jan. 31 and Feb. 1).