CHICAGO (February 24, 2021) - Loyola closes out the 2020-21 regular season with a pair of games against Southern Illinois this weekend. The Ramblers enter the weekend with the nation's fifth-longest active home-court winning streak (20 games) and they have also claimed 18 consecutive Missouri Valley Conference games at Gentile Arena. With one more victory, Loyola will record its fourth consecutive season of 20 or more wins.

For the third straight week, the Ramblers are ranked in both polls, checking in at No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 22 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. Loyola had not been ranked in a poll during the regular season since 1985.

With last Wednesday's win against Valparaiso, Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson became the winningest four-year players in Loyola men's basketball history (92).

At 19-4 overall, Loyola is off to its best start through 23 contests since 1965-66 (21-2). The Ramblers need one more Valley win to equal the program record for conference victories in a season (15), regardless of league affiliation, set by the 2017-18 club (15-3).

Southern Illinois head coach Bryan Mullins was on Porter Moser's staff at Loyola from 2013-19 and helped the program to the 2018 NCAA Final Four and back-to-back MVC regular season championships in 2018 and 2019. Current SIU assistant coach Jevon Mamon was Loyola's director of operations in 2018 and 2019 and Pat Monaghan served as the DOBO under former Loyola head coach Jim Whitesell in 2010-11.

Loyola – Southern Illinois – The Series

Loyola and Southern Illinois are matching up for the 18th time in a series that dates back to 1981 and the Salukis own a slim 9-8 edge in the all-time series and have won two of the last three meetings between the teams.

The Ramblers are 5-3 when facing SIU on its home floor in Chicago and have claimed each of the last three contests at Gentile Arena since a 67-61 loss there on February 4, 2017.

When these teams squared off last, on January 29, 2020 in Carbondale, Marquise Kennedy netted a team-high 18 points, but Loyola had no answer for Eric McGill, who poured in 27 points to power Southern Illinois to a 68-63 victory. Last season, Loyola earned a 64-48 win in Chicago behind 17 points from Kennedy. 

Scouting Southern Illinois

The Salukis put an end to a brief two-game skid with a 67-64 victory over Valparaiso Monday night in Carbondale. Since winning its first seven outings of 2020-21, Southern Illinois, which ranks third in The Valley with 8.0 three-pointers per game, is 4-11.

SIU is 1-6 in MVC road games this season, with its lone victory coming at Bradley (69-68) on February 7, and the Salukis are 3-6 in true road games overall this year.

Sophomore Marcus Domask, the 2020 MVC Freshman of the Year who has been sidelined the last 12 games with a foot injury, leads Southern Illinois with 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Classmate and Evanston native Lance Jones is pitching in 12.9 ppg, 3.1 apg and 1.5 spg.

Up Next

Loyola heads to St. Louis for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship and will play its first game on Friday, March 5. Game time and seeding is to be determined.