CHICAGO (January 28, 2022) - First-place Loyola travels to Des Moines Sunday to square off with preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite, Drake, in a rematch of last year's MVC Championship title game. The Ramblers are unbeaten in five true road games this season and have won 12 of their last 13 contests of enemy floors, with the lone setback coming at Drake (51-50 in overtime) on February 14, 2021. Loyola has captured 12 of its last 15 Valley road games.

For a second consecutive campaign, the Ramblers have started conference play with a 7-1 record. In fact, this is only the fourth time in program history that Loyola has opened league play by winning at least seven of its first eight games, matching the starts in 1982-83, 1984-85 and 2020-21.

Loyola's 44-39 victory at Southern Illinois Thursday night marked the program's first win when scoring 44 or fewer points since a 41-31 decision over Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) on January 30, 1950.

Dating back to last season, the Ramblers have cemented their place as one of the top programs in the nation, going an impressive 35-5 (.875) in their last 40 games.

Loyola has prevailed in 36 of its last 44 (.818) regular-season league games dating back to the 2019-20 season.

Current Loyola video coordinator C.J. Rivers played at Drake from 2014 to 2018, averaging 4.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.1 apg in 111 career appearances for the Bulldogs.

Loyola – Drake – The Series

This is the 37th all-time meeting between the Ramblers and Bulldogs in a series that opened in 1934. Loyola possesses a 22-14 edge in the series and has claimed eight of the last 10 and 11 of the last 15 matchups. Seven of the last 15 contests have been determined by five points or less.

Loyola is 8-10 against Drake in Des Moines and has won three of the last five games at the Knapp Center. Three of the last eight meetings between the teams in Iowa have gone into overtime.

The teams split the season series last year in Des Moines, with Loyola rolling to an 81-54 victory on February 13 before suffering a tough, 51-50 defeat, in overtime, the following day. Then, in March, Loyola earned a 75-65 victory in the MVC Championship finals thanks to 20 points apiece from Cameron Krutwig and Braden Norris.

Scouting Drake

Drake has prevailed in five of its last six outings, with three of those victories coming by a single point. Each of the Bulldogs' last two games has gone into overtime and they are 3-1 this season in games that go an extra session.

At the Knapp Center, head coach Darian DeVries' team is 10-1 this season, with the lone loss coming to Bradley (83-71) on January 19. Since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, the Bulldogs are 24-2 (.923) on their home floor. 

Six players average at least 9.8 points per game in Drake's balanced offensive attack that is led by freshman forward Tucker DeVries (13.5 ppg). Senior guard Garrett Sturtz is putting up 10.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.3 spg and converting 61.4 percent (86-for-140) of this field goal attempts.

Up Next

Loyola hosts Illinois State on February 2 at 7 p.m.