CHICAGO (December 9, 2022) - Loyola University Chicago (4-5) opens a stretch that will see it play two of its next three games at neutral sites on Saturday evening when it battles Clemson inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. as part of Holiday Hoopsgiving. Saturday's 6:30 p.m. (CT) tip-off will be televised live on the ACC Network.
Last Time Out
Loyola limited visiting Green Bay to just 27 percent shooting from the field as it rolled to a convincing 70-46 victory over the Phoenix this past Tuesday night at Gentile Arena.
Braden Norris connected on four threes en route to leading all scorers with 18 points.
Tom Welch continued his fast start to the season, adding 12 points and a team-high six rebounds, while
Philip Alston chipped in 11 points.
Loyola/Clemson – The Series
Loyola and Clemson will battle for the first time on Saturday evening in downtown Atlanta. The Ramblers hold a 13-44 mark (.228) against current Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) members, but have won two of their last three matchups against current league foes, both victories that came in the NCAA Tournament. In their most recent meeting with an ACC foe, Loyola, which was led by a game-high 21 points from
Lucas Williamson, picked up a 71-60 win over Georgia Tech an NCAA Tournament First Round matchup on March 19, 2021.
Loyola also has fond memories of State Farm Arena, which was the site of wins over Nevada, 69-68, and Kansas State, 78-62, on the Ramblers' magical run to the 2018 NCAA Final Four.
Scouting Clemson
Led by head coach Brad Brownell, Clemson has enjoyed a fast start to 2022-23, racing out of the gate to a 8-2 record that includes a 1-0 mark in ACC play following a 77-57 rout of Wake Forest back on December 2 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers, who finished last season at 17-16 overall (8-12 ACC), return 10 letterwinners from a year ago. Leading the charge early on for that group has been the trio of Hunter Tyson (14.8 ppg), Chase Hunter (14.8 ppg), and PJ Hall (13.0 ppg). Hunter has also been a force on the glass, tearing down 9.4 rebounds per game
All three members of the aforementioned group scored in double figures in Clemson's 80-75 win over Towson this past Wednesday, with Hall erupting for a season-high 22 points to pace the Tigers.
Up Next
Following a week off for final exams, Loyola closes out the home portion of its non-conference slate by hosting Albany at 1 p.m. on Sunday, December 18.
