CHICAGO - After a two-game trip in Kansas City, Loyola Chicago men's basketball returns home Tuesday night for a city showdown with Chicago State. The Ramblers and Cougars tipoff at 7 p.m. in Gentile Arena. Loyola is coming off a big win against Boston College in the Hall of Fame Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday, while CSU has dropped three of its last four games.
Tuesday's game can be listened to on the Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas (Analyst). Listen on the Go Ramblers App, Varsity Network App or LoyolaRamblers.com with pregame coverage starting 20 minutes prior to tip-off.
Quick Hits
• Loyola played a pair of games last week in the 2023 Hall of Fame Classic posting a 1-1 record. The Ramblers dropped the opener to No. 8 Creighton before rallying late for a win against Boston College, 71-68.
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Braden Norris scored double-figures in both games. He scored 14 vs. the Bluejays and followed up with a season-high 20 points vs. the Eagles. Norris shot 55 percent from the field and 63.5 percent from three point range draining seven over two games.
• The Ramblers are 3-0 when having a 20-point scorer following Norris's season-high. Loyola also beat New Orleans with a 22-point outing by
Dame Adelekun.
Des Watson helped Loyola to a win over EIU with a career-high 24 points.
• Watson leads Loyola in scoring with 14.3 points per game. It ties 17th in the Atlantic 10. Watson posted a four-game double-figure scoring streak that tipped off with a career-high 24 points vs. Eastern Illinois. He added 13 vs. UIC, 19 vs. New Orleans, and 15 vs. Creighton.
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Miles Rubin has been a force in the paint for Loyola, averaging 2.7 blocks per game. It is tied 17th in the country and first in the Atlantic 10. He tallied five blocked shots against New Orleans, becoming the first Rambler since 2010 to achieve the feat. As a squad, the Ramblers sit 30th in the NCAA with 5.3 blocks per game.
• Rubin also ranks in the league's top-10 shooting 62.1 percent from the field. He's scored at least eight points in the last five games, including a season-best nine points vs. Creighton.
• Loyola has found success at the free throw line this season shooting 75 percent through six games. The Ramblers rank fourth in the league and are led by Norris who's tied first individually with a free throw percentage of 94.4.
• Head coach
Drew Valentine is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 38-32 overall career record.
Scouting Chicago State
The Cougars enter the week 2-6 overall. Chicago state picked up its first win of the season at Southern Indiana on Nov. 12, 78-67. They then picked up a gritty 84-83 win vs. Morgan State in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22. CSU is averaging 66.4 points per game on 48.3 percent from the field and has 51 made three-pointers this season.
Wesley Cardet leads Chicago State in scoring (18.9 ppg) and is shooting nearly 49 percent from the field. He's scored double-figures in every game this season, including three 20+ point performances. Cardet dropped a season-high 26 points vs. UT Martin on 9-of-14 from the field with five threes.
Gerald Gillion is in his third season leading the Cougars. He's compiled a 20-51 record.
Series History
Loyola leads the all-time series 11-1. The Ramblers won the last meeting in the 2021-22 season, 92-56.
