CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago men's basketball keeps its postseason alive with a trip to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Ramblers earned a bid and will play at Bradley in Peoria for the first round. Tipoff will be 6 p.m. in Carver Arena.
Wednesday's game can be watched on ESPN+ with Jordan Bernfield (PXP) and Scott Williams or can be listened to Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas (Analyst).
Quick Hits
• Loyola finished the regular season at 23-8 overall and 15-3 in the Atlantic 10, clinching a share of the regular season title.
• The Ramblers earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and a two-round bye into the Quarterfinals. Loyola and St. Bonaventure battled through two overtimes with the Bonnies prevailing by one.
• In the Quarterfinal,
Philip Alston recorded 22 points and eight boards. It marked the fifth 20-point performance by the senior forward this season.
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Dame Adelekun notched his second straight double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, while
Miles Rubin also scored 12.
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Des Watson added Second Team All-District honors to his resume Tuesday morning. He was tabbed Second Team All-Atlantic 10 last week.
• Watson averages 12.9 points per game, and in conference play, Watson averaged 14.2 ppg ranking 17th in the league. Watson has 20 double-figure scoring games this season, including four 20-point performances.
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Braden Norris and Alston earned Third Team All-Atlantic 10 nods, while Rubin was named All-Rookie and All-Defensive. Norris also brought home All-Academic Honors.
• The Hilliard, Ohio native has 14 double-digit scoring efforts this season, highlighted by a season-high 20 points in a win over Boston College. Norris is averaging 4.9 assists per game and recorded his 500th career assist vs. La Salle.
• Alston scored at least 10 points in 18 games this season, five of which were 20-point performances. He also strung together a seven game-double figure scoring streak in league play, spanning Feb. 7 through March 1.
• Rubin is one of the top shot blockers in the country. He's first in block percentage, stopping 14.3 percent of two-point attempts against him. His 72 blocks this season ranks 11th in the NCAA, while his 2.3 average ranks 12th.
• Against La Salle, Rubin tallied six blocks to surpass the single-season block record that held since the 1984-85 season. It also tied sixth on the single-game records list and helped secure an A-10 Rookie of the Week nod.
• This season marks the second 20-win year under head coach
Drew Valentine.
• Valentine has helped the Ramblers to five postseason berths over the last six years, three of which were as an assistant coach. The Ramblers played in the NCAA Tournament in 2018, 2021, and 2022 with trips to the NIT in 2019 and 2024.
• Valentine is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 58-37 overall career record.
Scouting Bradley
The Braves sit at 22-11 overall heading into the NIT. They posted a 13-7 finish in the MVC and fell in the conference semifinals to Drake, 72-67. Bradley is fourth in the conference in scoring (74.6 ppg) and leads the league in scoring defense (67.0 ppg). The Braves also have the MVC's best field goal percentage defense (.411).
Leading the Braves this year is Connor Hickman who averages 14.5 points per game. He's shooting over 46 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. Hickman posted back-to-back 20-point performances in the MVC Tournament last week. His 20-point outing helped the Braves to a win over UIC, while his 21 points wasn't enough against the Bulldogs.
Brian Wardle is in his ninth season as head coach with a 157-137 record.
