CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago men's basketball opens the 2026-27 season Monday night against The Citadel. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Gentile Arena between the Ramblers and Bulldogs.
FOLLOW ALONG
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RAMBLINGS
• Loyola Chicago went 1-1 in exhibition play with a 110-49 win over Calumet College and a 72-65 loss to DePaul. Six Ramblers scored double-figures vs. the Crimson Wave, while
Guillaume Grotzinger dropped 20 vs. the Blue Demons.
• Loyola returns just two letterwinners from last season's roster,
Xavier Amos and
Nic Anderson, while 14 newcomers join the squad for the 2026-27 season. The newcomers are made up by 12 transfers, one true freshman, and one international player.
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Xavier Amos was second on the team in scoring last year, averaging 11.1 points per game on 39.3 percent from the field. He had nine double-figure games, including a season-high 25 points at Saint Louis (March 4) with a career-high six made threes.
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Nic Anderson stepped up for the injury-riddled Ramblers last season. He made 27 appearances and five starts. Anderson dropped a season-high 17 points in his first career start vs. George Mason (Jan. 13).
• With just Amos and Anderson back from last year, Loyola returns only 15.7 percent of its scoring (348 of 2,204), 13.1 percent of its rebounding (148 of 1,126), 6.1 percent of its assists (29 of 460), 15.7 percent of its steals (21 of 134), 12.8 percent of its blocks (16 of 125), and 14.5 percent of its minutes (964 of 6,625).
• Grotzinger is the lone international addition to the Ramblers this year. The Dessenheim, France native played the 2025-26 season for Champagne in the France-ELITE 2 league. Grotzinger appeared in 32 games, averaging 14.5 ppg on 52.9 percent on two-point field goals. He added 4.0 assists.
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Jayden Dawson is one of the 12 transfers on this year's squad. Dawson returned to campus in August for classes and was granted temporary edibility. He is practicing with the team pending the final rulings on his permanent eligibility. Dawson was a Rambler from 2022-25.
• Dawson had a breakout season as a junior in 2024-25, averaging a team-best 13.9 points on 41 percent from the field. He shot over 36 percent from three, making 86 total on the year. Dawson started in 32 games for the Ramblers, dropped at least 10 points 23 times, scored 20 points six times, and surpassed 30 points once. Dawson was an A10 Second Team selection that year.
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Drew Valentine enters his sixth season as head coach and 10th overall with the Ramblers. At the helm, he holds a 92-75 record.
SCOUTING THE CITADEL
• The Citadel returns six Bulldogs and added 11 newcomers to the 2026-27 roster. The newcomers are made up of seven transfers and four freshmen.
• The Bulldogs were tabbed 10th in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll. They went 11-22 overall last season with a 7-11 finish in league play.
• Keynan Davis and Marcos Gonzales are Chicago natives and make their return home. Davis played in 32 games last season and dropped a season-high 20 points vs. Chattanooga in the conference tournament. Gonzales came off the bench 29 times and also had a 20-point outing vs. North Greenville.
• Ed Conroy is in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater and fifth consecutive season since returning in 2022. He holds an 86-166 record with the Bulldogs.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first ever meeting between Loyola and The Citadel.
