Saturday, January 12, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Following their worst conference loss in more than two years, a 67-48 smackdown at Evansville, the Ramblers seek to get back on track against the Illinois State Redbirds back in Chicago. The sold-out showdown on Saturday had once promised to be a defining game for the season between two pre-season favorites.
The Redbirds were expected to be a powerful force in a stronger and more competitive MVC. ISU was picked to finish second in the MVC Preseason Poll, and Coach Dan Mueller brought back all his major contributors from a team that finished 3rd last year and reached the conference tournament final. But similar to the Ramblers, the chemistry, execution, and shooting percentages haven’t been nearly as good as last season.
ISU starts forwards Milik Yarbrough and Phil Fayne; guards William Tinsley, Keyshawn Evans, and newcomer Zach Copland. On this year’s team, Yarbrough has taken on more of the usage and ball touches that were performed by some of the other players last season. Yarbrough leads the team in points (16.9), rebounds (8.1) assists (3.9), and turnovers (4.4). Keyshawn Evans’ numbers have cratered from last season—he’s shooting under 30% from the field, ranks fourth on the team in assists, and his points per game have dropped from 15.2 last year to 6.5. Fayne’s shooting and shot-blocking remains among the best in the league for a big man, but his rebounds have fallen off. Tinsley’s scoring and rebounding have lagged as well.
Newcomers Copeland (10.8 points, 3.5 assists), Josh Jefferson (9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists) and Matt Chastain (2.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists) have been bright spots, but have mostly taken minutes and ball touches away from returning players like Isaac Gassman and Matt Hein.
Like the Ramblers, Illinois State is also 2-1 in conference. They opened the season suffering a loss at Valpo on a half-court heave after blowing a late 10-point lead. They soundly beat Evansville at home last Saturday, and survived a late surge by Northern Iowa to win by one on Tuesday. Their best win on the year was their home win over BYU. The Redbirds are 0-4 on the year in true road games, including a 19-point loss at UIC.
Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... df?id=8284Illinois State game notes: https://goredbirds.com/news/2019/1/11/m ... blers.aspxTV/Streaming video: ESPN2
http://www.espn.com/watch/collections/1 ... lege-hoops Live stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=234962Vegas odds: Loyola by 9.5