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Saturday, January 23, 2016 1:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago
The Ramblers return home to play in front of a weekend crowd with students on campus for the first time since beating Creighton on Dec. 5. Coupled with the Alumni game, and following a good road trip with a win at Northern Iowa and an encouraging performance in a loss at Evansville, there should be a larger and more upbeat crowd at Gentile Arena. The opponent is Drake, who remains the only winless team in conference play. In Coach Ray Giacoletti’s third year as the Bulldogs’ head coach, the team was picked to finish seventh in the MVC Preseason poll, roughly matching their 6-12 finishes in 2013-14 and 2014-15. At 0-7, the ‘Dogs would have to go 6-5 the rest of the season to match expectations. However, Drake still has four games (including Satuday) remaining against Bradley and Loyola, the two teams just above them in the standings. The Ramblers also have the distinction of being 0-3 on the season in games against winless MVC teams.
The bright spots for the Bulldogs are 6’1” sophomore guard Reed Timmer and 6’8” junior forward Kale Abrahamson, a transfer from Northwestern. Timmer has blossomed into one of the MVC’s best and most consistent offensive players; he averages 17.8 points per game on 51.6% shooting (and a league-leading 48.4% from behind the arc). Timmer has scored 20 or more seven times, and hit the 30 mark in a three-point loss to DePaul. Abrahamson is averaging 13.5 points per game and adds 4.3 rebounds on average, but has the ability to explode for crazy scoring performances. Abrahamson had 41 in an overtime win over Western Kentucky, poured in 30 against Abilene Christian, and notched 23 against UIC. In Drake’s five wins, Abrahamson averages 23.4 ppg. In Drake’s 14 losses, he averages 9.8-- and in their seven conference losses, he’s scoring only 7.3.
Seven-foot junior Jacob Enevold is back, averaging 5.7 points and 6.1 rebounds. He's playing fewer minutes and scoring fewer points at center, but he has improved on rebounds and shooting percentage. Filling out the starting lineup are 6’0” sophomore guard Graham Woodward (11.3 ppg, 39% three point shooting) and a third guard from among 5’11” senior Karl Madison, 6’2” sophomore C.J. Rivers, or 6’3” sophomore Ore Arogundade (each averaging between 4.1 and 1.5 points). Woodward is the top playmaker, averaging 2.89 assists per game, but his turnover rate is nearly as high.
Seven foot freshman center Dominik Olejniczak (a Chicagoan), 6’6” freshman forward Billy Wampler (a dangerous threat from three), 6’10” freshman forward Casey Schlatter, and 6’8” freshman forward Nick McGlynn (leading the team in blocks) also make appearances off the bench—each averaging from 2 to 4 points a game in 9-12 minutes.
Drake leads the MVC in three point shooting percentage as a team, at 40.6%. They also shoot well inside the arc (46.2%, 4th in the MVC), and at the free throw line (70.5%). However, they also play loose defense that results in the worst opposition shooting percentage, most points allowed, fewest steals, fewest blocks, and second-lowest offensive rebounding percentage. It’s resulted in the opposition taking more than 100 more field goal attempts, which more than wipes out Drakes fine shooting accuracy.
Since joining the MVC, Loyola has played a string of close games against Drake. The Ramblers have a 3-1 record against the Bulldogs as MVC foes, with the games being decided by 10, 8, 3 and 5 (overtime) points. It was that 5 point overtime Loyola win late last February which decided whether Drake or the Ramblers would play on Thursday night last season. Again, these two teams are close in the league standings, and Saturday’s game is a must-win to help salvage some pride from a season that was expected to go better for both parties.
Loyola game notes: Pending
Drake game notes: Pending
TV/Streaming video: Comcast Sports Net
Vegas odds: Loyola by 6
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