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Gibson Jimerson

MBB Preview: A-10 Play Begins Wednesday vs. Loyola Chicago

Gibson Jimerson
SLU Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game No. 14 Saint Louis (7-6, 0-0 A-10) vs. Loyola Chicago (8-5, 0-0 A-10)
Date // Time Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024 // 6 p.m. (CT)
Location St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
TV Bally Sports Midwest (Alexa Datt, Scott Highmark)
Radio KMOX 1120 AM (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
Stream ESPN+
Live Stats StatBroadcast
Promotions Clothing Drive
Chaifetz Arena Tickets | Parking | Clear Bag Policy
Series History Series tied 24-24
Game Notes Saint Louis | Loyola Chicago

SETTING THE SCENE
  • Saint Louis (7-6) opens Atlantic 10 Conference action on Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena, hosting the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (8-5) in a 6 p.m. start.
  • Wednesday's game will be televised on Bally Sports Midwest. Alexa Datt and Scott Highmark have the call.
  • KMOX 1120 AM serves as the Home for Billiken Basketball on the radio. Billiken Hall of Famers and longtime SLU men's basketball radio partners Bob Ramsey and Earl Austin Jr. will the call the action for all SLU games, both at home and on the road.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
  • SLU completed its non-conference schedule 7-6. The Bills were 6-1 at Chaifetz Arena, but 1-5 in neutral/road games.
  • Saint Louis is returning to action following a long layoff. Its last outing was two weeks ago – Wednesday, Dec. 20, an 82-70 loss at NC State.
  • Bradley Ezewiro has appeared in the Bills' last two games after the NCAA and US District courts deemed two-time transfers immediately eligible on Dec. 15. He scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds at NC State.
  • Gibson Jimerson has scored 20 or points in six games this year. His 2.31 3-pointers per game rank sixth in the Atlantic 10.
  • Terrence Hargrove Jr. turns in 13.6 ppg and is ninth in the A-10 with 6.4 rpg. In his last appearance at Chaifetz Arena Dec. 16 vs. Louisiana Tech, he powered the Billikens to a thrilling comeback win by scoring 11 points in the final 28 seconds.
  • Tim Dalger has scored in double figures in four of the last five, including a 17-point effort at NC State.
  • The Bills lead the A-10 in free-throws made per game (17.0). They are second in the league and 33rd in the NCAA in 3FG% (.377).
  • This is SLU's 19th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Billikens have a 163-135 mark in A-10 regular-season games. SLU has won two A-10 regular-season crowns (2013 and 2014) and two A-10 tournament titles (2013 and 2019). SLU head coach Travis Ford is 98-68 in A-10 regular-season games – 31-17 in three years at UMass (2005-08) and 67-51 in eight years at SLU (2016-24)
ABOUT THE RAMBLERS
  • Loyola University Chicago enters Wednesday's A-10 opener with an 8-5 record. The Ramblers completed their nonconference season with a 73-35 win over Central Michigan on Dec. 30.
  • Second-team preseason All-Conference pick Philip Alston leads the Ramblers in scoring with 15.2 ppg. He had a career night against South Florida when he dropped 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Last season, Alston led the Ramblers in scoring and rebounding.
  • Des Watson is second on the Ramblers with 11.4 ppg. He is a transfer from Davidson who averaged nearly 10.0 ppg in A-10 play last year for the Wildcats.
  • Braden Norris leads the Ramblers in assists with 5.3 per game. Last year, he was second on the team in scoring (10.9). Norris was among the top 10 in the NCAA in minutes per game (37.3) last season as well.
  • Loyola Chicago ranks second in the A-10 in blocks per game (5.3). It is led in that category by Miles Rubin, who is 10th in the NCAA with 2.46 blocks per contest.
  • Head coach Drew Valentine is in his third season as head coach at Loyola Chicago. He has been on the staff of two programs that have made a Final Four – with Loyola Chicago as an assistant coach in 2018, and with Michigan State as a graduate assistant in 2015.
SERIES HISTORY
  • The all-time series is tied 24-24. Last season, the Billikens took both games against the Ramblers – 76-59 in Chicago, and Feb. 25 in St. Louis.
  • While this is the second season the two teams are meeting as members of the A-10, the series goes way back. The squads first played more than 100 years ago in 1922. From 1982 to 1991, the Billikens and Ramblers met regularly as members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
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