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CHICAGO (February 23, 2018) - Loyola, which won its first outright regular-season conference title since 1984-85, closes out a historic season Saturday afternoon when it hosts Illinois State. The red-hot Ramblers, who boast a program-record 14 conference wins, have won 13 of their last 14 contests overall and 15 of their last 16 games at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers' 24 regular-season victories are the program's most since the 1962-63 NCAA champion squad (24), which went 29-2 overall. At 24-5 overall, the Ramblers have recorded the 14th 20-win season in program history and the second in the last four years under head coach Porter Moser. Prior to his arrival for the 2011-12 campaign, Loyola had one 20-win season in 26 years.
 
Saturday is also Senior Day and the Ramblers will recognize the contributions of seven individuals prior to the game – manager Evan Funk, student assistant Tyson Smith, Nick DiNardi, Carson Shanks, Aundre Jackson, Ben Richardson and Donte Ingram.
 
Series Stuff
Loyola and Illinois State are meeting for the 20th time in a series that dates back to 1980. The Redbirds have had the upper hand, winning six of te last seven meetings between the programs, although Loyola snapped a six-game slide with a 68-61 victory in Normal on January 10. The Ramblers are 3-6 against the Redbirds in Chicago, but have dropped three straight to ISU at Gentile Arena. In last season's meeting in the Windy City on New Year's Day, Clayton Custer scored a team-high 17 points, but Loyola couldn't slow Illinois State in an 81-59 setback.
 
When the teams met in Normal last month, Aundre Jackson scored 15 points off the bench to power the Ramblers to a 68-61 victory, their first at Redbird Arena since January 21, 1991. Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, the Ramblers are just 2-7 against ISU but five of those nine contests have been decided by seven or fewer points.
 
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State has played some of its basketball of the season of late and has won six of its last eight games, including each of the last two, with a pair of those half dozen victories coming in overtime. The Redbirds have had their troubles away from home, going 3-9 in true road games and just 2-6 in Valley action. In fact, Illinois State has dropped six of its last seven conference road tilts, losing those contests by an average of 20.5 points.
 
Loyola leads The Valley in three-point field goal percentage (.415) but ISU sits second in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.314).
Junior forward Milik Yarbrough leads the Redbirds with 17.0 points and a league-best 4.8 assists per game, while junior forward Phil Fayne pitches in 15.5 ppg, 7.2 rebounds per game and shoots a Valley-best 59.8 percent from the field.
 
Up Next
Loyola will have the No. 1 seed at next week's Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The Ramblers' first game will be on Friday, March 2, at noon Central, versus the winner of the previous night's game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.