CHICAGO (January 21, 2022) - No. 22/24 Loyola looks to extend a 30-game, home-court win streak Saturday afternoon when it plays a pivotal contest against Missouri State. The Ramblers, who carry a 10-game overall win streak into Saturday's showdown, are a remarkable 37-2 (.949) at home in conference play since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.

The Ramblers have spun off 23 consecutive wins in Missouri Valley Conference play at Gentile Arena since a 65-61 loss to Missouri State on February 17, 2019.

At 5-0, Loyola is off to its best start in Missouri Valley Conference play since joining the league for the 2013-14 season. This marks the Ramblers' best start to league competition, regardless of affiliation, since opening the 2001-02 Horizon League slate with six straight victories.

Last week, the Ramblers moved into both the Associated Press (#22) and Coaches (#24) Top 25 polls for the first time this season. This marks just the second time in program history and first since the 1962-63 and 1963-64 campaigns that the Ramblers have been ranked in the AP Poll in back-to-back seasons.

The Ramblers' current 10-game win streak is the program's third positive run of 10 or more games in the last three seasons, joining an 11-game streak in 2020-21 and a 14-game stretch in 2017-18. Despite those recent double-digit win streaks, Loyola has won 10 or more straight games just three times since the 1985-86 season.

Loyola – Missouri State – The Series

The Ramblers and Bears are pairing up for the 18th tine in a series that started in 1964, but all but one of those previous meetings has come since Loyola joined the MVC for the 2013-14 season. Loyola owns a 10-7 lead in the all-time series and has claimed three of the last four meetings between the teams.

Loyola is 6-2 against Missouri State when playing on its home floor in Chicago and it has emerged victorious in three of the last four contests at Gentile Arena.

In last season's two-game series in Springfield, Mo., Loyola picked up a pair of 20-point wins, posting 72-46 and 70-50 decisions on January 31 and February 1 respectively. Lucas Williamson held the Bears' Isiaih Mosley to 12.0 ppg in the two contests last season, while limiting him to 8-for-24 (.333) shooting from the field and 1-for-6 (.167) accuracy from beyond the arc, forcing him into seven turnovers.

Scouting Missouri State

Missouri State, which carries a three-game win streak into Saturday's contest in Chicago, has won six of its last seven and 10 of its last 12 outings. 

The Bears are 4-2 in true road games in 2021-22, winning three of their last four on enemy hardwood, and they have captured two of their three away games in Valley action this season.

Saturday's showdown is a meeting of the top two field goal and three-point field goal shooting teams in the MVC as well as two of the top scoring clubs in the league.

Junior guard Isiaih Mosley is one of the most electric players in the Midwest and leads The Valley and ranks 20th in the nation with 20.2 points per game. Forward Gaige Prim pitches in 13.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg for Dana Ford's squad.

Up Next

Loyola gets it first look at Southern Illinois when the Salukis, who are coached by former Loyola associate head coach Bryan Mullins, invade Gentile Arena on January 25 at 7 p.m.