CHICAGO - The Loyola Chicago men's basketball team opens the 2023-24 slate Wednesday in the second annual Barstool Sports Invitational. Loyola will take on No. 9 FAU at 6 p.m. in Wintrust Arena. The Ramblers have won their last 11 season openers and look to extend the streak against the Owls who are coming off a 2022-23 Final Four appearance.

Scott Sudikoff and Christian Thomas will have the call on Rambler Sports Network. The game will also be streamed at barstool.tv.

QUICK HITS
• The Ramblers played host to Trinity Christian for their lone exhibition match of the season. Loyola had four players score double-figures helping power a 104-44 win.
• Philip Alston led all-scorers with 17 points on 7-of-12 from the field. He grabbed two boards and tallied two steals.
• Patrick Mwamba saw 14 minutes off the bench and had a productive outing with 13 points. He shot 5-of-8 from the field and sunk three from deep.
• Miles Rubin (11 points) and Greg Dolan (10 points) rounded out the double-digit scoring efforts. Braden Norris dished out nine assists, while Dolan added seven.
• The Ramblers made 10 three-pointers and shot over 55 percent from the field, while holding the Trolls to just 23.5 percent Sunday.
• Loyola was tabbed eighth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason poll after finishing their inaugural season at the 4-14 mark last year. Overall, Loyola posted a 10-21 record.
•  Alston was named an A10 Preseason Second Team selection. He was Loyola's leading scorer and rebounder last season averaging 14.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg. He blocked a team-high 33 shots.
• Alston is joined by eight other returning letterwinners, including all five starters from last year's squad. In the off-season, Loyola added six newcomers, two of which are true freshman.
• Over the last five seasons in which the NCAA Tournament has been played, the Loyola men's basketball program is in elite company when it comes to postseason success. The Ramblers are just 1-of-12 teams across all of Division I men's basketball to have both a NCAA Final Four and NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance on their resume.
• Joining the Ramblers on the prestigious list are: Michigan, Villanova, Kansas, Michigan State, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, UCLA, Houston, Duke, North Carolina and Miami.
• The last time Loyola beat a ranked opponent in the regular season was in 2017 when the Ramblers downed No. 5 Florida.
• Head coach Drew Valentine enters his third season at the helm. He holds a 35-29 overall career record.

SCOUTING THE FAU OWLS
Following their historic run in the NCAA Tournament last season, the FAU Owls were tabbed first in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll. FAU led C-USA in scoring margin, rebounding margin, and defensive rebound per game last year. The Owls posted a 35-4 overall record and 18-2 C-USA record.

Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis were named Preseason Players of the Year and tabbed to the first team. Martin joined the 1,000th point club last year and averaged 13.4 ppg. Davis averaged 13.8 ppg and earned C-USA Sixth Player of the Year.

Dusty May enters his sixth season at the helm.  May has a 101-60 overall record with the Owls. The team's 35-4 record last season was the best finish in program history.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the first every meeting between the Ramblers and Owls.