BROOKLYN, N.Y. (March 6, 2023) - Loyola University Chicago turns its attention too postseason play as the Ramblers head to Brooklyn, New York for the 2023 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship. Loyola, the No. 15 seed in the tournament will begin its tournament run on Tuesday, March 7 against the 10th-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+. Action from the Barclays Center can also be heard on the Rambler Sports Network with Jeff Hagedorn, Christian Thomas and Scott Sudikoff and Christian calling the action live courtside.
 
Last Time Out
Sheldon Edwards, making his first start of the season, scored a career-high 25 points to lift Loyola to a 76-73 victory over La Salle to close out the regular season. Edwards made a career-best nine field goals, including three from beyond the arc, while adding three assists, three steals and a rebound. Philip Alston came off the bench to add 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Loyola led by as many as 13 late in the second half, but a La Salle surge made it a one-possession game before Rambler free throws sealed the Loyola victory.
 
Primetime Phil
After a dominating sophomore season at Division II California University of Pennsylvania, Philip Alston has seamlessly made the transition to the Division I level. Alston enters the conference tournament as Loyola's leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game while bringing in a team-best 5.5 rebounds per contest.
 
The junior has been a consistent presence in the Loyola lineup all season, scoring 10 or more points in 24-of-30 games this year. Alston has four games with 20 or more points this season, including back-to-back games with 20 or more against Duquesne (season-high 25) and Dayton (22). Three of Alston's four 20-point performances have come against A10 teams while the fourth came in the Ramblers' victory over Clemson in December. The forward has three double-digit rebounding games this year, resulting in a pair of double-doubles. Alston had 11 rebounds against Albany before matching it with 11-rebound efforts in both of Loyola's games against Saint Joseph's, the Ramblers' first-round opponent.
 
Easy Two
Tom Welch is one of the most effective 2-point shooters in the country. According to kenpom.com, Welch ranks fourth among all Division I players in 2-point field goal percentage. The senior connects at a 73.7% clip, making 84-of-114 shots inside the arc this season. The effective shooting by Welch contributes to a Loyola offense that has a 53.1 effective field goal percentage, the third-best in the A10.