CHICAGO - The Ramblers continue to defend their home court Saturday with a 5 p.m. tip-off vs. the Tulsa Hurricane. Loyola Chicago has won its first five games of the year and 11 straight at home, dating back to last season. Tulsa dropped its last two games after opening the season with three consecutive wins.

Saturday's game can be watched on Marquee Sports Network and ESPN+ with Jordan Bernfield (PXP) and Stephond Robinson (Analyst) and can be listened to Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas (Analyst).

RAMBLINGS
• Loyola is off to a hot start and is one of six A-10 teams undefeated heading into the week. The last time the Ramblers got off to a 5-0 start was the 2017-18 season.
• The Ramblers are 4-0 at home this season and have won their last 11 games in Gentile arena, dating back to Jan. 17, 2024 against Massachusetts.
• In their last home win over Southern Utah, three Ramblers scored double-figures. Des Watson led the team with 12 points, while Kymany Houinsou added 11. Jalen DeLoach scored 10 off the bench.
• Loyola has one of the most productive benches in the NCAA, averaging 38.4 bench points per game. It leads the A-10 and ranks 19th in the country.
• The Rambler bench has outscored their opponent in every game. Chicago State was the closest margin (26-21), while Detroit (40-21), Eureka (68-20), Princeton (24-10), and Southern Utah (34-10) were double-figures.
• Through the first five games, Jayden Dawson and Sheldon Edwards Jr. lead Loyola's scoring efforts. Dawson is averaging 14.6 points per game and Edwards Jr. 10.8 points per game.
• Dawson has the lone 20-point outing of the year against Chicago State. He went 7-of-17 from the field with three from the arc. The junior guard then scored double-figures in the next three games.
• Edwards Jr. had a season-high 17 points vs. Eureka. It was part of a three-game double-figure scoring streak that had 13 points games vs. Detroit Mercy and Princeton. Edwards Jr. has hit at least one three-pointer in every game this season. He had three in each game during his double-figure scoring streak.
• DeLoach has made a huge impact coming off the bench. He dropped a season-high 13 points vs. Detroit Mercy and had 10 points in the last two games.
• DeLoach leads the team in field goal percentage (.704) and ranks fifth in the A-10. Miles Rubin also joins him on the list at 18th, averaging 57.1 percent from the field.
• Head coach Drew Valentine enters his fourth season at the helm. He has compiled a 63-39 overall record as head coach.

SCOUTING TULSA
The Hurricane are 3-2 heading into Saturday having dropped their last two games to Missouri State and Little Rock. Their lone road loss came to MSU last weekend, 111-106. They opened the season with three straight wins over Northeastern State, Arkansas - Pine Bluff, and Oral Roberts. Tulsa finished last season at 16-15 overall and 7-11 in the American.

Five players are averaging over 10 points per game with Keaston Willis leading the charge. He averages 14.4 points per game on 42.9 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three. He dropped 17 in the first two games of the season followed by a 22-point performance against Oral Roberts.

Erik Konkol is in his third season at the helm with a 24-42 record. It's the 10th season of his career. He had an overall head coaching record of 177-117.

SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series is 2-2. Loyola fell last season on the road in Tulsa, 88-77. Jayden Dawson dropped a career-performance with 26 points, tying the single-game three-pointers made record, finishing 8-of-11.