Loyola at UIC Game Notes

Jan. 10, 2008

Loyola (5-10, 1-4) at UIC (8-7, 2-2)
Date: January 12, 2008
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Arena: UIC Pavilion (8,000) - Chicago, Ill.
Series: UIC leads, 24-13
Radio: WYLL (AM 1160) - John Fitzgerald (play-by-play); Dave Klusendorf (expert analyst)
TV: Lakeshore Public Television - Joe Arredondo (play-by-play); Todd Medland (color analyst)

Tonight's Game: Loyola travels to the Near West side Saturday night to face city and Horizon League rival UIC for the first time in the 2007-08 season. The Ramblers are looking to snap a six-game road losing slide as they also search for their first win in 2008. After Saturday's game at UIC, Loyola will play five of its next seven contests at the Gentile Center before finishing the year by taking to the road for five of the final six games of the regular season.

Head Coach Jim Whitesell: Turning programs around is nothing new to Jim Whitesell and he has performed one of his best works in just three short seasons at Loyola. Now in his fourth season as the bench boss in Rogers Park, the Iowa Falls, Iowa native has guided the Ramblers to a 58-49 (.542) overall record. His 53 wins in his first three seasons at Loyola were the most by a Rambler head coach in his first three years since Tom Haggerty won 69 contests from 1945-48. Last year, Whitesell piloted Loyola to a 21-win season, its best showing since 1985. Whitesell comes from a family with numerous Hollywood ties. His brother Patrick is a high-profile agent in Hollywood, while brother, John, is a producer/director. Two other brothers, Sean and Chris, write for TV shows, including Cold Case and daytime soap operas. Whitesell, who owns a career 336-243 (.580) mark, is 5-3 against UIC as Loyola's head coach.

Loyola - UIC - The Series: The city and Horizon League rivals are meeting for the 38th time in a series that dates back to 1986. UIC owns a 24-13 advantage in the all-times series but Loyola has prevailed in five of the last seven meetings between the urban schools. Playing at the UIC Pavilion has proven to be a difficult task for the Ramblers over the years as they are 3-14 against the Flames on their home court. Three years ago, Loyola snapped a 13-game losing skid at the Pavilion with a 91-85 decision, then earned a 71-68 victory there in 2006. Last season, UIC swept the regular-season series, but Loyola got the last laugh with a 66-62 victory at the Horizon League Championship in Dayton, Ohio, as Blake Schilb erupted for 31 points and eight rebounds. Close games have been nothing new to this series. A year ago, the three meetings between the clubs were decided by a combined 11 points and 17 of the 37 previous meetings have been determined by a margin of six points or less. UIC and Loyola have met three times in the Horizon League Championship with two of those games going into overtime and those three contests were determined by a combined outcome of 11 points. At the Pavilion last season, UIC slipped past Loyola with a 79-73 victory despite 22 points from J.R. Blount.

Heaven On Seventy: Seventy points has been the benchmark for success when it comes to the Ramblers' offense this season, as they are 5-0 when scoring at least 70 points. In fact, dating back to last year, Loyola has won its last nine and 10 of its last 11 contests when it reaches the 70-point plateau.

Road Warriors: The Ramblers have won five of their last seven regular-season Horizon League road games dating back to last year. In fact, prior to a Jan. 3 loss at Cleveland State, Loyola's last regular-season League setback away from the Gentile Center was a 79-73 defeat at UIC on Jan. 13, 2007. Last season, Loyola picked up its first road win at Milwaukee since 2002, at Detroit since 1992 and at Butler since 1989.

Milwaukee's Best: If you had to describe junior J.R. Blount in one word, there is no question it would be "winner". The gritty 6-foot-1 guard has compiled a staggering 96-33 (.738) record over the last four seasons and needs 91 points to become the 37th member of Loyola's 1,000-Point Club. A Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection, Blount is the first Rambler since Chris Williams (1998-2000) to average double figures in both his true freshman and sophomore seasons. The Milwaukee native has found his stroke from the foul line, sinking 43 of his last 53 (81 percent) tosses from the charity stripe. Loyola is 15-6 since the start of the 2006-07 campaign when he records a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and he has scored in double digits in 13 of the Ramblers' 15 games this year. In League play this season, Blount is tallying 16.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg and has dished out 18 assists to only 12 turnovers. Against opponents from the Land of Lincoln, he is posting 16.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.3 spg, this year. A year ago, Blount recorded 22 points in a loss at UIC.

Polka Mania: Bruising 6-foot-7 forward Andy Polka has picked up where he left off last season when he established himself as one of the premier rebounders in the Horizon League. The sophomore finished third overall and first among League rookies last season with 7.2 rpg and heads into tonight's contest with 6.3 rpg. The 2006 Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin, Polka has scored in double digits in three of Loyola's last four games, after accomplishing the feat three times in the first 11 outings of the season. One of only two Ramblers to have started every game this season, Polka has contributed 10.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 2.6 apg in Loyola's wins this year, compared to 7.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.3 apg in its defeats. The Ramblers are 9-4 in Polka's career when he scores in double digits. His 14-point effort against No. 14 Butler last Monday was his best output since going for 14 points at UIC on Jan. 13, 2007. Over the last four contests, Polka is notching 11.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while shooting 55 percent (17 for 31) from the field including 60 percent (3 for 5) from triple territory.

Mister Robinson's Neighborhood: Tracy Robinson has developed a knack for coming up big late in games to lift Loyola to victories. Two years ago, he converted a pair of crucial free throws in the waning seconds to seal a win at UIC. He scored 14 of his career-best 16 points in the second half Nov. 13 to lead Loyola to a 72-65 victory at Eastern Illinois and laid in the game-tying basket just before the final buzzer to force overtime in a Dec. 8 win versus Milwaukee. A year ago, the senior buried five free throws in the final minute to seal a 75-71 win at No. 15 Butler. The versatile 6-foot-7 forward is accounting for 13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg and is shooting 49 percent from the field in League play this year. The senior, who poured in a career-high 19 points at Youngstown State on Jan. 5, has scored in double figures in six of his last eight starting assignments and is contributing 14.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.0 spg, while shooting 57 percent (12 for 21) from the field in the last pair of contests.

Only The Young Can Say: If injuries didn't prevent him from qualifying, Leon Young would rank second in the Horizon League with 7.1 rpg. One of the top free-throw shooters in the Horizon League with a career .801 (242 for 302) accuracy rate from the charity stripe, Young has buried his last 16 attempts from the foul line and was a perfect 10 for 10 at UMKC on Dec. 22. Young, who has already dealt a career-best 11 assists this season and missed the last four games with pneumonia, needs 60 rebounds to become the 28th member of Loyola's 500-Rebound Club. Loyola is 4-1 in Young's career when he registers 20 or more points. Over his last four appearances, Young is tallying 17.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg, while connecting on 57 percent (20 for 35) of his field-goal attempts and 83 percent (30 for 36) of his tries from the charity stripe. In League play, he is accounting for 14.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg and has posted 12.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg versus in-state foes this season.

Cerasoli Contributes: Junior guard Justin Cerasoli, a transfer from the University of Mississippi, has made an immediate impact, scoring in double figures in five of his first six games of the season. He started his Loyola career with a bang by scoring in double digits in each of his first three games. The last LU players to score in double figures in each of their first three games as a Rambler were Paul McMillan (first six games) and Terrance Whiters (first four games), both during the 2002-03 season. Cerasoli, who is averaging 12.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 2.4 apg in five starts this year, is averaging 7.0 rpg over the last two contests.

That Under 70s Show: Loyola is 42-19 (.689) under Whitesell when allowing fewer than 70 points. Since the start of the 2005-06 campaign, the Ramblers have posted a 32-14 ledger when yielding fewer than 70 points, including a 16-4 mark a year ago, but are 4-7 this season.

Fill My Eyes With That Double-Double Vision: Young has registered a double-double in two his last four appearances and has posted seven of his nine career double-doubles against non-Horizon League competition. In a Dec. 22 loss at UMKC, he pumped in a career-best 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, one shy of a career high. The Long Beach, Calif., native has already matched his double-double total from a season ago and the Ramblers are now 7-2 all-time when he reaches double figures in both points and rebounds.

Elite Company: With 40 total wins over the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, only Butler recorded more than Loyola among Horizon League institutions.

Start Him Up: Blount enters tonight's game having been a member of Loyola's starting five in 51 consecutive contests.

Helping Hands: Loyola is 4-0 this season when it has posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Over the last two seasons, the Ramblers are 14-1 (.933) when recording more assists than turnovers, with the only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 14 Butler, 70-66, in overtime.

Maybe It Is How You Start: Since the start of the 2005-06 season, Loyola has amassed a 40-6 (.870) record in games in which it has held the lead at halftime.

Here Comes The Boom: Over the last four outings, the first starts of his career, Darrin "Boomer" Williams has emerged as a force in the paint, averaging 7.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg, while shooting 58 percent (11 for 19) from the field. The junior has committed only four turnovers in 173 minutes of action this season and has converted 18 of his last 28 (64 percent) attempts from the field. In League road contests this winter, the 6-foot-8 forward is registering 10.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg and draining 62 percent (8 for 13) of his tries from the field. Finally healthy after battling knee injuries most of his career, Williams entered a Jan. 3 game at Cleveland State with 42 career points, but poured in a career-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Vikings. Prior to his 21-point outburst at Cleveland State, Williams had only scored eight points away from the Gentile Center in his career. Over the last two contests, the Ramblers have failed to get Williams involved in the offense as he is scoreless with only two field goal attempts.

In Need Of Some Scoring In Reserve: Through the first 15 outings of the season, the Ramblers' bench has outscored that of its opponent on three occasions, but has failed to produce at least 10 points nine times. Over the last three contests, Loyola's reserves have managed only 14 total points.

Finishing With A Flourish: One thing Loyola has been known for over the last three seasons has been a strong finish. In three years at Loyola, Whitesell's clubs have posted a remarkable 17-5 (.773) record in the month of February. Included in that run is a pair of four-game winning streaks and a six-game winning streak.

Rockin' Robinson: After coming off the bench for most of his first three seasons at Loyola, Tracy Robinson has earned the starting nod on 10 occasions this year. The 6-foot-7 forward had posted 277 career points and averaged 3.5 ppg heading into the 2007-08 season, but has already tossed in 149 points (9.9 ppg) through the first 15 games of the year.

Nice Work, Junior: Loyola's top three scorers - J.R. Blount, Leon Young and Justin Cerasoli - are all juniors. That trio of juniors have accounted for a collective 39.9 ppg, a total which accounts for 64 percent of the Ramblers' total offense, and 15.1 rpg. Darrin Williams, who is also a junior, is contributing 3.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg to add to those numbers. Last year's senior class of Blake Schilb, Majak Kou, Brandon Woods and Kye Pattrick averaged a combined 34.5 ppg and 12.7 rpg.

Not Without A Hitch: Head athletic trainer Dr. Tom Hitcho has worked 878 consecutive Loyola men's basketball regular-season contests. Since joining the staff for the 1977-78 campaign, "Hitch", as he is affectionately known to those on campus, has not missed a single game and has witnessed 410 Rambler victories. In his 31st year at Loyola, Hitcho was inducted into the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2006.

Getting A Handle On Randall: First-year assistant coach Lance Randall is a familiar face to a pair of Ramblers. Senior Tom Levin was coached by Randall's late father, Steve, at Oshkosh West High School. Randall, left his job as an assistant coach at Saint Louis to succeed his father at Oshkosh West following his untimely passing, was the head coach for two seasons for current Loyola sophomore Andy Polka. Randall guided Polka, and his 2005-06 squad, to a perfect 26-0 record and the Wisconsin Division I state title.

Ramblers Sign Four Early: In November, Loyola announced the signing of four recruits, three of whom stand 6-foot-6 or taller, during the NCAA Early Signing Period. Joining the fold for the 2008-09 season are 6-foot-9 forward John Benkoske (Oshkosh, Wis.), 6-foot-7 forward Walt Gibler (Cincinnati, Ohio), 6-foot-6 swing player Jordan Hicks (Rochester, Minn.) and 6-foot-1 guard Courtney Stanley (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Lights, Camera, Action: This season, Loyola will have 10 home games and 12 contests total, broadcast live on Lakeshore Public Television. Lakeshore Public Television, which is available on either channel 17 or 21 on most cable systems in the Chicago area, reaches 3.5 million households and is also available on channel 56 on Dish Network and DirecTV.