Loyola at Cleveland State Game Notes

Dec. 31, 2007

Loyola (5-7, 1-1) at Cleveland State (8-5, 1-0)
Date: January 3, 2008
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Arena: Wolstein Center (13,610) - Cleveland, Ohio
Series: Loyola leads, 21-9
Radio: WYLL (AM 1160) - Tom Wuestenfeld (play-by-play)
TV: www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv

Tonight's Game: Loyola steps back into Horizon League action, in fact playing its next 14 contests against League foes, as it travels to Cleveland State Thursday night. The Ramblers, who have won three of their last five contests, are kicking off a tough stretch that will see them play three games in three cities in five days. Following Thursday's game at Cleveland State, Loyola travels to Youngstown State on Saturday before returning home to face Butler on Monday.

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 58-46 (.558) 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 336-240 (.583) mark, is 6-0 against Cleveland State as Loyola's head coach.

Loyola - Cleveland State - The Series: The Ramblers and Vikings are meeting for the 31st time in a series that dates back to the 1973-74 campaign. Loyola, which owns a 21-9 advantage in the all-time series, has claimed the last 11 contests between the teams, sweeping the season series in each of the past five years. The last time the Ramblers suffered a defeat at the Wolstein Center and in the series, was Jan. 31, 2002, when Cleveland State earned an 81-60 victory. A year ago, the teams played a pair of closely contested games, with the outcomes being determined by a combined 14 points. J.R. Blount tallied a career-best 27 points in Cleveland last February to lift Loyola to a 61-57 victory. Loyola is 9-6 all-time versus CSU in Cleveland.

New Year's Cheer: Under Whitesell, Loyola has posted a 2-1 mark in its first game of a new calendar year.

The Best Things In Life Are Free: A major factor in Loyola's success the last few years has been its ability to convert its foul shots. Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the Ramblers are shooting 74 percent (1,153 for 1,563) from the charity stripe, including a 75-percent mark (113 for 151) over the last seven contests.

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.

Putting The "O" Back In Loyola: Loyola had scored only 109 points in its previous two games before lighting up the scoreboard for 89 points versus Saint Mary's (Minn.) last Saturday. The 89-point outburst is the Ramblers' best since going for 96 points against John Carroll on Nov. 17 2006. With a 89-45 win over Saint Mary's, Loyola recorded its greatest margin of victory since a 105-55 win versus Morgan State on Dec. 14, 1991.

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 96-31 (.756) record over the last four seasons and needs 135 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 victimized Cleveland State for 18.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.7 apg, while shooting at a 54 percent clip from the field and a 63-percent rate from long range in three career meetings with the Vikings. He has found his stroke from the foul line, sinking 33 of his last 41 (80 percent) tosses from the charity stripe. Loyola is 15-4 since the start of the 2006-07 campaign when he records a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and he has handed out 18 assists (3.0 apg) to only 12 turnovers in the last six contests. After starting the year by hitting 31 of his first 65 (48 percent) from the field, Blount has converted only 27 of his last 98 (28 percent) shots, including 5 of his last 28 (18 percent). In his last three regular-season League games, Blount is tallying 18.3 ppg.

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 6.0 rpg. The 2006 Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin, Polka is contributing 7.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg and 2.0 apg in his last two games in the state of Ohio. 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 5.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 1.3 apg in its defeats. The Ramblers are 3-1 this season and 9-3 in Polka's career when he scores in double digits.

Mister Robinson's Neighborhood: Tracy Robinson has developed a knack for coming up big late in games to lift Loyola to victories. 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 had not scored in double figures in his first two seasons as a Rambler, but scored in double digits on five occasions last year. Robinson is accounting for 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.5 bpg, while shooting 48 percent from the field in League play this year. The senior, who poured in a career-high 18 points against Milwaukee Dec. 8, has scored in double figures in five of Loyola's last seven outings but has struggled in the last three games, posting 6.0 ppg and shooting 23 percent (5 for 22) from the field. In his previous four appearances, Robinson tallied 13.0 ppg and hit 44 percent from the field.

Only The Young Can Say: Through games of Dec. 30, junior forward Leon Young ranked third 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 Saint Mary's (Minn.) game due to illness, 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 chraity stripe. In League play, he is accounting for 14.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg and has posted 16.3 ppg in Loyola's last three road games.

Cerasoli Contributes: Junior guard Justin Cerasoli, a transfer from the University of Mississippi, has started his Loyola career with a bang by scoring in double digits in each of his first three games as a Rambler. The last LU players to score in double figures in each of their first three games on the Lake Shore Campus were Paul McMillan (first six games) and Terrance Whiters (first four games), both during the 2002-03 season. Cerasoli, who is averaging 15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 apg and 2.0 spg, while shooting 52 percent (13 for 25) from the field in a pair of starts this year, is making his Horizon League debut tonight. The high-scoring guard registered a career-best 17 points in only 21 minutes versus Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Dec. 29.

That Under 70s Show: Loyola is 42-17 (.712) under Whitesell when allowing fewer than 70 points. Since the start of the 2005-06 campaign, the Ramblers have posted a 32-12 ledger when yielding fewer than 70 points, including a 16-4 mark a year ago, but are 4-5 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 48 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.

Second-Half Struggles: Over the last eight contests, the Ramblers have been done in by red-hot shooting by their opponents in the second half. Despite holding its foes to 40 percent (101 for 253) shooting from the field in the first half, Loyola has allowed the opposition to convert 52 percent (121 for 231) of its tries in the final stanza in the last eight outings. On the other hand, the Ramblers have converted only 36 percent (98 for 271) of their tries in the second half over that eight-game span. Loyola has been in possession of the lead in the second half in eight of its 12 contests, squandering 10-point advantages in the final 20 minutes versus UMKC and Bradley.

Getting Defensive: After allowing its opponents to shoot 47 percent (243 for 513) from the field in the first 10 games of the year, Loyola has limited the opposition to 36 percent (37 for 103) shooting over the last two outings. Dating back to last season, in their last four regular-season Horizon League road games, the Ramblers are surrendering only 59.0 ppg, while holding opponents to a 34 percent (77 for 226) accuracy rate from the field. In a pair of League affairs this season, Loyola has defended the perimeter well, forcing Green Bay and Milwaukee to shoot only 24 percent (8 for 33) from beyond the arc.

Road Rumblings: Loyola has dropped its last four true road games on the heels of a six-game, road winning streak. The Ramblers bring a five-game road winning streak in regular-season League play into Thursday's game at Cleveland State and have not stumbled away from home in circuit play since suffering a 79-73 setback at UIC on Jan. 13, 2007. Loyola, which has failed to produce a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in a road game this season, is averaging only 53.0 ppg and shooting 35 percent (56 for 160) from the field and 20 percent (10 for 51) from three-point territory in the last three contests played away from the Gentile Center.

Here Comes The Boom: Making his first career start on Dec. 29, Darrin "Boomer" Williams notched career highs of seven points and 12 rebounds in Loyola's 89-45 victory over Saint Mary's (Minn.). The junior has committed only two turnovers in 109 minutes of action this season and has converted 10 of his last 15 (67 percent) attempts from the field. Over the last seven games, the 6-foot-8 forward is contributing 3.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg. Finally healthy after battling knee injuries most of his career, Williams has doubled his career point total entering this season (14) and has matched his career rebound total (24) in only 12 games this year.

Not Without A Hitch: Head athletic trainer Dr. Tom Hitcho has worked 875 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.