Sunday, January 31, 2021 2:00 p.m.
JQH Arena, Springfield, Mo.


Loyola wraps up their five-game road trip in three different states with a trip to Missouri State for back-to-back games in Springfield. JQH Arena has been a den of horrors for Loyola, especially recently. The Ramblers have lost their last four straight games at JQH by an average of more than 13 points, even while Loyola has finished well above the Bears in the standings the past four years. Loyola is 2-5 at JQH since joining the MVC.

This year's Bears have been notable for the amazing duo of 6'8" power forward Gaige Prim and 6'5" sophomore small forward/shooting guard Isiaih Mosley. Prim and Mosely have quick hands, plus-plus athleticism, and a sure touch at the basket under pressure. Between the two, they've put up monster numbers-- they're #1 and #2 in the conference in scoring, #1 and #6 in rebounds.

Prim is #1 in the conference in offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds per game, and player efficiency rating. He's 5th in blocks, 5th in assists per game, 4th in free throw attempts, and 4th in effective field goal percentage. He's lost some fat and gained some muscle since last year, so he's a lot more mobile, and his footwork as improved over last year, too.

As the MVC's leading scorer and the 2nd highest scorer in the NCAA behind Iowa's Luka Garza, Mosley outscores his 2nd-place teammate Prim by 5.8 points per game. He's #1 in the conference in made free throws, #3 in free throw percentage, #3 in defensive rebounds, and #7 in assists per game.

Coach Rob Ford (Edit: See Below!) starts three forwards: 6'7" junior Keaton Hervey, 6'8" junio r Jared Ritter, and Prim. The two sophomore guards were teammates at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri, Mosley and 6'4" Ja'Monta Black. There is no point guard per se-- Prim leads the team in assists with Mosley right behind him. Two of the top players off the bench, 6'3" junior guard Demarcus Sharp and bulky 6'1" freshman Lu'Cye Patterson operate more similarly to a point guard when they're in the lineup. Black and Ritter are the most prolific three-point shooters, each of whom has launched 80+ attempts in 12 games, but they connect at a 33-34% rate. Mosley is the most dangerous three point threat, shooting 40.5%.

There's no question that Missouri State's starting five has one of the best offenses in the league. They're also not too bad on one-on-one defense-- they're third best in the league in field goal percentage defense both inside and outside the arc. But Missouri State has the worst turnover ratio in the league, which results in their opponents getting many more scoring opportunities and control of pacing and possessions. And they're a bit banged up after their series with Drake; Ja'Monta Black played only 13 scoreless minutes in their second game (he averages 11.2 points in 31.5 minutes), and Gaige Prim sat out of practice this week with a bruised hip.

The Ramblers have won six in a row for the first time since April 2018. Loyola's ranking in the NET (25) and KenPom.com (22) is its highest ever, but the Ramblers are still behind undefeated Drake. The Bulldogs will be playing Illinois State at home this weekend, so they're expected to win easily. The Ramblers will have to win both of these tough road games this weekend just to keep pace, one notch behind Drake.


Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... 31_21_.pdf

Missouri State game notes: https://missouristatebears.com/document ... 020_21.pdf

TV/Streaming video: CBS Sports Net https://www.cbssports.com/cbs-sports-network/

Internet audio feed: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=53&type=Live

Live stats: https://missouristatebears.com/sidearms ... ball/media

Vegas odds: Loyola by 7

Thank JCT. I'm interested to see what kind of job Lucas and Aher can do shutting Mosley down on offense. Just like last year, the physical battle between Krut and Prim will be very entertaining. Their team is longer than ours. I wonder what our strategies will be on offense and defense.

Lot of love from Vegas.

Need a sweep to keep pace. Wish we had these guys at home. I think we will be lucky to split.

But prove me wrong, Ramblers!

In Missouri State's game one vs. Drake, they only played 8 players. That was before Prim bruised his hip and Black tweked his ankle in game two. Getting game one will be important.

Thanks JCT always love the preview.

PS, I think you meant Dana Ford not Rob (Rob being the drug-addled ex-Mayor of Toronto, RIP)

LOL I thought of that too. I remember that video of him smoking crack.

Usually I go back and correct items when people point out my stupid errors, but I'm going to leave that one to show how absolutely wrong and foolish I can be.

That's too funny. I read Rob Ford and kind of did a double take, but I didn't think anything of it. Barely remembered that name from Toronto.

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I drove a Rob Ford back in the day. No match for my Cheval Blanc though.