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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:35 am 
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Location: Chicago, Illinois
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 8:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago, Ill.


Loyola plays the University of Rhode Island for the first time Wednesday night in the final home game of the inaugural season in the A-10. The game will be senior night for two players: grad transfers Bryce Golden, and Jeameril Wilson. It’s also potentially the last time Rambler fans might see some seniors who have the option of ending their college careers or moving on for grad transfer opportunities.

The Ramblers came into the season having never played any of the state schools in the A-10: George Mason, UMass, Rhode Island, and VCU. A win over URI on Wednesday could give the Ramblers a winning record (3-2) against the A-10's public universities. Loyola comes in ranked at 255 in KenPom, while Rhode Island is 239. The winner of this game will likely be the 14th seed at the A-10 Tournament beginning next Tuesday. The loser will almost certainly be the 15th seed.

It’s been a rough year for URI. The Rams had lowered expectations because they lost so much to graduation and transfer after last year, but also deservedly encouraging expectations because of Archie Miller’s return to the A-10. In Miller’s six years at Dayton, he took the Flyers to four NCAA Tournaments and one NIT before stepping up to Indiana. After a year off from coaching as a media commentator, he took the Rhode Island gig.

Rhody's defense is pretty good. The Rams rank in the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency. They hold opposing teams to 43.3% field goal percentage, and they are very good rebounders. I think Rhode Island might be the only team besides VCU thus far to beat both Fordham AND Dayton (two of the top four seeds in the A-10 Tournament)… Even when they lose, it's often by a close margin-- in URI's current seven-game losing streak, they took George Washington to overtime, got nipped by one point on a VCU buzzer-beater, lost at Saint Louis by five, and last time out lost at Fordham by three.

But URI has a lot of problems on offense. They have no real, consistent offensive force near the basket; they are among the worst in D-I hoops in shooting the three; their second-leading scorer was kicked off the team two weeks ago; and only eight teams in D-I have a lower overall field goal percentage. On the plus side, they earn the third-most trips to the free throw line in the A-10, and they have the second-highest percentage from the line. They seem to play the top teams really well, but they’ve lost two games to UMass by 10 and 24 points, and lost to St. Joe’s by 14. They’ve dropped home non-con games to Brown and Texas State.

Coach Miller’s likely starters on Wednesday night are 6'1" sophomore Sebastian Thomas, 6'3" junior Jalen Carey, 6'3" sophomore Ishmael Leggett, 6'6" senior forward Malik Martin, and 6'11" sophomore Alex Tchikou. Leggett leads the team in scoring at 16.6 per game. Thomas (5.6 points, 2.8 assists) is now the main playmaker since sophomore Brayon Freeman (a transfer from GW who averaged 14.3 points and led the team in assists) was cut from the roster. Wichita State transfer Josephat Bilau was supposed to be their starting big man, but he went down to season-ending surgery in the 8th game of the year. Martin is the leading rebounder at 6.4, but Leggett at 6’3” pulls in 5.8 boards per game, Carey 5.1, and Tchikou 3.5.

The two bench players currently playing double-digit minutes are 6'8" freshman Rory Stewart (2.2 points) and 6'5" freshman Brandon Weston. Six-eight freshman forward Abdou Samb got his first DNP of the season in the loss to Fordham. Another freshman, 6'7" Louis Hutchinson might get a few minutes. But there's not much depth-- especially at guard-- after losing a 29.1 minute per game player in Freeman.

Since losing Freeman, the Rams have a much shorter bench. But was it addition by subtraction? Three of the four games since Freeman was cut have ended with the score differential at regulation between zero and three points. Maybe the Rams are pulling together in the face of adversity.

But you know who really needs to pull together and win their senior night home finale to have a chance at finishing just off the bottom for the regular season? The Ramblers. A win would give Loyola the tiebreaker over URI if they both finish 4-14. It would equal their conference win total from their first year in the MVC, and help provide a tiny bit of hope for the conference tournament and the future. A win would ensure double-digit overall wins, and a big win could help boost the KenPom numbers a bit—possibly enough to maybe climb over Rhody and out of the basement in that metric. “Don’t Finish Last” isn’t the optimum mission statement, but it’s an achievable goal.

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

Rhode Island game notes: https://gorhody.com/news/2023/2/28/mens ... esday.aspx

TV/Streaming video: CBS Sports Network https://www.cbssports.com/

Radio/Streaming audio: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=147&type=Live

Live stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=426271

Vegas odds: Loyola by 4.5


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:21 pm 
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Per Loyola notes, only Bryce and Jeameril will be honored for senior night. Speaks volumes about the future of Braden (expected), Welch (somewhat expected), and Marquise (honestly a bit surprising after how this season has gone)

https://loyolaramblers.com/news/2023/2/ ... night.aspx


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:36 pm 
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Location: Livin in the middle, between the two extremes
If you were them, and you had a choice, is this the year you want to go out with? To be remembered for? I don’t blame them in the least for any decision they make. Let’s run it back next year with a group that’s played together, with one or a few impact additions.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 6:56 pm 
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I posted last week that Norris, Kennedy and Welch were coming back and told the school they were not going to participate in Senior night. You can decide if this is a good thing or not. Irrespective, the team needs to be coached differently next year. We can't play seniors if they are not getting it done. It also slows the growth of the younger players. You have to earn it. Hopefully we do better with transfers next year and start stabilizing the program.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 8:30 pm 
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How many wide open dunks will their big guy get before Hutson is given a few minutes? Golden & Welch lost on defense, per usual.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 8:34 pm 
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goramblers2011 wrote:
How many wide open dunks will their big guy get before Hutson is given a few minutes? Golden & Welch lost on defense, per usual.


Hutson certainly can't do that! Haha. That may be the play of the year for us. (Of course he missed the and-1 though...).


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 8:52 pm 
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Losing at half by 7 at home, on senior night, to the 14th place team. A team that hasn't won a road game all season. 0-10.

On pace to give up 88 to a pretty incompetent offensive team.

Also still awful from FTs.

In a season of new awful performances, this one is up there so far.

And they need to move the on-floor mics. The screaming students currently right up in the mics are brutal and cringeworthy.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 8:57 pm 
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Facts about Rhode Island:

- KenPom 240.
- 4-12 in the A10.
- Better than us at every position.

_________________
MBB Scholarship Chart


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 9:12 pm 
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‘21 ‘22 grad, been a browser of ramblermania for years. Definitely been an adjustment this year from the 100+ wins and multiple banners I got to see these last 5 years. Agree with everything that has been said about this season for the most part.

On a side note- IMO they really need to change the “You let the whole team down” chant after missed FT’s. Really cringe and sounds like something you’d here at the high school at best. Every non-rambler fan I have been with to watch games has commented on how dorky it is.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 9:17 pm 
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Jesus..PLEASE MOVE THE MICS. I don't need to hear this obnoxious lady calling an injuried URI player a "b****" on national TV. What an embarrassment she is. If she's a student, she should face disciplinary action.

The play in the court is embarrassing enough, getting blown out at home by an awful team. Don't need this from our "fans" now.


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