Loyola Ramblers Preview – https://loyolaramblers.com/news/2025/11 ... state.aspx

Wichita State Stats and Intel - https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... /2026.html

Record: 2-0 (American MBB)
Coach: Paul Mills
PS/G: 90.0 (81st of 365)
PA/G: 60.0 (36th of 365)
SRS: 0.64 (166th of 361)
SOS: -29.36 (354th of 361)
ORtg: 124.5 (60th of 365)
DRtg: 83.0 (31st of 365)
Preseason Odds: Championship +100000


Loyola Chicago Ramblers (1-2) at Wichita State Shockers (2-0) – 6:30pm CST Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas

Loyola Chicago takes its first road trip of the season to Wichita State.

On Sunday evening, the Ramblers stepped onto the hardwood against North Texas and took another frustrating loss, 64-62, at the buzzer. After going down 14 in the first half (34-20 at the half), the Ramblers opened the second on a 9-0 run and led by as much as five. The final four minutes saw four ties and poor offensive execution in the final minutes to regain control of the game before North Texas hit a buzzer beater to take the win. The Ramblers didn’t help themselves shooting 32.7% from the field (18 of 55 overall) and 5 of 26 from deep. If we choose to look at it again this way, missed FT’s cost them the game, going 21 for 31. Defensively, the Ramblers made positive strides and improvements, and their defensive pressure and creation of North Texas turnovers is what got them back into the game immediately in the second half.

"Thursday was such a shock to the system that I think to start the game we were nervous to make mistakes," said head coach Drew Valentine. "We came out and were initiators in the second half. Hopefully we continue to do that. We had a lot of spirit, heart, and life in the second half. I'm proud of that fight."

The Ramblers love the 3-pointer, maybe a bit too much. Through its 1-2 start, more than half of the Ramblers’ field-goal attempts have come from beyond the arc, but they’re only converting 30% of them. That inefficiency has been costly: an eight-point home loss to Mercyhurst and a gut-punch buzzer-beating loss to North Texas.

Wichita State, 2-0 for the season and projected to finish fifth in the American Conference, has victories over UNC Asheville (75-58) and Prairie View A&M (105-62). Despite losing 12 guys and returning only 0.9% of their scoring from the 2024-25 roster, the Shockers are yet another brand-new team in-acclimation the Ramblers will play against. The Shockers average 90 ppg and they grab 45.5 rebounds per game.

Kenyon Giles leads Wichita State, averaging 17.5 points per game. He dropped 20 in the opener on 8-16 from the field. He followed up with 15 vs. Prairie View on 5-9 from the field. All five were from behind the arc. The Shockers also feature 4 others currently averaging in double-figure scoring.

According to The Wichita Eagle News, ‘Paul Mills has a number on his mind this week, and it’s not the score. It’s 75. That’s the percentage of defensive rebounds the Wichita State men’s basketball coach believes his team needs to secure to be victorious Thursday night when Loyola-Chicago renews a former Missouri Valley rivalry at 6:30 p.m. inside Koch Arena.’

“When you deal with one- and two- and three-possession games, that stuff makes a difference,” Mills said. “To not perform up to caliber against UNC Asheville, then do the same thing again, it’s just not good enough.”

The Shockers have been dominant on the offensive boards so far, ranking No. 8 nationally in offensive rebounding rate at 46.7%. In the season-opening win over UNC Asheville, that translated to 21 offensive rebounds and 27 second-chance points, a defining edge on a night when the team’s first shots weren’t falling.

Justin Moore leads the Ramblers in scoring and assists with 14.3 PPG along with 5.3 APG while also chipping in 2.7 RPG. Miles Rubin has 13.7 PPG with a team-high 6.3 RPG to lead the Ramblers in rebounding and Deywilk Tavarez has 11 PPG. Kayde Dotson has 10 PPG with 3 RPG and 2 SPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Loyola Chicago up to this point in the year. Chuck Love III has 9 PPG with 3.3 RPG while Joshua Ola-Joseph has 9 PPG with 3 RPG. As a team, Loyola Chicago is averaging 72.7 PPG on 38.5% shooting from the field, 30.3% from three and 72.2% from the foul line this season.

Wichita State is 27-9 all-time vs. Loyola, including an 11-game win streak in the series. The Shockers never lost to the Ramblers when they were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the 37th meeting overall between both schools. Wichita State has also won 16 of its last 17 games against non-Conference opponents at Charles Koch Arena.


Wichita State Probable Starters – 7-2 C Will Berg, 6-5 F Karon Boyd, 5-11 G Kenyon Giles, 6-2 G Mike Gray, 6-5 G TJ Williams

Loyola Probable Starters – Rubin, Houinsou, Love III, Moore, Dotson


LAST 10 GAMES FOR BOTH SQUADS
N/A


Watch / Listen – Thursday night’s game is streamed on ESPN+, and can be listened to Rambler Sports Network with our friends Sudikoff and CT.

Postgame Show - Tune in to Sudikoff on RSN, followed by TalkinBlers Spaces on the X: https://x.com/blerstalking?s=21


Odds: Wichita State -4.5

Things I'd like to see:

-Strong start. We cannot be digging ourselves out of a hole every single game.

-Continued offensive aggression from Rubin. He needs to continue to go to the hoop.

-Fewer 3's. Focus on working the ball and attacking the basket rather than chucking up 3's.

-Moore stepping up to the leadership role we need from him. Better play from him and holding others accountable.

-Defensive aggression. No easy shots. Don't be lazy and fall out of position.

-A win.