Wednesday, December 17, 2014 7:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago

Abilene Christian, out of the Southland Conference, is in their first season as a member of Division 1. They’re 4-4 overall but 1-4 against Division 1 foes, their only victory coming against Sacramento State at home. The Wildcats stumbled out of the gate in the spotlight of the NCAA’s top division, losing badly to Tulsa and Duquesne, but seemed to have gained confidence with their win against Sacramento State. In a road game at Houston following their first D-1 victory, they performed well-- keeping the game within two points with five minutes remaining before losing by 12 to a team picked to finish in the top half of the American Athletic Conference.

Parker Wentz, a 5’9” junior guard, is Abilene Christian’s star player. Averaging 16.5 ppg and shooting over 50% from the field on the season and an even 50% from behind the arc, Wentz scored over 2000 points at the high school level and earned a blurb in Sports Illustrated. Wentz is undersized, but smart and fundamentally sound all the way around, shooting nearly 85% from the free throw line and leading his team in steals and free throw attempts. Joining Wentz in the starting lineup is 5’11” point guard Jalen Little, 6’7” junior forward Austin Cooke, 6’0” senior guard LaDarrien Williams, and 6’7” freshman forward Christian Albright.

Cooke is an excellent rebounder, averaging 7.0 per game, but not an overwhelming offensive player—he averages 7.0 ppg on only 35.5% shooting from the field. Little, a juco transfer, is a fantastic ball handler (3.1 assist to turnover ratio) but also weak offensively, averaging only 3.6 points per game and shooting less than 30% from the field. Williams is the Wildcats’ second leading scorer at 11.3 per game and hauls in 3.3 boards per game, but he is prone to turnovers. Albright is a good offensive player (5.6 ppg) and the Wildcats’ second leading rebounder with 4.9 per game. Guards Harrison Hawkins (ACU’s second-best three point threat), Drake Green, and Michael Grant see a lot of time off the bench; 6’8” junior forward Duran Porter is the top frontcourt reserve and an active offensive player, but prone to making foolish fouls.

There’s a lot of talent, good fundamentals, and inherent smarts on Abilene Christian, and they have the potential to really challenge a young and likewise undersized team like Loyola. The Wildcats put a scare into Houston on the road and soundly defeated a somewhat respectable Sacramento State team at home. Their games against three non-D1 teams have been blowouts, won by an average of 31 points per game. The Ramblers will need to rely on senior leadership (Thomas and Crisman) and superior talent matchups (Doyle, White, and possibly Ingram) to make Abilene Christian play on Loyola’s terms. Establishing an early lead, punctuated by a few backbreaking three-pointers at key moments would also be a plus.

Loyola game notes: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/loy ... 216aaa.pdf

Abilene Christian game notes: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/loy ... a_achr.pdf

Television: None

Streaming video: Ramblervision (http://www.loyolaramblers.com/collegesp ... dia=478328)

Vegas line: None likely

JCT is doing a great job of establishing a culture at Ramblermania with these detailed and well-researched game previews.

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That's the spirit! Way to buy into the cvulture!

Well done, sir. Well. Done.

#Culture

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Seriously, how freaking hard is it to remember to throw in a "culture"?

It is a variety of random factors that determines when I can show up at a game. The stars align and I will be there on Wednesday. I was hoping for a non-stress blowout...however it seems that maybe it is gonna be a game.I am guessing that this is gonna be an extremely small crowd. Which is actually a good thing as I will be there with my sister-in-law who toppled several cheerleaders with one of those large foam fingers!!!

Don't get me wrong, we should win this game by a comfortable margin. I'm just saying that if we don't take this team very seriously they could rise up and beat us if they're having a hot night. This team isn't going to make the kind of mental and strategic errors that Jackson State did, and they're gaining confidence with each game. We can't afford a letdown in this one, play around with lineups, pull starters too early, etc. If we play like we did against Kent State, we win by 20. Play like we did against Tulane and Jackson State, and they could make it very uncomfortable.

I am getting more and more confidence in our Defense which is doing nicely even without height--Apparently it can be done-and it is.

I believe this time we shall have a dull winner--say 77-54 !!

Keep playing NINE guys--It helps greatly--It appears they are (7 8 and 9) really producing. PM will be able to spot them from time to time as the season goes along and gets tougher.

Like the Cubs and Sox, I see a true resurgence in Rogers Park. ( Maybe even the Media will at least place us behind the WANT AD section somewhere.

Don't forget to arrive early if you want to be part of the $1 Hot Dog Culture!

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