Loyola (10-16, 7-8) at Cleveland State (9-14, 6-8)
February 23, 2005 - Cleveland, Ohio
7:05 pm EST - WIND (AM 560)

Tonight’s Game: Loyola heads into its final regular-season contest of the 2004-05 campaign looking to secure an opening-round home game in the American Family Insurance Horizon League Championship. The Ramblers are playing their best basketball of the year at the most opportune time, having won their last three contests and four of the last five. The league tournament begins March 1 at campus sites. A victory over Cleveland State tonight would assure the Ramblers of a first-round home contest.

Loyola - Cleveland State - The Series: This is the 26th meeting between the Ramblers and Vikings and Loyola owns a 16-9 edge in the all-time series that began during the 1973-74 campaign. Loyola has prevailed in the last six, and in seven of the last eight, encounters between the teams. On Jan. 3 at the Gentile Center, the Ramblers rolled to a 70-55 victory behind a career-high 22 points off the bench from Majak Kou. Loyola forced 21 turnovers and held Cleveland State to 36 percent shooting in that game. The Ramblers have taken the last two meetings in Cleveland and are 6-6 all-time versus the Vikings there.

Road Warriors: Loyola has emerged victorious in each of its last three road contests. The last time the Ramblers had a road streak, excluding neutral sites, that extensive was during the 1984-85 campaign, when they captured seven straight games away from home.

Head Coach Jim Whitesell: Jim Whitesell, in his first season at Loyola, has displayed an uncanny ability to revitalize programs and lead them to the NCAA Tournament. Previously, Whitesell has led a pair of area teams, Elmhurst College and Lewis University, to the postseason. Hired at Loyola on April 14, 2004, following 12 successful years at Lewis, Whitesell racked up a 214-126 (.629) ledger and guided the Flyers to five NCAA Tournament appearances. Success for Whitesell and his players hasn’t been limited to the hardwood however, as ninety-five percent of the players who have suited up for him in the previous 17 campaigns have earned a college degree. The Iowa Falls, Iowa native owns a 288-210 (.578) career coaching record and is currently in his 18th season overall and first as a Division I front man. Whitesell is 1-0 versus Cleveland State.

Close Encounters: Of Loyola’s 16 defeats, nine have been by seven points or less, including four by four points or less. Further proof of how close the Ramblers have been is the fact that Loyola has either held the lead or trailed by no more than four points at the 4:00 mark of the second half in 10 of its 16 setbacks. However, only three of Loyola’s last 11 contests have been decided by fewer than 14 points.

Super Sophs: A talented sophomore class has started to shine for Whitesell and his staff. Second-year players Blake Schilb, Majak Kou and Tyrelle Blair have combined to account for 51 percent (870 of 1,710 points) of the Loyola offense this season. The trio is combining to post 33.9 ppg and 13.7 rpg.

Roadies: Shooting the ball well has been the key to the Ramblers posting four road victories this season. In those four wins away from home, Loyola has averaged 78.3 ppg, and has connected on .514 (110 for 214) of its shots from the field, including a blistering .515 (35 for 68) from three-point territory. Conversely, in its 10 losses on the road this season, Loyola has accounted for 58.4 ppg, shooting .409 (219 for 535) from the field and .274 (52 for 190) from long distance.

The “D” is the Key: Defense has been the key to Loyola’s success this season, particularly in Horizon League play. In its seven League victories, Loyola has allowed only 60.4 ppg, while also holding opponents to .383 (148 for 386) shooting from the field, including .311 (37 for 119) from three-point range. However, in their eight setbacks in conference competition, the Ramblers have yielded 73.3 ppg, as foes have shot .458 (203 for 443) from the field, and .401 (57 for 142) from triple territory.

Gouard’s Been Golden: Since returning from a seven-game layoff due to a knee injury, DaJuan Gouard has sparked Loyola to a 7-4 record, averaging 16.7 ppg. With the 6-foot-2 guard, the Ramblers are 9-10 this season after posting a 1-6 mark in his absence. The senior captain has scored in double digits in each of his 11 appearances since returning from the injury. Over the last four outings, Gouard is averaging 21.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.3 apg, hitting .500 (29 for 58) of his tries from the field. In his first five contests following the injury, Gouard accounted for 13.6 ppg, converting only .400 (26 for 65) of his shots from the field, and .200 (5 for 25) from triple territory. With 287 points through 19 games, Gouard has surpassed his season total from a year ago (258), which he recorded in 29 appearances. In Loyola’s last four games away from the Gentile Center, Gouard has shot the ball extremely well, connecting on .519 (27 for 52) of his tries from the field and .500 (8 for 16) from long range, while posting 18.8 ppg. Gouard got off to a slow start to his career, scoring only 74 points while appearing in 30 games (2.5 ppg) in his first two years, but since the start of the 2003-04 campaign, has averaged 11.4 ppg. He dropped in a career-best 31 points and matched a personal best with seven boards at UIC on Feb. 17.

Blair of Confidence: Arguably the most improved player on the Rambler roster, Tyrelle Blair has played with a great deal of confidence since League play began and is contributing 10.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 3.3 bpg, while shooting .563 (9 for 16) from the field and .750 (12 for 16) from the foul line. With 48 rejections this year, the 6-foot-11 center has moved into sixth place on the Loyola single-season chart. The Horizon League leader with 1.85 bpg, Blair needs three blocks to tie Bernie Salthe for fifth place on the LU single-season list. Blair, a serious candidate for Horizon League All-Defensive Team accolades, has recorded three double-doubles this year and ranks 10th in the circuit in rebounding (5.6 rpg). In Loyola’s wins this year, Blair has contributed 6.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 2.3 bpg, while shooting .564 from the field. When the Ramblers lose, his numbers slip to 5.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 1.6 bpg, with .449 shooting.

Sizing Up the Streak: In its current three-game winning streak, Loyola has averaged 79.7 ppg, while shooting .500 (81 for 162) from the field, including .421 (24 for 57) from the field. Furthermore, the Ramblers have committed only 12.3 turnovers per game in that stretch. Defensively, Loyola has been stingy, holding opponents to .387 (75 for 194) shooting from the field and .324 (22 for 68) from triple territory.

Getting Defensive: Loyola’s defensive effort has been sensational since Butler torched the Ramblers for 79 points and .511 shooting from the field and .619 from long range on Feb. 3. The Ramblers have held their last five opponents to .396 shooting from the field, including .318 from triple territory, while forcing 14.2 turnovers per contest.

Shake and Blake: Blake Schilb leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg), assists (4.1 apg) and steals (1.7 spg). The only Rambler to start all 26 contests this year, the 6-foot-7 forward contributed 20.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.6 spg, while shooting .491 (52 for 106) from the field, in the seven games Gouard missed due to injury. Schilb has scored in double figures in a career-best, 20 consecutive outings, and ranks tied for third in the Horizon League with 18.3 ppg in conference contests. A starter in 28 consecutive games, Schilb already has amassed 677 points in his career. With 436 points this year, he has well surpassed his season total from his rookie campaign (241). Schilb’s shooting has been a big factor in Loyola’s recent success as the last five times he has converted at least 50 percent of his field-goal attempts, the Ramblers have prevailed. His 20-game streak of double-digit scoring efforts is the best by a Rambler since Javan Goodman turned the trick in 21 straight contests from Dec. 5, 1998 - Feb. 27, 1999. Schilb is averaging 24.8 ppg and 5.3 apg, while shooting .596 (34 for 57) from the field, including .545 (12 for 22) from triple territory in Loyola’s four road victories. He has drained 29 of his last 31 (.935) attempts from the charity stripe.

Blake’s Balance: Schilb is aiming to become only the second Rambler since 1985-86 to lead the team in both scoring and assists in the same season. David Bailey accomplished that feat on three occasions from 2000-03. The versatile sophomore recently became only the second Rambler since 1990 to post 400 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season. Bailey accomplished that feat three times as well, from 2000-03.

Schilb Stacks Up: To this point, Blake Schilb’s career statistically resembles that of David Bailey, the third all-time leading scorer in Loyola history. As a freshman, Bailey averaged 8.8 ppg, before improving to 17.3 ppg as a sophomore. Schilb tallied 8.9 ppg as a rookie in 2003-04, but has hiked his scoring output to 16.8 ppg this season.

The Joy of Sixty: Loyola is 6-1 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points. The seven foes that the Ramblers have held under the 60-point mark are the most since the 1999-2000 squad accomplished the feat on eight occasions.

Running Men: In their 80-64 victory over UW-Green Bay on Feb. 12, the Ramblers put together one of the most remarkable stretches of basketball in school history. Trailing 53-45 with 10:29 left in the game, Loyola scored 24 unanswered points over a six-minute span to seize command of the contest and cruise to the win. That is the longest scoring run for Loyola since Dec. 22, 1992 when the Ramblers scored 24 unanswered points in an 85-61 win over Carthage.

Majak Mania: Sophomore guard Majak Kou has provided a huge lift off the bench in the last three outings, averaging 17.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.7 apg, while shooting .647 (11 for 17) from three-point range. The slender Canadian had been just 1 for his last 12 (.083) from triple territory prior to Feb. 12. Loyola is 3-0 this year when Kou scores 20 or more points. He has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 16 appearances overall, and in 10 of his last 12 when coming off the bench. Kou threw in a career-high 22 points versus Cleveland State last month and is posting 14.3 ppg, while shooting .559 (19 for 34) from the field and .571 (12 for 21) from beyond the arc versus Horizon League teams from Ohio this season.

Sharing is Caring: A major tenet of Whitesell’s philosophy is valuing the basketball. The Ramblers have dished out 324 assists this season but have committed 400 turnovers. Four players - Logan, Schilb, Gouard and Dave Telander - have racked up more assists than miscues this season. Loyola has committed 11.0 turnovers per contest in the last two games, down from its season average of 15.4

The Best Things in Life Are Free: Loyola is shooting .729 (212 for 291) from the charity stripe over the last 15 contests after converting only .652 (101 for 155) of its shots in the first 11 outings. In 15 Horizon League tilts this season, the Ramblers have connected at a .719 (215 for 299) success rate from the foul line.

Trip Down Memory Lane: This season marks the 20th anniversary of Loyola’s 1984-85 squad that reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen before falling to a Patrick Ewing-led, #1 Georgetown team. That Rambler squad finished with a 27-6 record and on this date 20 years ago, was in the midst of a 19-game winning streak. On Feb. 23, 1985, Loyola defeated Oklahoma City 99-84, for its 12th straight win, behind 37 points and nine rebounds from Alfredrick Hughes.

Family Matters: Loyola’s roster this season features some players with interesting bloodlines. Freshman forward Tracy Robinson is the nephew of former Rambler Stephond Robinson (1983-88) while fellow rookie guard Dave Telander is the nephew of Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander. Pierre Parker, also a freshman guard, has the most interesting lineage of any player on the roster. His father Tony, is the seventh all-time leading scorer in Loyola history with 1,605 points. Pierre’s brother T.J. is a starting guard at Northwestern University and his other brother Tony Jr., stars for the San Antonio Spurs.

Blount Force: During the early signing period in November, Whitesell and his staff landed 6-foot-1 point guard J.R. Blount, from Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wis. As a junior, Blount averaged 19.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 3.0 apg while helping lead Dominican to its eighth overall Division III state title.