Loyola Chicago Ramblers
Date: Saturday January 10th, 2026
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Washington, DC)
TV: CBSSN
Ranks: 290th (KenPom), 308th (Bart Torvik), 276th (Haslametrics), 248th (EvanMiya)
2024-25 Record: 25-12, 12-6 (T-3rd in A10)
2025-26 Projected Record: 8-23, 4-14 (14th in A10)
NET Ranking: 311th (Q4 Game)

Head-to-Head: 3-5. Since the Ramblers joined the league during the 2022-23 season, GW has gone 1-2. The Buff & Blue faced Loyola at Gentile Arena in their first ever A10 game. In that contest, GW put up 97 points in a 10 point win behind 40 points from James Bishop. When Ricky Lindo goes 2-2 from 3, you know it's a good day. The most recent meeting also went the way of the Ramblers, 77-57. The Revs fell behind by 15 at halftime, which is tough to recover from on the road. Neither team shot well from the FT line, while both teams shot fairly well from 3. The difference came on two point field goals, where the Ramblers shot 68% compared to 37% from GW. It was just not a very good showing for the Revs. Loyola out-rebounded the team by 14 and GW finished with more turnovers than assists. It's worth noting that Slim had a good game (18 points, 8 rebounds) going up against Rubin. Unfortunately, no one else on the team scored in double figures.

In the only game at the Smith Center this century, Loyola took the game 81-73 in game 6 of GW's 12 game losing streak. GW found themselves also trailing in that contest at halftime (37-29) but it was overall one of the better performances the team put together in that span. A JB 3 with three minutes to go put GW up 2. The only problem is that Loyola outscored the home team 13-3 the rest of the way. Once again, it felt like the difference came inside the arc, where the Ramblers were just more efficient. LUC both out-rebounded and out-assisted GW by 7. JB had a triple nickel (25 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists), while Garrett added 13 (on 12 shots), Max had 12 points/8 rebounds, and Jun finished with 11 points.

Offensive Efficiency: 220th (KenPom), 225th (Bart Torvik), 230th (Haslametrics), 208th (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 327th (KenPom), 346th (Bart Torvik), 338th (Haslametrics), 295th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 282nd (KenPom), 272nd (Bart Torvik), 285th (Haslametrics), 304th (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 133rd
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 278th
Rim & 3 Rate: 90% (29th)

Strengths (2025-26 Season):
Blocks Per Game: 4 BPG (93rd; 4th in A10)

Weaknesses (2025-26 Season):
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 1.05 AST/TO (268th; 12th in A10)
Rebounds Per Game: 34.348 RPG (268th; 11th in A10)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 49.8% (276th; 12th in A10)
Bench Points Per Game: 18.56 PPG (295th; 13th in A10)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 22.88 DRPG (303rd; 13th in A10)
Winning Percentage: 31.3% (303rd; 13th in A10)
Field Goal Percentage: 42.2% (310th; 13th in A10)
Fastbreak Points: 7.69 PPG (321st; 13th in A10)
Scoring Margin: -6.8 PPG (322nd; 14th in A10)
Scoring Offense: 68.4 PPG (329th; 13th in A10)
Three Point Percentage Defense: 36.9% (339th; 14th in A10)
Turnover Margin: -4.3 TO (355th; 14th in A10)
Steals Per Game: 3.8 SPG (360th; 14th in A10)
Turnovers Forced Per Game: 8.31 TO/G (361st; 14th in A10)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#1 G Justin Moore (RS Junior; Philadelphia, PA) - 7.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 5.3 apg; 42% FG, 23% 3-PT, 58% FT per 24 mpg/9 GP at Loyola Chicago last season
#4 G Kayde Dotson (Sophomore; Beaumont, TX) - 2.3 ppg; 42% FG, 42% 3-PT, 63% FT per 6.7 mpg/32 GP at New Mexico last season
#28 G Kymany Houinsou (Senior; Mulhouse, France) - 5.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 apg; 53% FG, 19% 3-PT, 61% FT per 21.9 mpg/28 GP at Loyola Chicago last season
#13 F Xavier Amos (Senior; Chicago, IL) - 3.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg; 37% FG, 29% 3-PT, 70% FT per 9.7 mpg/37 GP at Wisconsin last season
#24 C Miles Rubin (Junior; Chicago, IL) - 9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.3 bpg; 71% FG, 49% FT per 23.9 mpg/37 GP at Loyola Chicago last season

Key Bench Players:
#0 G Deywilk Tavarez (Junior; Pennsauken, NJ) - 12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg; 41% FG, 42% 3-PT, 68% FT per 27.4 mpg/27 GP at Charleston last season
#2 F Joshua Ola-Joseph (Senior; Brooklyn Park, MN) - 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg; 45% FG, 37% 3-PT, 68% FT per 17.6 mpg/24 GP at California last season
#9 C Alexander Richardson (Senior; Glasgow, Scotland) - 10.6 ppg, 8 rpg, 1.1 apg; 57% FG, 38% 3-PT, 71% FT per 25 mpg/34 GP at SG ART Giants Düsseldorf last season
#8 G Nic Anderson (Freshman; Olathe, KS)
#14 G Caleb Reese (Senior; Warren, MI) - 1.3 ppg; 29% FG, 33% 3-PT, 60% FT per 3.4 mpg/14 GP at Loyola Chicago last season

Key Losses:
Jayden Dawson (Transferred to Kansas; Omaha, NE) - 13.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1 spg; 41% FG, 36% 3-PT, 74% FT per 29.6 mpg/32 GP
Des Watson (Graduated; Columbus, OH) - 12.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg; 37% FG, 34% 3-PT, 74% FT per 34.3 mpg/37 GP
Sheldon Edwards Jr. (Graduated; West Palm Beach, FL) - 11.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2 apg; 41% FG, 38% 3-PT, 90% FT per 27.8 mpg/37 GP
Jalen Quinn (Transferred to Drake; Tuscola, IL) - 7.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.3 apg; 48% FG, 23% 3-PT, 76% FT per 20.6 mpg/37 GP
Jalen DeLoach (Graduated; Savannah, GA) - 6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 apg; 59% FG, 55% FT per 13.9 mpg/37 GP
Francis Nwaokorie (Graduated; Brooklyn Park, MN) - 5.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg; 43% FG, 36% 3-PT, 71% FT per 22.6 mpg/37 GP

Preview:
Back in the Richmond preview, I had mentioned how the Spiders went from winning a share of the A10 regular season title to finishing near the basement of the league in just a single season. While UR had lost a lot from the 2023-24 season that saw them win 15 games in conference, it also points other the variability in team performance in the transfer portal era. All it takes is a couple of missed portal evaluations or ignoring how the individual pieces with other for a team to plummet. I guess in a way that adds to the intrigue every year as there is no guarantee that at team will be good or bad regardless of what the team looks like on paper.

Well it turns out Richmond was not the only team in the A10 to experience that kind of volatility year-over-year. When Loyola entered the league three years ago, it wasn't surprising to see them struggle initially. They had not yet understood the stylistic preferences of each team and they needed to upgrade their talent to match the rigors of the league. That isn't a slight at the Missouri Valley, which is a very competitive and fun league (and one that has a lot of skill) but the caliber of athlete is different in the Atlantic 10. Given the support and resources the program has, Loyola wasn't going to stay down for long. Drew Valentine successfully addressed Loyola's shortcomings from that first year and the Ramblers have proceeded to win 27 A10 games in the last two years (along with a pair of NIT appearances).

Prior to this season, there was speculation that Valentine may even be Izzo's successor at Michigan State given LUC's quick ascension in the A10. Of course, there were warning signs under the surface. The Ramblers have famously got off to slow starts during OOC play. Since they joined the conference, they've dropped at least four non-con games and it's not like they've played a grueling slate (bottom 100 strength of schedule every season during that time). Valentine has shown that he can figure things out come conference play the last couple years but that trend has consistently hurt Loyola's metrics (and therefore the league as a whole). Of course, not even the biggest Valentine critics could have seen what was coming this year. Most outlets had LUC as a top 5 team in the league but you would not be able to tell that given their performance out of conference. It's that more sad that this season is being use to commemorate Sister Jean, CBB icon and Loyola's team chaplain since 1994. Sadly, she passed away in October at the age of 106. Jean's viral moments during LoyChi's 2018 NCAA tournament run is what makes this sport so great.

All three double figure scorers from last year have departed, including Jayden Dawson to transfer along with Des Watson and Sheldon Edwards Jr. to graduation. Dawson and Edwards in particular really powered Loyola's perimeter shooting, with both player ranking top 100 in both three point percentage and makes per game. The former player leaving for Kansas has been a lose-lose for both parties. He's probably getting paid well, but Dawson's barely playing and Loyola really could have used him. The Ramblers also lost Sean Dwyer, their associate head coach that was the mastermind behind their offensive scheme.

The product on the floor has been stunning - and not in a good way. After narrowly defeating Dayan Nessah and Cleveland State, the Blers went on a seven game losing streak, which included losses to Mercyhurst (a team relatively new to D1), a close L to North Texas under a new coach, a 20+ point blowout against an unspectacular Wichita State team, a head scratching 17 point home loss to Northern Illinois, and a dropped contest against Chicago State - perhaps the lowest point among a bunch of low points. It should probably lead to a bigger discussion about whether spending so much money and not achieving results is worthwhile for teams in the A10 in general, but that's a talk for another day. There have been signs of life lately for LUC. They somehow knocked off Santa Clara before winning at URI to start A10 play. They also played UD very tough at Gentile.

So where have things gone wrong for the Ramblers this season? It has to start with the defensive side of the ball, which has just been catastrophic. Some programs are built on one side of the ball in particular, and for Loyola that has been defense dating back to the really good Porter Moser squads. The Blers are currently 327th in defensive efficiency on KenPom, which speaks to the new pieces not working together. Closing out on threes has been a challenge. Not only does Loyola allow opponents to take over 44% of their shot attempts from 3 (305th nationally) opponents have also torched them (317th in defensive three point field goal percentage). Unlike previous teams under Valentine, this unit has been quite bad at finishing possessions with a rebound. When I've watched them, I've found myself confused why that's the case given the size they put on the floor. It seems to be an effort thing. Perhaps the biggest deficiency is their inability to force turnovers. LoyChi is 361st in defensive turnover percentage, per KenPom. Only four teams are worse: Stonehill, Illinois, Northern Colorado, and Charleston Southern.

On offense, Valentine's teams have consistently embraced the three point shot (they've ranked 102nd or better in 3P attempt percentage every season) and they do display decent ball movement but the players they've acquired have just not made the shots. Shooting 32% from deep on high volume is just not good enough. Two trends under Valentine have also continued: poor FT shooting and the inability to take care of the ball. The math has simply worked against LoyChi, as they don't force turnovers but commit a lot themselves. What has kept the offense from not being quite as brutal as the defense has been offensive rebounding.

Going back to the defense, it's actually crazy to see Loyola fare so poorly on that end when they've been really good at clamping down the paint. Teams have shot just 47.8% from inside the arc, which ranks 63rd nationally. Of course, most of that credit has to go to the big man in the middle Miles Rubin. The Simeon HS product returns for year 3 with the program - a big keep for Valentine given he could have taken his talents anywhere. I guess you could say he's loyal-uh. Bad puns aside, Rubin is an excellent rim protector who ranked sixth in that nation in total blocks and is currently tenth this year. He's quite effective near the rim, shooting a career 67.5% from the floor but he has limited range. That can be seen in his FT shooting (just 61% this season, which is still a career best) and the fact that he's taken just four threes ever. Rubin is also a good rebounder, but hasn't quite taken the next step as a passer which would allow Valentine to play through him more. I would imagine he has a bounce back performance tomorrow after he went an uncharacteristic 2/10 from the floor against Davidson. Last year, Rubin had 10 points, 5 boards, and 4 blocks against GW.

Two more starters from last year in Justin Moore and Kymany Houinsou are also back. Moore arrived in Chicago last year following two seasons at Drexel. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to a knee injury just nine games into the year. Moore is at his best when he is setting up the offense, as he's averaged nearly four dimes a game for his career. He's been a bit of a disappointment this year. Whether that's the lingering effects of last year's injury or just not having the right pieces around him is unclear. Moore has never been a good three point shooter (career 28%) but he's also been incredibly turnover prone this season, coughing up the ball over three times a game. While he is pacing the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) that may actually be a bad thing given his historical efficiency splits. Moore is pretty good at getting to the rim, but I'm not sure he should be putting up over 10 shots a game. He's also subpar defensively. Granted, he has played a lot better as of late, shooting over 50% from the field in each of the last four games he's appeared in. He missed the Davidson game but could return tomorrow.

Houinsou also came to Loyola last season, but from the other coast (Washington State). The first thing that sticks out with him is his positional versatility, which allows Valentine to slot him into a number of different lineups. The native of France is not much of a three point shooter, but doesn't take a ton of attempts from there either. He's also a subpar FT shooter (career 63%). Still, he fits the glue guy role fairly well as a secondary initiator and rebounder. Houinsou missed over a month last season due to a lower leg injury and hasn't really been healthy since. He'll likely continue to play the rest of the year, just not at 100%. In last season's matchup, Houinsou had 8 points and 5 boards on a perfect 4/4 shooting from the field.

Russian sophomore Daniil Glazkov and senior walk-on Caleb Reese (both returners) have also been in and out of the lineup throughout the year. Glazkov is a versatile wing who has been somewhat rough shooting the ball in his young career with 35/27/50 splits. He is currently dealing with a finger injury and I don't think he'll be playing in tomorrow's game. Reese played a career high 23 minutes against Davidson, but that might have been partly due to a lack of player availability. If Moore is back tomorrow, he may just return to the bench.

Valentine landed five transfers from the portal. I liked the Xavier Amos get a lot during the offseason, but like many of the players on this year's team he's dealt with injuries. Amos, who began his career at Northern Illinois before spending last year at Wisconsin, missed the first ten games due to a hand injury. He made his presence felt right away when he returned to the court. Amos is currently averaging 11 points, 4 rebounds, and a block in five games. Having a help side defender down low has helped the defense and provided help to Rubin. Amos helps space the floor as well, but has gone 2/13 from deep since a great debut against Chicago State. He's notably fouled out twice in five games. When healthy, Valentine needs him on the court as much as possible. Amos also missed the Davidson game but it's not expected to be a long-term injury.

Kayde Dotson has been a breath of fresh air when it comes to shooting the three ball efficiently. The New Mexico transfer shoots 37% from distance, although he's not quite as effective when he's run off the line (just 38% from the field overall). Dotson's seven game streak of scoring in double figures came to an end against Davidson, a game in which he got hurt (may have been his calf). He returned to the game but had to leave again due to injury. It's anybody's guess whether he'll be cleared to play tomorrow, but he too will likely be limited. Dotson's a bit of a liability on defense, with a -2.24 DBPR on EvanMiya. That's by far the worst mark on the team.

Charleston/Delaware State transfer Deywilk Tavarez has also disappointed this season. He has been a great shooter in previous years, but is just 32% from 3 with the Ramblers. One of those makes was a big one, as it won Loyola's opener against Cleveland State. Like Dotson, Tavarez has just not been as effective when run off the line and he has a career assist/turnover ratio of under 1. The one area where he's been good is FT shooting (93%) but it's not like he's attempted a ton of free throws. Tavarez has struggled in particular in the last three games, shooting a combined 3/25 from the floor. Hopefully he's not due tomorrow.

One of the unheralded players on last year's Loyola team was Francis Nwaokorie, who was a GW killer dating back to his UC San Diego days. In three games against the Buff & Blue, he shot 13/20 from the field. Valentine tried to replicate Nwaokorie's value with the addition of Cal transfer Joshua Ola-Joseph, who hails from the same town in Minnesota (Brooklyn Park). Ola-Joseph is a good offensive player for his career but has just not found his footing at LoyChi. This season he's just 33% from the field and 27% from 3 which is far below his career averages (51% from the floor, 36% from deep). He hasn't hit double figures since game 2 of the season. Outside of crashing the glass on both ends, Ola-Joseph doesn't really impact the game as much - including on defense. I guess I should include a couple of quick lines about Dominick Harris, who is on to his fourth school after previously being at Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, and UCLA. The hope was that Harris would rediscover his form from the time he was at west coast Loyola but that didn't happen and he hasn't played since November. Harris has been away from the team and likely isn't going to return. Expect to see the portal entry in a couple months.

Alexander Richardson adds depth in the frontcourt as a non-portal get. He averaged 11/8 for ART Giants Düsseldorf, a German ProA squad. During that time, he was named 'youngster of the year' although I'm not sure how prestigious that is. Richardson's efficiency looks good in a reserve role (61% from the field) to go with three boards but he just hasn't passed the eye test when I've watched him. He's also an awful 32% from the FT line, somehow raising it by going 4/8 the other night against Davidson in his first career double figure college game. I think Luke can more than handle that matchup.

Finally, a trio of freshmen enter the fold. Chuck Love has by far been the standout, and was quite frankly one of the only players who appeared to have a pulse during Loyola's poor OOC performance. Unfortunately, he went down with a knee injury in December and is expected to be out a couple weeks (probably including tomorrow). Love has a decent three point stroke and has good length on defense. Nic Anderson, who hails from Kansas, is coming off a 13 point performance against Davidson. He seems to be a good shooter, but has the same issue as Tavarez and Dotson. That is, someone who isn't as good when run off the line at this point of his career. Still, he has intriguing long-term upside. Brayden Young likely sees more time in a post-Rubin Loyola team should he stick around. The H-Town native has yet to score on the year.

In Loyola's win against URI and close loss to Dayton, they did a good job of junking things up. The Ramblers play slowly (which makes their turnover issues that much more confusing), and they will probably look to limit the possessions that GW gets. Of course, they probably need Moore and Amos at the minimum to have a chance at the upset. Part of the issue for LoyChi right now is that the majority of their lineup is either hurt or playing through injuries which squashed their momentum on Wednesday. The Revs have shown that they can be careless with the ball like against Dayton, but Loyola is inept at forcing turnovers so I'm not sure they can take advantage of that. Coming off a loss and playing at home, I'm not seeing a scenario where GW doesn't take care of business unless they have a Delaware-like performance and miss every layup they attempt. They'll also get plenty of looks from deep - they just need to knock the shots down. If GW is a serious double-bye team, the game is a must win. The Rubin-Castro matchup should be a fun one tomorrow.

Projected Score: GW 89, Loyola 70. 95% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik forecasts a 96% chance at a W. ESPN predicts a 92.6% chance for GW to move to 12-5.
 

Thanks Wisconsin Colonial 1974!

Woo and Ty are out today for GW.

For Loyola, no Dotson, Richardson, Harris, or Love.
Moore, Glazkov, Amos, and Houinsou are all questionable.

Valentine may be from the Caputo school of timeouts... waited til they got down 15-0 to call timeout

Not sure I've ever seen GW (or anyone else at this level) start a game 22-0. Wow.  Hoping Loyola doesn't follow Roy Hibbert's (doing color) advice of giving some hard fouls.

Old friend Sean Hanson in attendance today

Hibbert wants to start a fight 

Is Hibbert going to suit up for Loyola in the second half and start throwing punches?

And 60 points at the half. Wow!

Nice half... hitting 100% from the line.  Big improvement

We seem to start every second half Flat. Must take sleeping pills in the locker room.