The Missouri Valley’s top team will be on the road when the Evansville Aces (19-7) head to Joseph J. Gentile Center to play the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (12-13). The game begins at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Ramblers come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, defeating Bradley 54-43 on Wednesday. Montel James was the team’s high scorer with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Aces are coming off a 70-60 loss to Illinois State on Thursday. Egidijus Mockevicius scored 16 points and recorded 10 rebounds earning his 21st double-double of the season.
James has really been playing well recently for the Ramblers, averaging 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.4 blocks over the last five games.
The Ramblers might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Aces rank 30th in defensive efficiency, while Loyola Chicago ranks 296th in offensive efficiency.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Aces won the first game 74-66. Mockevicius played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 23 points and 20 rebounds.
The Ramblers have gone 12-13 Straight Up (SU) and 9-15 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their past 10 games, the Loyola Chicago offense has been playing lights out, averaging 70.3 points per game, well over their season average of 64.3. The Ramblers are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a stellar .740 from the free throw line.
As for their opponent, the Aces have 19-7 SU and 10-10-1 ATS records. During the last 10 games, they averaged 64.7 PPG, below their 76.2 PPG season average. The Aces are shooting lights out so far, with a .503 field-goal percentage that ranks third in Division I. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Aces, who are known for distributing the ball with 18.1 assists per game. The Aces have established a reputation of cleaning up the defensive glass with 28.0 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the top teams in the nation.
Evansville won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 4-3. With a 4-2-1 record, the Ramblers have the advantage ATS. Neither Loyola Chicago nor Evansville has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Evan, ATS Winner – Evan
Notes
Loyola Chicago averages 64.3 points per game, placing the team just 244th in the nation. Evansville ranks 57th in points allowed, giving up 66.9 points per game.
Loyola Chicago scores just 69.3 points per home game (ranked 226th). Evansville ranks 62nd in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.5 points.
The Evansville Aces have a defensive rating of 95.5 (ranked 30th), while the Loyola Chicago Ramblers have an offensive rating of 98.6 (ranked 296th).
With 65.2 possessions and .986 points per possession, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers perform worse on both metrics than the Evansville Aces. Evansville averages 69.8 possessions and 1.092 points per possession.
The Evansville Aces have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 24th in the country with an eFG% of 54.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers have an abysmal 1-8 record.
Ranked seventh in the nation, Evansville has an average of 18.1 assists per game. Loyola Chicago ranks lower at 289th with 11.7.
Evansville, the 75th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.3 per game. Loyola Chicago does worse, ranked 254th with 2.8.
The Loyola Chicago Ramblers make an average of 5.7 steals per game. When the Evansville Aces allow 5 or more steals, they are an exceptional 15-5.
 Hurricanes-150x150.jpg)
