Tribe Hosts Loyola (Chicago) in O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters

W&M and Loyola will meet for the first time on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.

02/05/08 10:30AM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary men’s basketball team will host Loyola (Chicago) as par of O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters on Saturday, Feb. 23. Tip-off for the contest is slated for 2 p.m. at Kaplan Arena. The College has won eight of its last nine games and is 12-9 overall on the year, while the Ramblers are 9-13 on the season and have won three straight.

“BracketBusters is a great chance for our guys to play a good team from another great league,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “The Horizon League, like the CAA, is among the best mid-major conferences in the country, and Loyola has been playing very well lately. They have played a challenging schedule and have won three games in a row. Coach Jim Whitesell has done a great job with that program, and they are only a year removed from a 20-win season. For our guys, it will be an exciting break from our normal league schedule and a chance to represent the CAA against a quality opponent.”

Loyola (Chicago) plays in the Horizon League with the likes of No. 10 Butler, Wright State and Valparaiso. The Ramblers are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Jim Whitesell, who led Loyola to a 21-11 mark last season. The 20-win season and 10-win league ledger in 2007 was the best for the Ramblers since 1985.

The Ramblers have a tradition-rich basketball program, having won the 1963 NCAA Championship with a 60-58 victory over Cincinnati. The meeting between W&M and Loyola will be the first-ever.

Loyola has four guys averaging in double figures led by junior guard J.R. Blount, who averages 15.7 points per game. He scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season and prior to the 2007-08 campaign, was a preseason Second-Team All-Horizon League choice. The Rambler’s second-leading scorer Leon Young, a 6-6, 235-pound forward from Long Beach, Calif., has missed the last four games, but is averaging 12.1 points and is the team’s second leading rebounder at 6.3 points per game.

The Ramblers added Mississippi transfer Justin Cerasoli at the semester break. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. Tracey Robinson rounds out the double-digit scorers at 10.1 points per game. Andy Polka leads the team in rebounding at 6.6 per game, while Blount in the squad’s top assist man at 2.5 a contest.

Loyola has won three straight entering it contest against Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 9. The Ramblers won at Valparaiso, 65-63, on Jan. 26, before defeating Youngstown State, 69-68, at home on Jan. 31. Most recently, Loyola tallied a 65-53 win over Cleveland State at home on Feb. 2. Loyola is currently 5-7 in Horizon League play.

The Tribe returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 6, when it welcomes Hofstra to Kaplan Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in the only regular season contest between the two schools. Fans can catch the action on the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and Charlie Woollum on the call. It will also be available as will live stats over the Internet at TribeAthletics.com.

Other CAA BracketBusters Games
VCU at Akron (TV)
George Mason at Ohio (TV)

The CAA's non-televised opponent match-ups are:
Bucknell at Old Dominion
Northeastern at Holy Cross
Vermont at UNC Wilmington
Delaware at Toledo
Morehead State at James Madison
Hofstra at Iona
High Point at Towson
Fairfield at Drexel
Georgia State at Jacksonville State