Illinois St. looks to end streak vs Loyola-Chicago
Loyola of Chicago (12-6, 4-1) vs. Illinois State (6-11, 1-4)
Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Loyola of Chicago looks to extend Illinois State's conference losing streak to five games. Illinois State's last MVC win came against the Northern Iowa Panthers 76-70 on Dec. 31, 2019. Loyola of Chicago won 64-48 at home against Southern Illinois in its last outing.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: Illinois State's Zach Copeland has averaged 15.3 points while Keith Fisher III has put up 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. For the Ramblers, Cameron Krutwig has averaged 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists while Tate Hall has put up 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Ramblers have given up only 55.6 points per game across five conference games, an improvement from the 63.4 per game they gave up in non-conference play.CLUTCH COPELAND: Copeland has connected on 40 percent of the 105 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 12 of 25 over his last three games. He's also made 75 percent of his foul shots this season.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Redbirds have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Ramblers. Illinois State has an assist on 36 of 66 field goals (54.5 percent) over its previous three matchups while Loyola of Chicago has assists on 44 of 82 field goals (53.7 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Loyola of Chicago defense has allowed only 61 points per game to opponents, which is the 24th-lowest figure in the country. The Illinois State offense has produced just 67.2 points through 17 games (ranked 255th among Division I teams).
