Rhode Island visits Loyola Chicago tonight: here's what to watch out for

Photo Credit to Grace Steensma

After nearly two months of hands shooting up into the air and roaring cheers throughout the Ryan Center, the past two weeks for Rhode Island men’s basketball have been full of some hair pulling and fans watching through their fingers.

The Atlantic 10’s best offense this season has put up the fewest points per game in conference play, as the Rams’ underwhelming 2-2 start to A-10 competition has displayed victories by slim margins and losses that cause fans to leave the game a few minutes early.

Luckily for Rhode Island, a dampened Rams offense travels to the midwest tonight to try their luck against a porous Loyola Chicago defense to try and get to over .500 in conference play for the first time this season.

The following are the keys to the game for Rhode Island and things to watch out for from the Ramblers, as the Rams try to leap up the standings.

Rhode Island Key Player: Javonte Brown

With the health of senior forward David Green still up in the air, the Rams are in need of an offensive spark, one that could be produced from senior center Javonte Brown. The big man has put up large numbers this season before, as Brown scored in double-digits in four of the first five games. 

However, while the center has been a proficient rebounder in conference play, sitting tied for second in the A-10 with 9.3 rebounds per game, Brown has failed to reach double-digits in scoring since his career night against Temple, scoring 21 points on Dec. 21, 2024.

Brown has a size and experience advantage over Loyola Chicago’s starting big man, sophomore center Rubin Miles. If Brown can get Rhode Island going on both sides of the floor, it could prove to be pivotal towards the winning cause for Rhody.

Loyola Chicago Key Player: Jalen DeLoach

If Green remains absent from the lineup tonight, the power forward position could be a game changer regarding Loyola. Senior forward Jalen DeLoach could expose the vacancy for Rhode Island, just as Richmond’s graduate forward Dusan Neskovic did against Rhode Island last time out.

DeLoach has started the last three games for the Ramblers, averaging 8.6 points and six rebounds in that time. While DeLoach is not a bonafide scorer like Neskovic, a portion of the impact could still go a long way for Loyola.

Rhode Island Key to the Game: Start Quick

Slow starts have become intertwined with the team identity for Rhody – at least it has looked like that over the past few weeks. Rhode Island has returned to the locker room with a halftime deficit for the past five games and they have possessed the second-half heroics to come back and win three of those games.

In order to succeed more consistently, the Rams will have to play a complete offensive game. While the worst ranked defense in A-10 play does not pose an intense threat to Rhody’s scoring efforts, it is still better to not flirt with a dangerous dought, and high insurance buckets inside with Javonte Brown could be the play to kickstart the Rams.

Loyola Chicago Key to the Game: Score 70 Points

The Ramblers have scored 70 points a total of 11 times this season – winning 10 of those contests. With the recent struggles from the Loyola defense, a strong offensive performance is needed to spackle the holes in the wall and provide some insurance from the rather liberal guarding from Chicago.

In their recent skid, the Ramblers have scored 70 points in just one of the last five games, resulting in their lone conference win over La Salle. While it is not a bulletproof solution, that combined with home-court advantage could be enough to get the Ramblers back on track.

____________________________________________________________________________

Two struggling teams will meet tonight, one the worst offense in A-10 play, the other the worst defense. One will prevail but only time will tell which team will come out on top.

The Rams and the Ramblers tip-off at 9 p.m. ET tonight in the midwest. The game can be streamed on CBS Sports Network with a radio broadcast available on the Varsity Network.