Loyola ranks near the bottom of the Missouri Valley Conference in many statistical categories. The Ramblers are eighth out of 10 teams in scoring (68.4 points per game) and last in free-throw shooting (66.4%), rebounding (30.1 per game) and blocked shots (1.7 per game).
But the Ramblers are doing a few things well, including playing defense (second in the Valley at 61.6 points allowed per game), field-goal shooting (first at 49.8%) and — most important — winning. They’ve won four of five and move up a spot in this week’s state power rankings.
Illinois remains in the top spot despite hitting a rough patch in a brutal schedule, while Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois cooled off last week.
Here are the latest rankings of the state’s Division I teams, with records through Monday and last week’s ranking in parentheses.
Illinois 16-9, 8-6 Big Ten (1)
A seven-game winning streak has given way to a four-game skid. It’s uncertain when star guard Ayo Dosunmu will return from a leg injury. And the Illini play Tuesday at No. 9 Penn State. When will brighter days return for this team?
Loyola 18-9, 10-4 Missouri Valley (3)
The Ramblers outscored Northern Iowa 11-2 in overtime in an 82-73 home victory Saturday that cut their deficit to one game behind the first-place Panthers in the conference standings.
Bradley 18-9, 9-5 Missouri Valley (5)
Elijah Childs is averaging 17.3 points in three games since returning from a hand injury that sidelined him in 12 of the previous 13 games.
Southern Illinois 15-12, 9-5 Missouri Valley (2)
The Salukis’ 69-67 loss Saturday to Bradley snapped a 10-game home winning streak dating to Nov. 16.
UIC 13-15, 8-7 Horizon (6)
It hasn’t been a smooth season for the Flames, but their 30-point victory Sunday at second-place Northern Kentucky will be the win of the season. They held the Norse to 22% shooting while they shot 50% from the field, including a 55% to 12.5% advantage on 3-pointers.
Northern Illinois 15-11, 8-5 Mid-American (4)
After a six-game winning streak, the Huskies lost twice last week by a total of nine points.
DePaul 13-12, 1-11 Big East (7)
The Blue Demons’ seven-game losing streak can officially be termed an implosion. They lost at Creighton by 29 points.
Northwestern 6-18, 1-13 Big Ten (8)
The Wildcats made only 2 of 14 3-pointers in a 77-61 loss at Penn State. They rank 12th in the Big Ten at 31.7% from behind the arc.
Illinois State 8-18, 3-11 Missouri Valley (9)
The Redbirds’ 14 turnovers per game are the most in the conference.
Eastern Illinois 12-14, 5-9 Ohio Valley (10)
Talk about tough breaks. The Panthers lost by two to SIU-Edwardsville and by one to Tennessee-Martin. Six of their last seven losses have been decided by four points or fewer.
SIU-Edwardsville 7-20, 4-10 Ohio Valley (11)
Thursday’s two-point victory at Eastern Illinois was just the third road win for the Cougars.
Western Illinois 5-18, 2-11 Summit (12)
The Leathernecks play two of their last three games on the road, where they have won only once this season.
Chicago State 4-23, 0-12 Western Athletic (13)
The Cougars are getting outscored by 19.5 points per game, which ranks 348th out of 350 qualifying Division I teams.
