MOLINE, Ill. – Indiana State's postseason begins on Thursday evening as they face the No. 8 seed Loyola in the opening game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
 
Indiana State (5-25, 3-15) vs. Loyola Chicago (15-14, 6-11)
March 12, 2020
Where: Moline, Ill.
Arena: TaxSlayer Center (9,200)
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: 97.9 WIBQ
Live Stats: sycamor.es/2U1OGW2
Series: ISU leads, 12-8
 
INDIANA STATE NOTES | LOYOLA NOTES | VALLEY NOTES
 
NOTES

• The Series: Indiana State and Loyola meet for the 21st time on Thursday evening when they matchup at the MVC tournament. Loyola earned the regular season sweep, earning wins in Terre Haute and in Chicago. The Sycamores are 1-0 all-time against Loyola in the conference tourney.
• If ISU Beats Loyola: Indiana State would advance to Friday's quarterfinal round to take on first-seeded Missouri State at 1:05 p.m. ET. ISU would have won their first game at the MVC tournament in six years, with the most recent win coming against Loyola on March 14, 2014 when they won 62-51. The Sycamores would snap their two-game losing skid.
• Winning Trends: Sycamore women's basketball can follow their trends of the season to figure out what they'll need to be successful in Moline. For one, the Trees need to dominate the glass, as four of their five victories have come when out-rebounding their opponent. ISU also increases their winning percent when scoring first, also having won four of their five games when putting up the first points of the game. Finally, the Sycamores have to shoot well at the line, as they've earned four victories when out-shooting their opponents at the charity stripe.
• March Off: "March On" may be the official hashtag and battle cry for Sycamore Athletics (and common phrase used in the school's fight song) but for Indiana State Women's Basketball, it's been more like March Off for the past five years. That is because it has been six years since ISU has won a game in the month of March – a streak that dates back to March 14, 2014. That was the last time the Blue and White claimed a March win with a 62-51 victory over Loyola in the MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Missouri.
• Moline Madness: The Sycamores are still looking for their first victory in the MVC Tournament since the tourney moved to Moline, Ill., in 2016. The past three attempts, however, have been close as the Trees fell by two to Valparaiso in 2019, two against Southern Illinois in 2018 and seven to Illinois State in 2017.

 
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