Team preview: Loyola-Chicago

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(Information in this team report is as of October 1.)

As the Jim Whitesell Era moves to year two at Loyola-Chicago, the comfort zone for the coaching staff and the players has widened considerably. "Last year we took over late,'' Whitesell said. "We were kind of starting from scratch and didn't have a clue about it. We hadn't seen the guys play, hadn't had a chance to work anybody out. We didn't even know what position everybody played.''

Taking over a new program that lost four starters, Whitesell's first gig in Division I was a learn-as-you-go process. The coach and the Ramblers got it figured out. By February, nobody wanted to play Loyola. The Ramblers won seven of their final nine games and the two losses were to league champion Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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