Loyola and DePaul, whose campuses are separated by only 5 miles of elevated tracks, meet for the first time in six years at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Allstate Arena, renewing an on-again, off-again rivalry that began 80 years ago.
Scheduling DePaul represents the centerpiece in Loyola’s efforts to book games against schools close to home.
“Valparaiso is right down the road from us, so why go somewhere like Buffalo?” Loyola athletic director John Planek reasoned.
DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto agrees with Planek, who used to work in the Blue Demons’ athletic office.
Bill Bradshaw, Ponsetto’s predecessor at DePaul, broke off the series in 1996. When Bradshaw left DePaul this year, native Chicagoans Planek and Ponsetto resumed the series that began in 1923.
DePaul holds a 34-17 all-time series edge.The current contract calls for only one game, but Ponsetto and Planek said they’re working on a multiyear deal.
Under Ray Meyer and Joey Meyer, DePaul won 25 of the last 30 games in the series against the Ramblers.
