Two years ago, Loyola Chicago was an 8 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, playing in the tourney’s play-in round, and a 15-17 season ended in the quarterfinals after a hard-fought loss to top seed Wichita State.
One year ago, Loyola finished 18-14 and did not play in a postseason tournament of any kind after being knocked out the MVC Tournament by Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals again, this time as a 5 seed.
This year, Loyola is heading to the Final Four.
One can measure it in the most recent of terms or by historic ones, but however one looks at it, what the Ramblers have done this year and this NCAA Tournament has been absolutely incredible. If there was any doubt about that, it was eliminated Saturday as a stunning NCAA tourney run from a No. 11 seed continued with a resounding 78-62 win over Kansas State in the South Region final in Atlanta.
After three dramatic wins in the tourney to get to the regional final, Loyola wasted no time getting a jump on the Wildcats Saturday. The Ramblers built a quick 15-5 lead in the first six minutes, and Kansas State never got closer than five points again. Loyola led by 12 at halftime, pushed the lead to 23 in the second half, and had daggers ready every time late as the Wildcats made a spirited last-ditch charge, emptying their tanks at the end of a terrific postseason run of their own.
It was yet another sterling performance by a team that has shown the nation just how far unselfishness, skill and shooting ability on offense and superb (and completely underrated) defense can take a team. Loyola shot 57.4% (including a career-high 23 points from senior Ben Richardson), held K-State to 34.8% shooting, and also was plus-8 on the glass in a win that should answer any questions about just how well-rounded this squad is.
So much has been said by many (including us) about what a story it was this year just for the Ramblers to ascend to the top of the MVC. This is a program that hadn’t even made the NCAA Tournament in 33 years, and frankly had rarely been close (an overtime loss to Illinois-Chicago in the 2002 Horizon League tourney final was the Ramblers’ only time near the doorstep). The rise not just from an 11 seed to the Final Four, but also from complete obscurity is almost impossible to fathom.
The stories over the last 12 years now of the likes of George Mason, Butler, VCU, Wichita State and now Loyola making the Final Four all have their own special characteristics, but in some ways this might be the most improbable of them all. Those other four schools had at least some recent history making NCAA tourneys prior to their runs, and even George Mason was valued enough to get an at-large bid in 2006. This year, despite dominating the league in the regular season and a 27-5 record heading into the Arch Madness final, the Ramblers would not have been in the tourney if not for winning the MVC’s automatic bid.
Loyola is now back in the Final Four for the first time in 55 years, since 1963. That team won a national championship, and if there weren’t enough recent storylines about this year’s team, that connection will add another delicious one throughout the next week.
The Ramblers’ opponent in the national semifinals will be a team that shares quite a few characteristics with them after Michigan held off Florida State 58-54 to win the West Region final in Los Angeles.
Two nights after scorching the nets against Texas A&M, the Wolverines had to work for this one-hard. Michigan shot just 38.8% and hit just 4 of 22 from three-point range, and though leading almost the entire second half had a hard time putting the Seminoles away.
The Wolverines are well-known as a team that plays from the perimeter a lot, even as Florida State made that difficult with its sticky zone on Saturday. Also like Loyola, though, Michigan is a team that, for as much as its offense is talked about, defense is a distinct part of why it has gotten this far. The Wolverines held FSU to 32% shooting and also battled the rangy, athletic Seminoles to a near draw on the boards. They finally eliminated an extremely stubborn Florida State team by going on a 7-0 run late to take a 10-point lead, and then holding on in the final minutes.
Even as it is led by very popular coach John Beilein, a beacon of light in the sport, Michigan won’t be anyone’s underdog in the Final Four. Not after winning the Big Ten Tournament title, or being a 3 seed in its bracket, or having just been to this stage five years ago. On paper, though, the matchup between the Wolverines and Ramblers should be an excellent one, and even a very even one.
Side Dishes:
- There also was a CIT game on Saturday, with Liberty taking control in the second half to knock out Central Michigan 84-71. The Flames shot 56% and are in the semifinals, and now will face UIC in a battle of Flames vs. Flames on Wednesday at Liberty.
- Middle Tennessee State will hire Nick McDevitt as its new head coach. McDevitt will come from UNC Asheville, where he did a regularly excellent job at his alma mater and posted a 98-65 record with three straight postseason appearances, including the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16. McDevitt’s teams attacked defensively and always adjusted despite being hit hard by the sport’s transfer epidemic. He should be a terrific successor for Kermit Davis in many ways at MTSU.
- The rumors of Gonzaga moving to the Mountain West Conference heated up again Saturday as CBSSports.com reported that the school will make a decision on conference affiliation hopefully in the next two weeks. While the MWC may be a slight step up from the West Coast Conference, maybe even a moderate one if the league ever got back to threatening for 4-5 NCAA tourney bids, we can’t help but think that apparently the Zags in their hubris and apparent disgust with the WCC (as if the league has hurt them at all in seeding or postseason performance) aren’t taking many notes from Wichita State. The same Shockers that left the MVC for the American Athletic Conference this year moved to a conference that wasn’t nearly as good as expected, finished barely above their former conference in the RPI rankings, and saw their season end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Loyola from the Valley is in the Final Four. If Gonzaga decides it wants to move, so be it-the Mountain West is a plenty solid conference. But we’d also advise that very recent history indicates the Zags better be careful what they wish for.
Today’s Menu:
- The remainder of the Final Four will be filled out, first with 3 seed Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Villanova in the East (2:20 p.m. Eastern, CBS). The Wildcats will be the favorite, and deservedly so with their experience, shooting ability and Jalen Brunson. The Red Raiders are certainly good enough to win this one-Tech is excellent defensively and guards the three-point line well enough.
- The day’s other game will have big-name seekers (including TV executives) salivating as Duke takes on Kansas in the Midwest Region in a pairing of the top two seeds in Omaha, Neb. The Blue Devils will have a distinct advantage inside. The big question is: how does Kansas’s outstanding three-point shooting do against the Duke zone?
Have a blessed Palm Sunday.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
