Inside Loyola Chicago’s upset of No. 1 Illinois

Cameron Krutwig, right, and the Ramblers send the Fighting Illini home early. Is your bracket still intact? Scores for men and women inside.

Loyola Chicago is heading back to the Sweet 16 after pulling off the biggest upset of this season’s men’s NCAA Tournament, sending No. 1 seed Illinois home in the second round Sunday after a 71- 58 win.

The Ramblers ( 26- 4) came out firing and controlled the game’s pace from the start, building a nine- point cushion at halftime that they never relinquished in a well- executed second half.

This isn’t coach Porter Moser’s first time helping his team thrive in March, considering 2018’ s Final Four run with a No. 11- seeded Loyola squad.

His smart and methodical half- court offense took a high- octane Illinois squad out of its rhythm, and the nation’s top defense ( Loyola limits opponents to 55.7 points per game) was on full display to disrupt a typically smooth- flowing Illini offense.

The good

Loyola senior center Cameron Krutwig ( 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists per game) took it to fellow All- American big man Kofi Cockburn ( 21 points, nine rebounds), and the veteran’s play was the difference in this contest, creating easy buckets for his Ramblers teammates off backdoor passes and using his footwork to score off a more athletic Cockburn.

The bad

Ayo Dosunmu, USA TODAY Sports’ national player of the year, had a terrible game. He had nine points on 4- for- 10 shooting and couldn’t find his shot in the slower pace that Loyola dictated. The Ramblers’ team defense offset Dosunmu’s excellent individual offense, with little room for him to take control with few isolation opportunities. Dosunmu made poor decisions, committing six turnovers and struggling to create for others while his shots weren’t falling.

The ugly

Loyola forced Illinois into 17 turnovers, 4- for- 14 3- point shooting and a season- low 58 points. But it was all the pace that made the Illini look like the No. 8 seed instead of the No. 1. Illinois was one of, if not the hottest teams in the country, having won 15 of 16, and coach Brad Underwood’s team was a favorite to win the national title. Instead, this is the first No. 1 seed going home. The Big Ten was the best conference in the country, per NET rankings, but it was Loyola’s endurance with back- toback Missouri Valley Conference games that made it ready for a bracket- busting win on the sport’s biggest stage.

TREVOR RUSZKOWSKI/ USA TODAY SPORTS

MICHAEL CATERINA/ INDYSTAR Loyola Chicago players celebrate knocking off Illinois in the second round of the men’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.