MAKING THE CASE FOR ...
LOYOLA-CHICAGO
SAN ANTONIO – They’re on a mission from God.
Sorry, Loyola being a Jesuit school from Chicago and the team’s most famous member being a 98-year-old nun, I couldn’t resist the Blues Brothers reference. Be assured, however, the Ramblers are no joke.
This is a team that upset Florida in Gainesville in December and rolls into the Final Four on a 14-game winning streak. Its four tournament games were keyed by four players, including Ben Richardson going off for 23 in the Elite Eight after being oh-fer in the opener.
It is the stingiest of the four teams left, holding opponents to 62.4 points per game, and has outrebounded all but Miami (Fla.) in the NCAA tournament.
In other words, don’t let the 11 seed in front of its name fool you. Loyola is every bit as deserving of its seat on college basketball’s biggest stage as the three powerhouse programs up there.
“We have felt all along that we have a ton of weapons,” Ramblers coach Porter Moser said. “We can space you, we can drive you, we can shoot it. ... It’s not trying to find one guy, it’s who’s the open guy, keep sharing it, moving it. It’s more to the unselfishness and versatility rather than one guy.”
An 11th seed is the lowest to make the Final Four, and Loyola is the fourth to do it. None of the others — LSU, George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth — made it to the title game. It’s not a surprise, really, given the sheer size of the domed stadiums and all the hype surrounding the Final Four.
Loyola, for example, plays in a 5,000-seat arena. The Alamodome is 14 times that. The Ramblers have been besieged by fans since arriving home from Atlanta, and they got to San Antonio to find their photos plastered on the outside of their hotel.
It’s a lot for any team to take in, let alone one that hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament in 33 years.
But Moser said his team is ready. “This was part of the plan when we recruited them,” he said. “‘Hey, let’s change the direction of the program.’ So I wasn’t going to stop now and not let them enjoy the journey. And the reason why I can do that is because they’ve been mature and locked in.”
It turns out they’re on a mission after all.
LOYOLA STATS
Scoring offense: 72.0 (223) Scoring defense: 62.4 (5) Scoring margin: 9.6 (27) Rebounding margin: 1.8 (114) Field goal %: 50.9 (3) Three-point %: 40.0 (16) Three-pointers made: 276 (109) Free throw %: 72.2 (141) Assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.29 (47)