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Loyola Chicago ready to make deep tournament run once again
(Credit: Loyola Chicago Athletics/BVM Sports)

Loyola Chicago ready to make deep tournament run once again

CHICAGO (BVM) — The Loyola Chicago Ramblers made their name known a few years ago during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. As a No. 11 seed, the Ramblers stole the hearts of many with three dramatic, last-second wins to advance to the Elite Eight. 

A win against Kansas State would officially take the Cinderella team to the Final Four, where they would lose a heartbreaker to Michigan in the national semifinals. It was a tough way to finish, but an improbable run that put the program on the map.

After missing the tournament in 2019 and not having the opportunity to compete due to the tournament’s cancelation in 2020, Loyola Chicago is back this year as a No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region. 

This season has been similar to the one a few years back, as the Ramblers dominated the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) en route to a 24-4 record. Two of Loyola Chicago’s four losses this year came to fellow NCAA Tournament teams in Wisconsin and Drake — the latter of which they held off to win the MVC regular season and conference tournament titles.

Now, we will see if the Ramblers can recreate the magic beginning on Friday in their first-round matchup against ACC champion Georgia Tech. Loyola Chicago coach Porter Moser is good friends with Yellow Jackets’ coach Josh Pastner, and has a lot of admiration for his team.

“I thought Josh has done a tremendous job on how they play,” Moser said in a press conference on Wednesday. “Lot of respect and lot of admiration for how Georgia Tech is playing.”

Although the Ramblers are technically the higher seed, Moser still pits his guys in the underdog role that they were in three years ago.

“We’re definitely the underdog,” Moser added. “We’re chasing. They’re the ACC champions.”

The road for Georgia Tech got tougher on Wednesday, as star player and ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright was ruled out for the matchup with the Ramblers.

Meanwhile, Loyola Chicago will continue to lean on their star big man, Cameron Krutwig. The senior was a part of the Ramblers’ run in 2018, and has now taken on a leadership role on the team while averaging 15 points and nearly seven rebounds per game. 

“When he was here as a freshman, we had some guys leading,” Moser said about Krutwig. “But you can just see how much he’s embraced the leadership role and he’s really embraced that this is his team.”

Senior guards Lucas Williamson and Keith Clemons also provide veteran leadership for the Ramblers.

Of course, playing college basketball in the midst of a global pandemic has made the entire season unique for the seniors and all players. The entirety of this year’s NCAA Tournament is being held in the Indianapolis area, with several precautions being taken to make sure games are played.

On a positive note, it has given teams like Loyola Chicago the opportunity to practice at historical arenas such as Hinkle Fieldhouse. However, it has still affected the overall experience for the players.

“It’s really been a lot different,” Krutwig said in a press conference on Wednesday. “Now that things have started to die down a little bit, we’ve kind of found a rhythm and routine. It’s definitely a little bit of a bummer to not be able to hangout with the guys off the court but you try to make the best of it.”

One other positive for Loyola Chicago is that they will have No. 1 fan and team chaplain Sister Jean in attendance for the games in Indianapolis. Sister Jean became famous during the Ramblers’ improbable 2018 run. Now at 101 years old, she is vaccinated and ready to take in the action once again.

“I know she’ll be dying to give that prayer before the game,” Krutwig said. “I’m super excited for her to be around and it’ll be good to get her out here in Indy and get her on board.”

The ultimate key for Loyola Chicago may be recapturing that special magic they had three years ago. If they do beat Georgia Tech and advance to round two, the Ramblers will take on in-state foe and Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois. The Fighting Illini have been playing as well as anyone in the country as of late, and are led by guard Ayo Dosunmu and big man Kofi Cockburn.

Other tough matchups with teams like Oklahoma State, Tennessee, West Virginia or Houston could also potentially await Loyola Chicago down the road. However, there are some similarities between this year’s team and the 2018 squad, and Krutwig thinks they have what it takes.

“I think the biggest similarity is the senior leadership and just having guys that have been there before and played in big-time games,” Krutwig said. 

And although they may see themselves as the underdog, the reality is everyone now knows who Loyola Chicago is. They aren’t just content with being back, they want to win.

“The mentality is, we’re just not happy to be here,” Moser said. “We want to compete, we want to win, we want to advance. That’s been our focus.”