What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 4/1/2018

Women’s Basketball Named Play 4 Kay Divisional winner for Third-Straight Season--goredbirds.com

What a National Championship Would Mean For Each Final Four Team…--Rush The Court

A National Championship for Loyola would… be historic for the “little guy.” While a pair of wins in San Antonio would produce the program’s second National Championship, the shift of the college basketball landscape over the last several decades has put all but a few mid-major programs like Loyola in a large and difficult hole. The annual margin of error is minuscule come conference tournament time and NCAA Tournament paths are rarely advantageous as a result. A win by a mid-major program would remind everyone that these teams deserve not only inclusion in the tournament, but they help make the tournament as great as it is.

By cutting down the nets on Monday night, Porter Moser would become the immediate “it” coach at any number of interested programs. While leaving Loyola immediately after a National Championship might be unlikely, a new contract at Loyola is a certainty. If Moser is able to guide Loyola to a championship this year followed by another strong season in 2018-19, he will have plenty of opportunities to vault himself into a power conference coaching position as soon as he likes.

Big men give Final Four teams spacing in positionless game--College Basketball Talk

Krutwig’s burliness makes Loyola a tough guard.

The Ramblers rely on quick ball movement and sharp cuts, often playing with four guards on the court at the same time. Krutwig makes it impossible for defenses to just gang up on the 3-point line.

A beefy 6-9, Krutwig plays a bruising game, often initiating contact. He has a variety of old-school up-and-under moves around the basket and is a deft passer from the post, whipping balls to the Ramblers’ cache of shooters.

“We play four guards at a time a lot, so when you’ve got guys who can space the floor and have an unselfish group, getting the domino started,” Loyola swingman Donte Ingram said. “When you have a post threat like Cameron, it makes us a very balanced team.”

Russell Westbrook to Loyola-Chicago: ‘Go ahead and win it’--College Basketball Talk
Sister Jean: ‘This is the most fun I’ve had in my life’--College Basketball Talk
Heaven sent: Chat with Sister Jean brightens up Final Four--College Basketball Talk
2018 Final Four Preview: No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago--College Basketball Talk
Sister Jean: The Most Popular Nun and Bobblehead--College Basketball Talk
Mo Wagner, Michigan end Loyola-Chicagos miracle run--College Basketball Talk
March Madness 2018: Sister Jean is star attraction at Loyola's media session--Sporting News
Final Four 2018: Grant Hill says he's learned 'not to go against Sister Jean'
NCAAB--Sporting News
Final Four 2018: Sister Jean is the biggest star in San Antonio and it's not even close--Sporting News
Final Four: Three takeaways from No. 3 Michigan's win over No. 11 Loyola--Sporting News
Sister Jean is Embracing Her Role as the Face of Loyola-Chicago, NCAA Tournament--Sports Illustrated
Making the Case For Each Final Four Team to Win the Title--Sports Illustrated

4. Loyola-Chicago

The most compelling reason to believe in the Ramblers is not quantifiable. It’s been clear since their win in the first round over No. 6 seed Miami that either 1) a few enterprising Gryffindor students are putting off potions class in favor of holing up in a Hogwarts dorm to cast spells on Loyola-Chicago’s opponents in crunch time; or 2) Sister Jean has persuaded the basketball gods to intervene on the Ramblers’ behalf.

Loyola-Chicago upset Miami thanks to a deep three at the buzzer from senior wing Donte Ingram. Then it knocked out No. 3 seed Tennessee after redshirt junior guard Clayton Custer connected on a pull-up two-point jumper inside the final five seconds. Then it downed No. 7 seed Nevada after junior guard Marques Townes drained a corner three with about six seconds left. If one of those shots clanks off the rim, the Ramblers are, in all likelihood, sitting at home watching a different team from the South Region bask in the national spotlight.

Michigan could bring Loyola-Chicago’s glorious ride to an abrupt halt by building up enough of a lead to eliminate the possibility of another dramatic winner, but if the Ramblers can keep things close late, recent history suggests they’re going to find a way to send the Wolverines back to Ann Arbor earlier than they’d like. Loyola-Chicago has defied doubters who pegged it for an early tourney dismissal because of its lack of top-end recruits and/or conference affiliation, and surely there are a lot of folks who’ll use one or both of those facts to justify picking Michigan in this game.

Dig a little deeper, though, and the Ramblers’ ability to match high-major powers blow-for-blow on college basketball’s biggest stage is not a huge mystery. They have lost only twice this season with Custer, their leading scorer and assister, in the lineup. They won at then-No. 5 Florida in early December. They are one of the most accurate shooting teams in the country, ranking fifth in effective field goal percentage, which takes into account the added value of threes. And they check in 19th in Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency.

Loyola Chicago is here because it’s really good. It just probably isn’t quite good enough to keep its season alive beyond Saturday night.

Michigan Beats Loyola-Chicago to Advance to National Championship--Sports Illustrated
Final Four preview: How Michigan vs. Loyola will be decided at both ends of the court--The Dagger
Sister Jean: God's probably more of a college basketball fan than an NBA fan--The Dagger
How a Loyola Chicago legend's career was spurred by Jackie Robinson--The Dagger
Cubs lead social media lovefest for Loyola Chicago during Final Four matchup with Michigan--The Dagger
Michigan's impressive second-half rally ends Loyola Chicago's unlikely run--The Dagger
Loyola Chicago's Cinderella run ends with tears, hugs for Sister Jean--The Dagger
Charting the Final Four’s best players by Box Plus-Minus--Fansided

Finally, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Loyola-Chicago lagging behind the power conference programs. The Ramblers have had a magnificent run and have a real chance to cut down the nets on Monday night, but they also rate out as the worst team in the Final Four by nearly every metric. Their most productive player is freshman big man Cameron Krutwig. His blend of efficient scoring, defensive rebounding and a touch of shot blocking clocks him in at a +7.2 overall.

UNI opens MVC men's basketball tournament Thursday against Evansville--The Gazette
UNI holds Ryan Taylor to 2 points in MVC first round win over Evansville--The Gazette
No. 1 seed Loyola knocks UNI out of MVC tournament--The Gazette
UNI basketball gets commitment from junior college forward Shandon Goldman--The Gazette
Juwan McCloud to transfer from UNI basketball--The Gazette
Final 2017-18 NBA G League stats for ex-Iowa collegians--The Gazette

Jeremy Morgan (Iowa City West/Northern Iowa): 32 games, 7.8 ppg, 3.7 rbg, 2.0 apg with Memphis.

Wes Washpun (Cedar Rapids Washington/Northern Iowa): 43 games, 6.6 ppg, 2.1 rbg, 2.0 apg with Iowa.

UNI wants Loyola to take Valley to the top--The Gazette
Local, area sports briefs--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

Basketball

University of Northern Iowa guard Wyatt Lohaus has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Bench team.

The junior from North Liberty has returned from early season injury problems to average 9.0 points per game, the most by any player in the league who has not started a game. Lohaus has a team-best 32 3-pointers in conference games and has scored in double figures 10 times.

Lohaus is joined on the All-Bench team by Markus Golder of Valparaiso, Reggie Scurry of Missouri State, Tyler Smithpeters of Southern Illinois, Lucas Williamson of Loyola and Graham Woodward of Drake.

MVC Tournament: UNI shuts down Evansville, 60-50--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Local, area sports briefs--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

Basketball

Northern Iowa's Ted Friedman and Wyatt Lohaus were among the players named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete team Thursday.

Friedman, a senior, was honored for the third time. He holds a 3.97 grade-point average with a triple major in economics, finance and psychology.

Lohaus, a junior, made the Scholar-Athlete team for the second time. He owns a 3.33 cumulative GPA in movement and exercise science.

College basketball: Loyola survives UNI upset bid in MVC tourney--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
VIDEO: UNI basketball: Jacobson says UNI must get better--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
McCloud leaving UNI basketball program--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Local, area sports briefs--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

Basketball

University of Northern Iowa senior Bennett Koch has been invited to participate in the inaugural 3x3&U National Championship in San Antonio during the Final Four this weekend.

The new event features 32 four-man teams from every Division I conference. They compete in a three-day, 3-on-3 tournament for part of a $100,000 prize pool. Competition begins Friday.

Basketball

University of Northern Iowa sophomore Rose Simon-Ressler is one of 10 recipients of the Missouri Valley Conference Good Neighbor Award, the league announced Tuesday.

The award recognizes 10 student-athletes three times each year. To be eligible, student-athletes must demonstrate good academic standing, citizenship and community service while also participating in a sport.

Simon-Ressler owns a 3.73 grade-point average in health promotion and has been a volunteer with at least seven community organizations. She is also a representative on UNI’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Michigan Roars Back To Down Loyola In NCAA Final Four, 69-57--The Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley

Sunday, April 1, 2018

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 4/1/2018

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