Primarily a collection of news links about all 12 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
-Oregon State marches on!! That is five top 25 wins in a row for a team
that almost no one gave any thought to on the Thursday of the Pac 12
Tournament. They are now in the Elite Eight after knocking off a very
good defensive Loyola Chicago team, and are perhaps the most improbable
team to ever advance to an Elite Eight. I don’t know that any team who
was in virtually no bracketology projections at any point of the season
and who needed the automatic bid just to get in has ever gone all the
way to the Elite Eight. The Loyola program is still in the midst of a
great run. It was their second Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last
four years, and given how things are going the run may not be over. We
may see more NCAA Tournaments and top 25 rankings in their future.
Yesterday’s game was a bit of a rock fight, but it was one of those that
guaranteed a good and historic story regardless of how it came out.
Three key takeaways from Oregon State’s win over Loyola-Chicago
2. Loyola-Chicago faces an offseason of uncertainty
The
last remnants of the Ramblers’ Final Four team are set to move on as
both Krutwig and Williamson (barring a decision to return for a fifth
year thanks to the NCAA’s waiver for athletes that played this season)
have exhausted the remainder of their eligibility, leaving the future of
Loyola-Chicago’s rising program in doubt.
The rest of the roster
didn’t distinguish itself against the Beavers this afternoon, which
could influence Porter Moser’s decision whether to pursue a high-major
job or not.
Moser should be a hot candidate with schools like
Indiana, Texas and Oklahoma all looking for new head coaches. If this is
the time that Moser makes the jump to a power conference program, his
stock may never be hotter.
Midwest 12. Oregon State Beavers (19-12, 10-10 Pac-12 Automatic) vs. 8. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (26-4, 16-2 MVC Automatic)
2:40 p.m. on CBS (March Madness Live game link) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner with Dana Jacobson reporting)
The Beavers and Ramblers meet for the first time with a
spot in the Elite Eight on the line. With a win, Oregon State will earn
its recognized regional final berth since 1966 and their first period
since the Ralph Miller-led 1982 team (which was subsequently vacated due
to NCAA violations). As for Loyola, this is the very rare matchup where
the mid-major is not only the higher seed in the Sweet Sixteen matchup
but also has a more storied March history. After all, the Ramblers have a
national title on their record and they’re aiming to make Final Fours
in consecutive NCAA trips.
-Oregon State and Loyola Chicago face off in a game that almost no one
would have had in their brackets two weeks ago, much less predicted
prior to the start of the conference tournaments. And, it should
actually be a fun one! Loyola Chicago has been a good team all year,
but no one expected them to control Illinois from tip to buzzer the way
they did in the Round of 32. Oregon State was rather unspectacular for
most of the season, but has been on a rampage since the conference
tournaments started and now has a chance to get to the Elite Eight.
Oregon
State is the classic case of a team heating up at the right time. The
Beavers’ two wins in the Big Dance, thanks in large part to top scorer
and facilitator Ethan Thompson, proved their run through the Pac-12
tournament was not a fluke. The Beavers are also one of the nation’s
best free-throw shooting teams, but that advantage might be neutralized.
The Ramblers commit fewer fouls, just 14.5 a game, than any team
remaining in the field while still playing rock-solid defense. Part of
Loyola’s success in keeping its opponents’ score down is also
attributable to its ability to establish its deliberate tempo on
offense. It’ll be close, but in the end the Ramblers will make more
shots.
Time: 2:40 p.m. ET | Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live
After seeing how dominant and destructive Loyola Chicago's defense was against Illinois
and its top-10 offense, most of our team, outside of David Cobb, who
has come down with a concerning case of the Beaver Fever, is taking
Loyola to win. Led by the top-rated defense in adjusted efficiency
according to KenPom metrics, the Ramblers have the goods inside and out
to stunt the Beavers' biggest strengths. I'm laying the points with
Loyola.Prediction: Loyola Chicago 75, Oregon State 60 -- Boone
#8 Loyola (Chicago) vs. #12 Oregon State (2:40 PM EST, CBS), If Oregon State can limit its turnovers, do the Beavers have enough firepower to pull off an upset? After a stifling defensive performance against Illinois, Loyola (Chicago) has retaken the top spot on KenPom’s
adjusted defensive efficiency rankings this season. The Ramblers forced
17 turnovers against the Illini, an area of which Oregon State
struggled against Oklahoma State, committing 20 turnovers. If the
Beavers protect the ball, the three-point line becomes key where Oregon
State has shot a robust 42 percent over its last five games.
The wispy mustache can't hide the fact that we've seen the Ramblers' fun-loving big man before.
The 6-foot-9 senior from Algonquin, Illinois, was
a central figure in Chicago Loyola's Cinderella turn at the 2018 Final
Four. Now he's back and there's no looking away when he's on the floor,
for reasons far beyond the Krustache.
The 255-pound Krutwig has the heft of a center,
but the hands and passing skills of a guard. He's the conductor of the
Ramblers' offense from the middle of the lane and the never-give-an-inch
anchor of the defense.
Krutwig was the first center in 15 years to be
named Missouri Valley Conference player of the year after averaging 15.0
points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
He also has a personality to match his beefy
presence on the court, whether it's playing harmonica or an impromptu
karaoke version of Hall and Oates’ “Private Eyes" on the Dan Patrick
radio show.
A
senior, Williamson picked the right time to play his best basketball of
the season. He started with a season-high 21 points against Georgia
Tech in the opening round and then followed that with 14 points in the
surprise upset of No. 1 Illinois. Perhaps his biggest contribution from
the upset of the Illini was his role in defending All-American Ayo
Dosunmu, who managed just nine points. It was his lowest point total of
the season.
7. Porter Moser, Loyola-Chicago. Moser is undoubtedly
in line to land a power conference coaching job if he wants it, and his
success in this year's NCAA Tournament illustrates that Loyola Chicago's
Final Four run in 2018 wasn't just a Cinderella story. It's a
well-coached program that leads the nation this year in defense
(allowing 55.7 points a game to opponents).
No. 12 Oregon State vs. No. 8 Loyola-Chicago (Sat., 2:40 p.m. ET)
The
Beavers have been white-hot as they ran through the Pac-12 Tournament
to get into the field and have since knocked off Tennessee and Oklahoma
State. But will that change against a Loyola-Chicago team that, frankly,
has looked better than a No. 8 seed for the entire season?
My
belief is that it will. Oregon State loves to muddy up the game and make
things ugly but that’s going to be extremely difficult with a Ramblers
team that is so experienced and well-coached behind Cameron Krutwig and
more. Moreover, the Loyola-Chicago defense will wreak havoc on a Beavers
offense that can sometimes get stagnant.
No. 8 Loyola Chicago (-6½) vs. No. 12 Oregon State, 2:40 p.m., CBS.
I know the Ramblers beat Georgia Tech and Illinois by 9 and 11 points,
respectively, but this strikes me as a pretty big spread. Unlike
Loyola’s previous two opponents, Oregon State prefers to play half-court
basketball. The Beavers are ranked 303rd nationally in tempo, according
to KenPom.com, while the Ramblers are 342nd. The Beavers are also a
veteran team led by 6-5 senior guard Ethan Thompson, who has started
every game of his college career and put up 26 against Oklahoma State in
the second round. As for toughness, the Beavers have held opponents to
30.5 percent shooting (23.6 percent from 3) in the tourney and have shot
38 free throws, the third-highest among the Sweet 16 teams. So I’ll
take the points but Loyola to win. Between Sister Jean and the marvelously mustachioed Cameron Krutwig, there’s not a lot of oxygen left for Lucas Williamson,
the 6-4 senior point guard, but it’s worth noting he was the MVC’s
defensive player of the year, scored 21 points in the first-round win
over Georgia Tech and has shot 62.5 percent from the field (50 percent
from 3) over his last four games. The pick: Oregon State
Porter Moser, head coach, Loyola Chicago. Moser is
the hottest name in the sport, for good reason, but so far two schools
he had been speculated for, Iowa State and Minnesota, opted to hire
other coaches. He could presumably be in the mix at Indiana and
Marquette, but Castiglione would be committing a serious act of
negligence if he didn’t reach out to assess whether Moser would be
interested. We know Moser can coach, but this could be an awkward fit
for a guy who has spent the last 10 seasons at a private school in a
major city. He has worked at Texas A&M and was the coach at
Arkansas-Little Rock, but that was a long time ago.
Lucas Williamson as legitimate second scoring option.
Cameron Krutwig is as reliable as they come, and Loyola knows what
they’re going to get on the defensive end every night. But when
Williamson is also a force offensively, the Ramblers can hang with
anyone as we learned last weekend. The senior had a game-high 21 points
against Georgia Tech and was the third-highest scorer in the game
against Illinois with 14 points.
And then
there was one. The Bears are the one mid-major left standing, with wins
over UC Davis and Wright State. They haven’t had to face a major
conference foe yet in the tournament and last faced one at all in
December when they beat Missouri. They also beat Maryland back in
November, holding the country’s best scoring team to 72 points. This
team isn’t going to roll over just because Stanford is up next. Don’t
write off Missouri State’s well-balanced attack led by Brice Calip and
Jasmine Franklin.
Krutwig is a throwback in every sense. He’s a below-the-rim big man who runs the offense with his outstanding passing. He sports a sweet ’stache
and listens to oldies music. He was a freshman on the Ramblers’ 2017
Final Four team, so it seems like he has been around forever. More than
anything, he’s a winner.
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago: The Ramblers' mustached center faced the challenge of a lifetime against No. 1 seed Illinois and mammoth center Kofi Cockburn. He handled it like a star by leading Loyola Chicago to a victory with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Honorable mentions
Joseph Yesufu, Drake: With star forward ShanQuan Hemphill limited due to injury and starting point guard Roman Penn
out with a broken foot, Yesufu carried Drake late this season. He
averaged 23.5 points in two NCAA Tournament games and turned in one of
the best dunks of the year in a First Four victory.
5. Loyola Chicago cuts down the nets. The Ramblers (26-4) are no longer a Cinderella. This is a national title contending team
with the nation's best defense – limiting opponents to 55.8 points a
game and leading KenPom's efficiency ratings (86.1). The last team to
hold those stats during an NCAA Tournament – Virginia – won the national
title in 2019. But coach Porter Moser's offense is no slouch, either.
It's predicated on spacing and patience from the playbook of the late
coach Rick Majerus.
That
slows the pace down and allows a well-disciplined half-court offense to
take an up-tempo team completely out of rhythm. Cameron Krutwig (15.0
ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.0 apg) is the key for Loyola Chicago to come out
swinging like it did in an enormous upset of No. 1 Illinois. With a slowed pace, Loyola can beat anyone in the Midwest Region – or any remaining team Region for that matter.
March Madness: Sweet 16 matchups on Saturday, March 27
Midwest Region – No. 12 Oregon State vs. No. 8 Loyola-Chicago
Time: 2:40 p.m. ET
Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
TV: CBS
Line: Loyola-Chicago -6.5
Oregon
State used its offensive firepower to blow past Tennessee and Oklahoma
State but their run comes to an end here. Porter Moser’s team is a
legitimate Final Four threat and won’t be intimidated by the Beavers.
Thoughts
of Porter Moser getting the Ramblers to the Final Four being a fluke
are no more. Loyola-Chicago knocked off No. 1 seed Illinois and boasts
the most efficient defense in college basketball. With Cameron Krutwig
flexing his experience and playmaking chops in every facet, it’s clear
that the Ramblers were under-seeded and are capable of winning any game.
Count
me among the masses that believes Loyola's gross under-seeding was a
disservice to the Midwest Region, but instead of piling on the selection
committee I get a chance to stake my claim here with a position just
above the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds remaining in the tournament. While the
elite defensive efficiency and 26-4 record anchors an argument for
Loyola as one of the top teams in the country, the win against Illinois
included ruthless precision on the offensive end and a stellar
performance from Cameron Krutwig. Official NCAA Tournament seed: No. 30
After days of speculation,
Brad Stevens on Friday finally put an end to the rumors he was
considering leaving the Boston Celtics to take over at Indiana.
Regardless of whether he ever entertained the idea, that ship has
sailed, so where does Indiana turn next?
There's
some chatter that Indiana has seen what Juwan Howard has done at
Michigan and been impressed, which could increase the chances for
Woodson or fellow Hoosier alums Keith Smart and Calbert Cheaney.
2. Where's Porter Moser coaching next season?
As
we mentioned above, Moser beating Illinois in the second round on
Sunday has increased his stock even more. He entered the postseason as
arguably the hottest name on the coaching carousel, given his Final Four
run in 2018 and Missouri Valley titles in three of the past four
seasons. I think he holds the key to the carousel moving forward. If
Indiana shows interest, Moser could theoretically take any job he wants.
He's among the early favorites at Marquette -- it's likely there's
mutual interest -- and he has also been connected to the DePaul job for a
year. Moser could also wait and see if any other jobs open.
Moser
is a bit of a different candidate. He already makes more than $1
million per year at Loyola Chicago, he grew up just outside Chicago and
he already turned down a hefty pay bump when St. John's was interested a
couple years ago. Preferences that might be obvious for other
candidates don't necessarily apply to him.
I don't know if the
carousel is going to stop spinning and wait for Moser to be finished
with the NCAA tournament and then make a decision, but I'm not sure any
of the big jobs move on until they know for sure Moser isn't interested.
Indiana turning to Moser would be awfully interesting.
5. What's the latest on the other big vacancies?
We
addressed Indiana above, so we'll start with Marquette. The two names
linked right away to the vacancy were Moser and Beilein, and I'd imagine
those two will be heavily involved. Former Marquette coach and current
Georgia boss Tom Crean is interested but unlikely to have a real shot at
the job. As mentioned, Smart could have some interest if he's looking
to leave Texas. Other names linked in the past have included Bradley's
Brian Wardle, while Cleveland State's Gates could be involved.
6. Loyola-Chicago’s Porter Moser became the most interesting coaching candidate in this hiring cycle
One
of the big issues with the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee was
their complete disregard of Loyola-Chicago’s metrics, handing a 23-4
team ranked inside the Top 10 of both the NET and KenPom efficiency
ratings an 8-seed based on the fact they played in the Missouri Valley
Conference. That decision not only was a slap in the face to the
Ramblers, one of the nation’s best teams, but hurt the Illinois team
that drew them in the second round since the Fighting Illini shouldn’t
have had to face an opponent that difficult in the Round of 32.
Loyola-Chicago
pulled off the upset to send the Illini home but this team may be
better than the one that Porter Moser took to the Final Four as an
11-seed back in 2018. Moser has now become the biggest rising star in
the mid-major coaching ranks, taking a program that hadn’t done much of
anything since 1985 and turning it into a legitimate powerhouse out of
the MVC.
High-major programs should come calling for Moser, who
turned down the St. John’s job two years ago and has improved his stock
significantly over the past two years in Chicago. Expect Indiana to make
a big run at Moser, who has enough leverage now that he can pick where
he wants to go if he decides to make a jump to a power-conference
program.
Moser has led
Loyola-Chicago to at least the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last
three NCAA Tournaments, with a 99-35 record over the last four seasons.
He notably turned down an offer from St. John’s after the Ramblers’ 2018
Final Four run, but’s he’s an easy candidate for the opening at Indiana until further notice.
Moser
has some coaching roots in the South. He was an assistant at Texas
A&M, then an assistant and eventually head coach at Arkansas-Little
Rock. He then served as head coach at Illinois State, before becoming a
disciple of the late Rick Majerus at Saint Louis.
There’s a case
for Moser to be higher on this list. But his profession of loyalty to
Illinois-Chicago seems genuine, and it’s hard to see Florida as a spot
he’d consider a destination job. But if White is fired, the powers that
be in Gainesville should try to get Moser.
-Loyola Chicago basically led Illinois tip to buzzer and knocked them
off for one of the more surprising results of the NCAA Tournament
71-58. A lot of people (like myself) were very impressed with how good
the Illini looked and thought they’d basically walk into the Final
Four. Now, a lot of people are suddenly up in arms about how Loyola
Chicago was only seeded #8th. While I don’t entirely disagree, I also
can’t help but notice that on Selection Sunday you saw no such
outcries. And, the committee can only evaluate what is there. Had
Loyola Chicago played a full OOC schedule and had it been a normal year
they would have perhaps shown that they were better than an 8 seed
caliber team. As would have UC Santa Barbara. As would have some other
teams.
The Fighting Sister Jeans have enjoyed life as the cute Cinderella,
but now they find themselves in the unexpected position of being favored
by 6½ points in a Sweet 16 game. Will that affect their mindset?
Basketball is basketball, so this shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is
undoubtedly different. Three years ago the Ramblers snuck up on
everyone, got real lucky in winning their first three games by a total
of four points, and then pounded Kansas State to reach the Final Four. Loyola
brought a pressure-free edge to its second-round matchup with Illinois,
the classic little brother scrapping its way to victory over powerhouse
State U. It’s probably a good thing the Ramblers are staying in the
Indianapolis bubble as opposed to returning to campus and getting
showered by all kinds of praise. We saw multiple examples in the first
two rounds of how hard it is to carry the pressure of being the
favorite. Now we’ll find out how well Loyola’s shoulders can bear that
newfound mantle.
The amount of upsets we saw this weekend was awesome, and there was
one thing that almost all of them had in common: each “Cinderella” had
two of the three best players in that game.
Cameron Krutwig was the best player on the court in Loyola Chicago’s
win over top-seeded Illinois. He was helped by fellow senior Lucas
Williamson, who was the game’s third-leading scorer (14 points).
Coaching matters
With all the craziness, having a proven, battle-tested coach has proven to be a huge difference.
Porter Moser has Loyola Chicago back after 2018’s Final Four run despite
getting a No. 8 seed.
Ranking the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 field from Gonzaga to Oral Roberts.
After the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, expectations were
sky-high for the return edition to make good on the missed madness.
Boy, the opening weekend did not disappoint whatsoever. Upsets ran
rampant throughout the first few days of the dance with the likes of two
No. 2 seeds and a No. 1 seed all falling prior to the Sweet 16. Even a
No. 15 seed followed in the footsteps of “Dunk City” to become the
second-ever to reach the second weekend. The first few days of the 2021
NCAA Tournament put the madness in March and was a blast to witness.
Indiana has done a commendable job hosting the event and the Big
Dance’s return to the sporting world’s center stage is exciting. And
while the hectic, four-games-at-once upset central of opening weekend
has passed, the Sweet 16 presents us with some of the best teams in the
nation still vying for the chance at cutting down the final nets in
early April. Three No. 1 seeds still remain, including the two teams
that everyone has been waiting to see face off all season long.
Has this entire year really just been exposition for Gonzaga vs.
Baylor? Perhaps, but those two teams still need to win three more games
apiece to reach that matchup.
6. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (26-4)
Loyola Chicago entered the NCAA Tournament with the nation’s best
adjusted defensive efficiency rating and proved its dominance during the
opening weekend. The Ramblers first took down Georgia Tech and then
stifled Illinois in a second-round victory to advance to the Sweet 16.
Porter Moser’s team is well-connected defensively while featuring one
of the nation’s top stoppers. Lucas Williamson did more than just show
his defensive prowess over this past weekend, though; Williamson also
scored 35 total points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field. His
production is sometimes overshadowed by All-American teammate in Cameron
Krutwig.
Loyola is not a Cinderella this season. While the slipper
fit in 2018, the Ramblers are a better team now than the Final Four
group and are playing to their potential. This squad is elite
defensively and features a bevy of 3-point shooters around Krutwig.
The
selection committee's seeding of Loyola Chicago isn't difficult to
understand. The Ramblers lost to Wisconsin by double digits in their
only nonconference matchup against a Power 5 NCAA tournament team. (The
Ramblers also beat North Texas in January.) They also had losses to
Drake, Indiana State and Richmond, all without a signature win to offset
those defeats. More than anything, Porter Moser's squad represents the
unfairness of a season that provided limited nonconference options for
mid-majors due to COVID-19.
But the committee considered the
metrics that told us this was a very good team months ago. This squad
justified its No. 1 adjusted defensive efficiency rating on KenPom by
holding Illinois to 0.88 points per possession. A second Final Four run
in three years does not seem impossible for this group after leading
Illinois -- the best team not named Gonzaga for the past month -- from
start to finish. No team beneath Loyola Chicago on this list can match
the weight of that victory. The Ramblers have played top-seed basketball
since Jan. 10 (one loss).
Just two of the teams that won Sunday qualify as mid-majors:
eighth-seeded Loyola of Chicago, which manhandled No. 1 seed Illinois
from the get-go and won 71-58; and 15th-seeded Oral Roberts, which used a
late run to squeeze past Florida 81-78. The other two upsets were No.
12 Oregon State fending off fourth-seeded Oklahoma State 80-70, and No.
11 Syracuse smothering third-seeded West Virginia just enough to win
75-72.
Mid-majors are used to being treated as an
afterthought. In normal seasons, they don’t have the budget to smooth
out all the rough spots, and because they’re always farther back in the
recruiting line, their players stick around because precious few are
good enough to turn pro early. Nearly every time they venture out the
conference, they do so as underdogs.
In normal seasons, those disadvantages are a chip
on their shoulders. This time around, qualities like resilience and
cohesion are turning what might have been moral victories into actual
W’s.
“Nobody was really doing anything out of body or
out of mind,” said Loyola center Cameron Krutwig, who delivered 19
points and 12 rebounds in the win over Illinois.
Krutwig looks like a bigger version of Dick
Butkus, but moves just like Justin Timberlake and doesn’t rattle easily.
“We just stuck to the game plan,” he added matter-of-factly.
-Loyola Chicago has what seems to be an impossible task this
afternoon as they take on top seeded (and all around awesome) Illinois.
This would be a monster upset if the Ramblers can pull it off. But,
we’ve seen a few of those already.
