The 2018 NCAA Tournament was expected to be one of the more unpredictable tourneys in recent memory. In most years, it seems as though one of the “blue blood” schools is a heavy favorite and winds up winning it all.
Just looking at this year’s top seeds would tell you that the potential for chaos was there. You could argue that we’ve never seen a March with more madness than the one we just witnessed. For the first time ever, we saw the top-4 seeds in the same region (South) ousted before the Sweet 16. Virginia became the first 1 seed to ever lose to a 16, while Arizona, Cincinnati and Tennessee also faltered.
In the end, 11th-seeded Loyola Chicago was the last team standing. Loyola won the South Region by rolling through the likes of Miami, Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas State on their way to a berth in the Final Four.
The road to a championship certainly won’t be easy, as the Ramblers are the lowest seed left on the board. Loyola will take on Michigan in the Final Four. If they’re able to get past the Wolverines, the Ramblers will face either Villanova or Kansas in the National Championship Game.
Can they win it all? Or will Loyola’s Cinderella story end in tragic fashion? If you’re looking to place a bet on Loyola or any other team in the Final Four, we suggest checking out one of these sites:
SportsBetting.ag BetOnlineAs of this writing, the Ramblers are listed as 5.5-point underdogs against Michigan. While the Wolverines are understandably favored, they’ll have their hands full with what has been an incredibly hot-shooting Loyola outfit thus far. The Ramblers have been the best shooting team in the tourney thus far, having nailed 50.9 percent of their shots through the first 4 games.
Three-point shooting isn’t at all consistent in the college game, but Loyola have been an exception. Porter Moser’s squad has connected on an astounding 40 percent of their looks from long range so far in the tournament. 3 different players on the roster have hit a big shot in crunch time already this month, so the spotlight doesn’t appear to be too bright for this team.
We could actually have a low-scoring affair on our hands here, as these are also 2 of the nation’s premier defensive outfits. Per KenPom’s defensive efficiency number, Michigan is 4th in the nation in defense, while Loyola is 19th. Loyola has allowed 68 or fewer points to their opponents in 10 consecutive games, while Michigan surrenders just 63.1 points per game on the season. Wolverines opponents have shot just 42 percent from the field, as well.
Michigan’s Moe Wagner may provide additional matchup problems for Loyola, as the Ramblers haven’t had to deal with a player with his skill set to this point. Wagner is 6’11” and a legitimate threat to bomb from the outside. On the season, the German native has averaged better than 14 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game while connecting on nearly 40 percent of his looks from beyond the arc. Wagner has been one of the breakout stars of the tournament.
Michigan is certainly more battle-tested, especially on the bench. This is John Beilein’s second trip to the Final Four in the last 5 seasons. Moser, meanwhile, is the head coach of a team in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
If Loyola is able to keep the momentum going and get past Michigan, then they’ll square off against one of the best programs in the country regardless of who wins the Villanova-Kansas matchup.
One could make the argument that Villanova has been the best program in the country for the last half-decade. Over the last 5 seasons, Jay Wright’s squad has reached at least the second round of the tourney every year. That includes this year’s Final Four appearance as well as their 2016 national title.
Kansas, meanwhile, hasn’t missed the tournament since way back in 2004, which was Bill Self’s first season in Lawrence. The Jayhawks won the national title in 2008, and this marks the third straight year in which they have reached the Elite Eight. It’s also their first Final Four trip since losing in the National Championship Game in 2012.
Beating Villanova starts with containing Jalen Brunson, who has arguably been the best player in college basketball this season. Brunson is unique in that he’s a guard that isn’t afraid to take his man down and bully him on the block. Most college guards have raw post defending skills, and Brunson has a habit of using that to his advantage in most matchups.
Much like Loyola, Villanova is able to run 5 guys out there capable of killing you from long range. The Wildcats are also versatile enough defensively to switch seamlessly on all ball screens, which makes it tough for opponents to get clean looks in the pick-and-roll. That could prove problematic for a team like Loyola that generates so much offense from outside the arc.
Kansas also has 4 starters capable of hitting threes. The Jayhawks can also kill you with athleticism with the likes of Lagerald Vick, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Udoka Azubuike having looked stellar throughout the tourney thus far. Udoka’s combination of size and athleticism may prove too much for Loyola’s relatively inexperienced bigs to defend.
The best way to attack Kansas offensively is to get Udoka out into space. He’s not particularly comfortable defending outside the paint, and Kansas isn’t as quick to switch in PnR situations as Villanova is. If you can get Udoka switched onto a guard in the open floor, that effectively removes any and all rim protection from the Jayhawks defensively.
Considering Loyola has lost a grand total of 1 game since January 3, it’s safe to say they’re on a bit of a roll. They did get a bit of fortune when teams like Virginia and Arizona bowed out early, but there’s no denying the fact that the Ramblers absolutely deserve to be in San Antonio. Loyola has been quick to adopt the positionless type of basketball that has swept the NBA in recent years, which has been a difficult adjustment for college opponents playing a more traditional style.
This team can space the floor like crazy, and all 5 starters grade out as above-average passers. They’re never in a rush to jack a shot up there. They’ll work the shot clock to find the open guy, and that typically results in an open look for a dangerous shooter. The Ramblers also don’t crash the glass looking to get offensive rebounds. As a result, they’re typically able to set their 5-man defense before the opponent is able to capitalize in transition. Limiting fast break opportunities is hugely important, especially for a team that may not have as much on-paper talent as a powerhouse like Nova or Kansas.
Those teams are physically gifted enough to give Loyola some problems, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of defensive adjustments Moser will make, if necessary. The Ramblers play a little small at every position, which makes it easier to switch on ball screens.
Despite the run, Loyola is still a massive underdog to win the title. The Ramblers are way down at +1000 to be the last team standing, which obviously makes them an elite value. They’ve defied the odds in every matchup to this point, so who’s to say they can’t keep it going for 2 more games? If you’re a risk-tolerant bettor, you have very little to lose and a ton to gain by hopping on the bandwagon here at +1000.
Unlike other Cinderellas before them, this Loyola team is a legitimate threat to the established powers they’ll be going up against. I think this squad is entirely capable of shocking the world twice more. As mentioned previously, this tournament has been as wide open as any in recent memory. Ride the wave with the Ramblers.
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