Revenge game in the making? Loyola-Chicago going strong again
Hoping they can repeat some of the magic from 2018? They are currently #13 in KenPom, #14 in NET and just outside the AP rankings.
Personally, I wouldn't mind at all meeting them again in the tournament - or at least seeing them make a run.
And Sister Jean still going strong at 101: http://loyolaphoenix.com/2020/08/sister-jean-turns-101-god-must-have-more-work-for-me-to-do/
Obviously she wouldn't be allowed to be present, but I would love to see her watching/supporting remotely.
A nice memory: https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2018/3/31/17184610/sister-jean-loyola-michigan-final-four
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:05 AM ^
Beating Loyola and Sister Jean was amazing! She was a bit overconfident- but they could not stack up against the mighty Wolverines.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
and in the distance was a squad by the name of Villanova
February 2nd, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
Villanova was the college basketball equivalent of peak Golden State that year. You couldn't shut one guy down without getting beat to hell by another guy who could just as easily rain threes down upon you like it was a casual day of practice. I think that was what happened. Michigan tried to shut down Jalen Brunson, which they did relatively well, but then proceeded to get lit up by DiVincenzo as he went off for 30+ points.
Michigan had a great team that year. Villanova was on a whole other level, and there was nothing Michigan could've done differently (in my mind) to win that game aside from just shooting the lights out a la what they did against A&M. Although to be fair to Michigan, I don't think there was much of anything that any other team in America could've done to win.
February 2nd, 2021 at 11:56 AM ^
Eh, maybe not win, but if we had played like we had most of the season, at least it would have been closer. Outside of that A&M game, our offense (and in particular our shooting) was shit all tournament. We got lucky that we had a pretty easy path to the championship game, because for whatever reason our offense was brick city.
February 2nd, 2021 at 12:12 PM ^
That run was fun, of course. But you're right. Only once through that run did we shoot the ball well. And it's ironic that the game was against A&M. I watched them beat the living hell out of North Carolina and I was nervous to now go up against them. And then for that game to unfold like it did...where even CJ Baird drained a 3? That was so awesome.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:32 AM ^
Yup. If she had a loaf of rye, we definitely took it from her.
February 2nd, 2021 at 10:11 AM ^
Wait a minute, I've never bated a hook with a rye before.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:16 AM ^
After many years my buddy is finishing up his counseling degree program at Loyola this year. And is a big UM fan who attends games with me regularly over the years. I would appreciate this match-up to see where his true loyalties lie.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:16 AM ^
This is somehow the same person
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:20 AM ^
The photo on the left was taken just after he momentarily put his head inside the transfer portal.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:56 AM ^
The one on the right is after he put his head in the transformation portal.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:21 AM ^
Male pattern baldness has no sympathy or prejudice.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
Mostly just gender.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:26 AM ^
He's already trying to sell me an extended warranty on the floor model dishwasher
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:27 AM ^
On a side note. Miami is HORRIBLE this year. They just beat Duke last night. Yay!
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:28 AM ^
Not a revenge game from Michigan's perspective.
February 2nd, 2021 at 9:57 AM ^
Do not lose sight of the fact that Moe Wagner had one of the best FF games in history against them.
February 2nd, 2021 at 10:10 AM ^
The reason I love college basketball so very much is the development in players in such a short amount of time.
I remember Cameron Krutwig when Michigan played him in the F4 and he was this super raw dude that showed some promise. Fast-forward to 2021 and he's now their leading scorer and continues to improve.
A few years ago, Collin Gillespie for Nova was this super skinny kid who looked out of place; now, he's Nova's leading scorer.
February 2nd, 2021 at 10:34 AM ^
I think that's selling Krutwig short. He was arguably Loyola's second best player as a freshman when they went the Final Four. According to Torvik he had a 118 ORTG (highest on the team) on 23% USG that season. For reference Hunter Dickinson right now has a 120 ORTG on 25% USG. He was more than a raw kid who shows flashes, he was straight up really good. Now as a senior he's just better.
Gillespie fits the bill better, but even then I wouldn't say he looked out of place as a freshman. He played less than 30% of his team's minutes and had a USG of like 13%, but his ORTG was 127. All he did was shoot, but he made damn near every shot (64% from 2, 39% from 3, 80% from the line). Definitely didn't expect him to turn into an All American though so the point holds true there.
February 2nd, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
UM is now a unanimous #1 seed on bracketmatrix