The first seed of the men’s NCAA tournament fell. March Madness’s brackets were shattered from coast to coast and in nations around the world as the Illinois Fighting Illini lost to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers 71-58 on Sunday, knocking out Big Ten champions and a popular final selection. Four.
Thirty-four of ESPN’s 38 college basketball experts chose Illinois to represent the Midwest in the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 3, and their loss leaves the Houston Cougars in second place in the standings. good team from the region.
But Sunday’s result also increases the profile and possibilities for Loyola, who reached the Final Four in San Antonio in 2018 and perhaps rediscovered her magic (with the team’s chaplain, Sister Jean, the front of the program, watching). ESPN.com’s team of college basketball writers reflected on the reasons and significance of the loss in Illinois, projecting how far Ramblers can go and whether we’ll see Illini back on seed line no. 1 coming soon. Follow this link for NCAA tournament tips and visit here to check out your March Madness parenthesis.
What sank Illinois into losing Loyola Chicago?
Loyola Chicago set up a clinic at both ends of the floor. Illinois’ heavy ball offense had very little room for action, as Loyola fell heavily on the tape and forced Illini to make contested midfield shots – and the tape seemed clogged whenever Ayo Dosunmu or Andre Curbelo they tried to make things happen by jumping to the rim. Dosunmu was free for a basket trip, maybe twice, and one was misreported by Loyola’s defense, while Curbelo had some rotation issues when he tried to create a spark in the second half.
Illinois also missed a few open 3s that would have forced Loyola to expand his defense, and Kofi Cockburn struggled to finish early as Loyola extended his lead. Dosunmu, probably the best offensive goalkeeper in the country, had nine points on 10 shots and six turnovers. In other words, everything went wrong.
At the other end, Illinois allowed Loyola to execute her offense too easily. Fighting Illini rarely pressed their opponents, causing the game to be a bit of a stalemate at times. However, Porter Moser made a disastrous appearance. And of course, Cameron Krutwig. He was a magician on Sunday. Cockburn couldn’t really handle Krutwig’s cunning and passing ability. Krutwig finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists and was the best player on the floor. A lot of credit goes to Moser. Coming out of expiration, Loyola was clinically when she was supposed to be. The Ramblers never went away – it was an extraordinary performance by the Valley champions.
– Jeff Borzello
What does Big Ten’s performance in this tournament so far say about the quality of the league? Anything?
We debate the same question every year in the college football playoff with the Big Ten, which has not won a national title since the 2014 season (Ohio State). It is always obvious, in the last stages of the season, that Big Ten has the football talent to compete with most of the field, but it does not constantly fall against the real competitors for the national title. I don’t think it’s any different in Big Ten with men’s basketball.
There is not enough high level talent in the league. At least not consistently. That means you can put together great teams, but you’ll go 20 years (Michigan won the most recent Big Ten national title in 2000) without cutting the nets. Big Ten, on RealGM, produced 12 selections in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft. In the 2020 NBA draft alone, six SEC players were selected in the first round and 12 overall.
The Big Ten has been the standard of the regular season in college basketball in recent years, and several teams have played in the Michigan State leadership’s Final Fours in 2000. But without a more fruitful conduct, the league will continue to find itself fighting ambitious underdogs. experience that boast a similar group of talents in the post-season. Ohio State needed more talent during Oral Roberts. Purdue needed someone like Carsen Edwards against North Texas. And the gap between an Illinois team with a pair of NBA potentials and a Loyola-Chicago team led by midfielder Cameron Krutwig was not as big as it seemed on paper.
Without a national title this season – or at least a race in the Final Four – it will be difficult for the Big Ten to shake the idea that it is one of the best American leagues in the regular season, but not when it counts in the postseason.
– Myron Medcalf
What are the historical implications of the Illinois loss? Where is this ranking on the list of disappointments for Illini fans?
Fighting Illini works with a regularity that can only be traced by Stonehenge. Every 16 years, it is said, the program produces a team that can fight for a national title. In 1989, it was “Flying Illini”, starring Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill and Kenny Battle. This dream died in the Final Four, courtesy of a Sean Higgins basket for Michigan. Then, in 2005, Dee Brown, Deron Williams and company faced North Carolina in the national game. Here we are again, 16 years later.
However, this “16-year-old” theory conveniently leaves a top team in 2001 under new head coach Bill Self. That team had to play and lose to an unusually strong No. 2 seed in the form of Arizona in Elite Eight. The loss to Loyola Chicago feels more like that defeat of 20 years ago. The Ramblers were probably wrong, because shocked and grumpy Illini fans were already tweeting rage in the first half. The loss since round 32 is a new twist, but Porter Moser’s group was clearly the top team. The defeat reinforces that Ramblers is the only program in the state of Illinois to ever win a national title (1963). Illinois fans are left to wait patiently for 2037 or maybe a better day sooner than that.
– John Gasaway
In her recent SportsCenter interview, Sister Jean specifically noted that the Ramblers “had the defense to beat Illinois. And if they do, there’s no one on this piece of paper [her bracket] that I can’t beat. “The rest of the Midwest should be afraid. Very scared.
More on the subject, the Ramblers will now face either the state of Oregon or the state of Oklahoma in Sweet 16. Loyola, number 8, would have favored against the 12 beavers. Against the state of Oklahoma, who’s to say that the Ramblers couldn’t stifle Cade Cunningham in the same way they handcuffed Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu?
In addition, Sister Jean has Loyola in Elite Eight. Who are we to argue with?
– Joe Lunardi
What is Loyola Chicago’s ceiling? Can the Ramblers make their second trip to the Final Four in four years?
Loyola just defeated an opponent ranked 2nd by both AP and KenPom. The Ramblers carefully overtook Illinois in the first minute of the game and were clearly the top team. Therefore, Porter Moser’s group is a clear threat to reach the Final Four for the second time in three tournaments. The win against Illini showed how this team can excel in both the defensive end (first half) and the offensive end (second). Cameron Krutwig creates major offensive problems with his fasting movements and, especially, with his death. At 6-foot-9, he is able to take the ball off the open floor from an American goalkeeper like Ayo Dosunmu. The country should prepare for more sister Jean, because this team has everything it takes to arrive in April.
– John Gasaway
Who do we expect back for Illinois – will Illini have 1-seed potential in 2021-22?
Everyone can theoretically turn around, so there is the potential to roll it back. But it is very unlikely. Dosunmu is a projected choice in the first round of this year’s NBA draft, while Cockburn also made his name in the draft fund last year before returning to Champaign. Both could leave for work this spring. Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams are seniors who may decide that their college careers are over. Compared to last season, when Brad Underwood brought in impact guards Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo, Fighting Illini does not bring a loaded recruitment class. Luke Goode and Ramses Melendez are solid strikers who should be rotating players, but are unlikely to change the game in the first year.
Miller and Curbelo have shown flashes this season of their potential, and the expectation is that the team will go through the budding guards next season. Miller was a dominant high school ball guard and a frontier project designed in the first round of college, so he should have no problem becoming a guy. Curbelo has shown several times this season that he has a spark with the ball in his hands that not many players have. It could be one of the most important races in college basketball. That being said, I don’t see Illini returning to the conversation with 1 seed, except for the surprising decisions of Dosunmu and Cockburn.
– Jeff Borzello