NCAA Final Four 2018: Loyola-Chicago preview

The Ramblers have somehow continued their Cinderella story all the way to the Final Four. Now they’ll take on Michigan for a chance to make it to the title game.

Loyola-Chicago has a chance to do something they haven’t done since 1963 — make it to the National Championship. Fortunately for them the last time they were in the Final Four was when they won their one and only title.

Loyola beat Miami in the first round on a buzzer beater, and then needed another game winner against Tennessee to make it to the Sweet 16. Another win against Nevada and a thorough dismantling of Kansas State brings on the toughest game they’ve played all tournament.

Just when you think that the run is about to end the Ramblers make it to the next round, and they’ll look to prove everyone wrong once again on Saturday.

Player to watch

The one player to watch for the Ramblers is Clayton Custer. The Overland Park, KS product has been about as consistent as it gets for the team. He hasn’t been the star of the show in any of the games, but he’s been consistent the entire tournament.

He’s averaging 11 points and four assists during the tournament and shooting well over 50 percent from the floor and from 3. It’s just like the old saying, it’s about quality not quantity. While the numbers don’t jump through the roof he’s provided quality and smart basketball for a team that doesn’t rely on one star.

As long as he sticks with his personal game plan, and continues to do the things he’s done to help this team, then he’ll be just fine. Believe it or not the Ramblers will need that from him in the event that someone like Ben Richardson or Donte Ingram have an off day.

Strengths

The biggest strength of this Loyola team is without a doubt their defense. During the season they ranked fourth in the country only giving up 62.4 points per game. They’ve held every tournament opponent they’ve faced under 70 points as well. Even against the toughest competition they’ve held up to their average.

The Nevada Wolfpack was without a doubt their toughest matchup because of their offense, and Loyola did the best job out of any of the teams Nevada had already played — which is why they were able to walk away with a one-point victory.

Another strength of the Ramblers isn’t one that shows up on paper. It’s their ability to handle the pressure at any given moment. As previously mentioned they’ve needed two game-winners with the clock winding down to make it to this point, not to mention they tried to blow an 11-point lead with less than four minutes to go against Tennessee.

The moment hasn’t proven to be too big for this team, so don’t expect them to be scared when the bright lights are on in San Antonio.

Weaknesses

This team’s biggest weakness is probably their rebounding. They ranked 326th in the country in rebounding only pulling down 32.1 per game. To put that in perspective the Kansas Jayhawks who are notably not a great rebounding team in their own right pulled down 36 rebounds in the first half against Duke.

Their opponent, Michigan, is almost just as bad as Loyola, only averaging one more rebound per game.

Another weakness the Ramblers have is they’re not the most potent offense. They’ve relied heavily on their defense, and getting just enough offense to survive and advance. Against Michigan they’ll need more offense than what they’ve had the past few games.

Michigan is a team that can explode for close to 100 points in regulation as we all saw in the Texas A&M game. If that Michigan team or somewhat close to it shows up, then Loyola might be in trouble if they can’t get enough offense.

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Biggest key to victory over Michigan

One thing the Ramblers will have to do is to stay disciplined on the defensive end, which shouldn’t be hard for them. They need to run Michigan off the 3-point line because if Michigan gets hot from 3 then Loyola is in major trouble. John Beilein runs probably the most intricate offense in the nation, and they make you defend for 40 minutes.

Michigan is fully capable of going ballistic from deep, and the game could be out of hand before you know it. If Loyola can make Michigan take 2-point shots or even contested 3-pointers then they’ll find themselves in a good spot to make it to the title game.