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Mid-Major Basketball Focus: Loyola-Chicago Ramblers continue to have success

By Nolan Schmidt

SOUTH BEND, IN - DECEMBER 13: Head coach Porter Moser of the Loyola (Il) Ramblers is seen during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on December 13, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Loyola-Chicago 81-61. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - DECEMBER 13: Head coach Porter Moser of the Loyola (Il) Ramblers is seen during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on December 13, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Loyola-Chicago 81-61. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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This season has seen a decline in the Missouri Valley conference, but one bright spot has been the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers. A team that is relatively new to the league, and they currently sit on top of all the rest in the MVC.

The Missouri Valley conference has long been dominated by a select group of teams. For a while, it was Creighton who made waves in March. Because of this, the Bluejays are now in the Big East. The same can be said for Wichita State, who moved away from the MVC this year. As the Shockers lead the way in the American Athletic, the Missouri Valley was left without a powerhouse. While Northern Iowa is still in the league and is still a staple, they sit in the cellar this season. That has paved the way for other teams to take command of the conference.

No team has taken advantage of this better than Loyola-Chicago. Though this is only the Ramblers fifth season in the Missouri Valley, it has been their best. While Loyola-Chicago went a total of 24-13 in in 2014-’15, they only had a College Basketball Invitational championship to show for it. Now, with the conference in the palm of their hand, they have the best chance out of any MVC team to make the NCAA Tournament. It would be their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1984-’85.

Porter Moser took this team over 2011-’12 coming from Illinois State, another Missouri Valley team. Though the Ramblers were then a Horizon league team, one has to commend the job Moser has done in his tenure. He only won seven games in his first season, but improved to 18 regular season wins only three seasons later. In the last two years, Loyola-Chicago has won 15 and 18 games respectively. Now, with eight games remaining in the regular season, the Ramblers already have 18 wins to only four losses.

Looking into the rest of their schedule, there is a real chance they could finish the regular season with 26 wins. Their only games that could pose trouble are against Bradley, the second best team in the conference, Missouri State, who has faltered after a nice start, and Southern Illinois. Regardless, the Ramblers will be the favorites heading into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

The best asset the Ramblers possess is their stout defense on a game to game basis. So far this year, they only allow 62 points per game, which is seventh best in the entire country. They have done this despite being a truly bad rebounding team. Only pulling in 32 rebounds per game as a team, they are 305th in the NCAA. However, their defense has been so stifling that the lack of rebounding prowess has not been terribly detrimental to them.

Another aspect of their overall team game is how efficient they are. As a team, they shoot a cumulative 51 percent from the field, an unbelievable mark. The Ramblers also shoot 41 percent from three-point range, another supremely high clip. Perhaps both of those strengths outweigh their one glaring weakness, but one poor shooting night could spell disaster. It is worth noting that all four of Loyola-Chicago’s losses have come when they shoot well below their season average.

Junior guard Clayton Custer has proven himself to be the best individual player for Porter Moser. Custer is averaging 13 points and four assists per game while shooting an incredible 54 percent from the field and 46 percent from three. That sort of efficiency has catapulted Custer to the top of the Missouri Valley leaderboard in offensive efficiency rating.

Donte Ingram, Aundre Jackson, and Marques Townes round out the rest of the core Ramblers. The trio averages roughly 35 points per game on 53 percent shooting. In fact, Jackson, a 6-foot-5 forward is shooting 59 percent by himself. Both Ingram and Townes shoot a little worse, at 47 and 53 percent respectively. That was a semi-sarcastic sentence because, obviously, those numbers are phenomenal in their own right.

Next: SEC Mid-season Recap, Awards, and Observations

Efficiency alone makes Loyola-Chicago a fantastic NCAA Tournament team. Couple that with their defensive ability and you have a team that could make a run into maybe the Sweet Sixteen. Whether or not that comes to fruition relies on if their efficiency can stay as constant as it has. If it does not, they will fizzle out quickly, especially given how poor they are at rebounding the ball. However, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are in clear control of a revamped Missouri Valley conference. With their current lead in the league, they look primed for a deep March run.