Loyola-Chicago Basketball: How the Ramblers reached the Final Four

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: Head coach Porter Moser of the Loyola Ramblers celebrates after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Kansas State 78-62 to advance to the Final Four. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 24: Ingram /

Who were the key players for this season?

In the year prior, Loyola-Chicago was a relatively small team, even by Missouri Valley standards. Their tallest player who played significant minutes was just 6’6, and they were exploited down low.

That’s where the addition of freshman Cameron Krutwig came in. At 6’9 and 260 pounds, the local Illinois product added an inside presence the Ramblers didn’t have before. He was an instant impact player for them in his first season, averaging in double figures, and went 10 straight games of at least 10 points in conference play. One of those was a 21 point, 13 rebound game in a win over Bradley.

This was once again a balanced team, with five guys averaging at least 10 ppg. The star of the team was their most consistent player was Clayton Custer, who led the team in both scoring and rebounding.

The former Iowa State Cyclone is one of the most efficient guards in all of college basketball, shooting around 53% from the field and 45% from three-point range. He rarely takes bad shots and was the key to the Ramblers’ offense. His efforts were rewarded with the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. And as you may have witnessed in March, Custer has pretty good clutch genes.

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