NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Valparaiso vs. Loyola

One of the best games from the last NCAA Basketball season came in the MVC Tournament between Valparaiso and Loyola-Chicago. Here’s a reminder of what happened.

As a result of the national pandemic, the most recent NCAA Basketball season was cut short at the worst possible time. A majority of conference tournaments were called off and the NCAA Tournament was canceled for the first time in its history. We were all robbed of the potential excitement that the rest of the postseason was set to bring, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the season didn’t happen.

Even though we got a limited season, there were still fantastic teams and games held that are worth remembering. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the 40 best games of the 2019-20 NCAA basketball season. Even without an NCAA Tournament, there were still a great number of awesome games to pick from. Not every great game could make the cut, but we’ll still be highlighting some of the very best from this season cut short.

40. Valparaiso 74, Loyola-Chicago 73, OT (MVC Tournament Quarterfinal)

March 6, 2020, Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO

With all the cancellations stemming from the national pandemic, we weren’t afforded a lot of postseason college basketball this past year. Fortunately, we were treated to a fascinating, upset-heavy Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Top-seeded Northern Iowa was upset by 8-seed Drake just a few hours before this game tipped off, meaning the tournament title was suddenly even more wide open.

For Loyola, they were suddenly the best team left in the field, as the 2-seed in the MVC. They had stumbled the previous season, yet unable to return to the NCAA Tournament after their magical run to the Final Four in 2018. Though many of the pieces from that Cinderella run were gone, talented center Cameron Krutwig remained, ready to lead the Ramblers to additional postseason glory. While Loyola, who joined the MVC in 2013, had struggled initially, another conference tournament title would firmly cement the Ramblers as one of the standout mid-major programs in the country.

Four years after Loyola had joined, Valparaiso found their way into the MVC but had spent the first three years as Loyola’s punching bag. The Crusaders had already dropped their first seven games against the Ramblers since joining the league and were certain underdogs for game eight. The night before, Valparaiso had narrowly defeated Evansville in the opening round, ending the season for a team that went 0-18 in MVC play.

Looking to end that painful losing streak, Valparaiso started the game off hot, but it wouldn’t last very long, with Loyola taking control as the first half evolved. By halftime, the Ramblers had built a 14-point halftime lead and looked well on their way to another win over the Crusaders. Four minutes into the second half, a three-pointer from Tom Welch put Loyola up 45-27, seemingly taking control of the game. However, the Crusaders would not back down.

Despite a struggling performance from injured star player Javon Freeman-Liberty, Valparaiso clawed their way back into the game. A 13-2 run put the Crusaders back in the game, buoyed by a number of key shots by their guards. Down six late in the game, they took advantage of some poor free-throw shooting to get the game tied up again, led by clutch 3-pointers by John Kiser and Ryan Fazekas.

Loyola had a final shot before the end of the second half, but a Valparaiso steal led to a near game-winning moment, though Fazekas’ was unable to hit another 3 in the game’s final moments. Pandemonium nearly ensued, as a foul was initially called on Loyola on the rebound, but it was determined to have happened after the buzzer sounded, plunging the game into overtime.

The two squads traded jumpers early, but overtime became a defensive battle. Valparaiso clung to a 1-point lead late before Krutwig was fouled with just 13 seconds left in the game. The junior came up in the clutch, hitting both free throws to give the Ramblers the late lead. The Crusaders had one last chance and delivered in a major way, as Kiser found Eron Gordon in the paint with three seconds left, putting the Crusaders up for good, as Loyola’s try from half-court sailed wide as the clock hit zero.

Valparaiso had not only made the Semifinals of the Missouri Valley Tournament for the first time in program history, but they had crawled out of an 18-point second-half hole and gotten their bitterly-desired victory over Loyola. The Ramblers were left shaking their heads, watching another shot to return to the NCAA Tournament get flushed away. A 28-point effort from Loyola guard Keith Clemons went to waste as Gordon became the hero for his last-second layup.

Valparaiso would defeat Missouri State the following day, but came up just short against Bradley in the MVC title game, running out of gas while playing their fourth game in four days. Left for dead in the second half, Valparaiso clawed their way back, even as All-Conference player Freeman-Liberty had a minimal impact and fouled out in overtime.

Due to the pandemic, Loyola did not play another game, with this shocking defeat no doubt leaving a bitter taste in their mouths. In a very limited postseason slate, this game delivered in a major way.