NCAA Basketball: Preseason top-25 mid-major power rankings for 2021-22 season

3. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

In the past four years, the Ramblers have made a Final Four and most recently, the Sweet 16 after the big upset of Illinois. Yet the program has undergone a massive change, as its head coach (Porter Moser) and star big man and Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year (Cameron Krutwig) have both moved on.

Yet the reason why Loyola-Chicago is still viewed so highly right now is that the foundation of why they’ve been so good stays intact. Replacing Moser as head coach is promoted assistant Drew Valentine, who has been around for the past four years. And making his job real easy coming in is that the team returns everyone else on its roster besides Krutwig.

That includes four veterans who all opted to take a 5th-year in Lucas Williamson, Keith Clemons, Tate Hall, and Aher Uguak. All of them started games last season and between them averaged between 6.5-8.8 ppg. This core, along with starting point guard Braiden Norris and 6th man  Marquise Kennedy will keep Loyola in contention.

And in case they need some more scoring production enters a pair of senior transfers in Chris Knight (Dartmouth) and Ryan Schwieger (Princeton). Both sat out last season after the Ivy League opted not to play for the 2020-21 campaign but both brings obvious high basketball IQ and depth in the frontcourt. Schwieger is a 6’6 forward that has spread the floor, while Knight averaged around 15 ppg and 6.5 rpg in two seasons when he was a full-time starter.

If Knight can replace Krutwig’s production just a little bit, the backcourt depth and overall experience of the Ramblers should allow them to avoid the usual drop-off once a mid-major program loses its star head coach. Coach Valentine could be a star in the making himself and he’ll start off with a great opportunity to prove it with this core of seniors.