Missouri Valley Basketball: Loyola-Chicago and Drake play for tournament title

Loyola and Drake will play for the Missouri Valley Basketball Conference Tournament title for the second straight season.

Loyola and Drake will meet for the Missouri Valley Basketball Conference Tournament title for the second straight year, but how they got there is radically different. The Ramblers ran away with a victory over Northern Iowa, but Drake required overtime to defeat Missouri State.

For the first time in 32 years of Arch Madness history, the third and fourth seeds will meet in the championship game. Both teams were 13-5 during the conference season, but two of Loyola’s losses were to the Drake Bulldogs.

Saturday’s games were filled with good defense and one of them with dramatic heroics.

# 4 Loyola (24-7) 66 – # 1 Northern Iowa (19-11) 43

During Loyola’s five-year run of excellence, its calling card has been defensive toughness and timely offense. One week ago the Ramblers allowed 102 points to the Panthers and Drew Valentine knew his team had to continue to play with passion but had to add intelligence to their defensive decision-making.

Saturday the Ramblers took an 11-2 lead and never allowed UNI back in the game. By halftime, the score was 39-23. They limited the Valley’s leading offensive team to a 23% shooting night and held the conference’s ‘Player of the Year’ A.J. Green to 13 points. With 15:12 let in the game, the Panthers were within eight points (41-33) and didn’t make another field goal.

Junior guard Braden Norris led the Rambler with 19 points while Ryan Schwieger (12) and Marquise Kennedy (13) came off the bench to provide an offensive spark.

# 3 Drake (24-9) 79 – # 2 Missouri State (23-10) 78 in Overtime

Freshman Tucker DeVries provided the overtime heroics that lifted Drake to the victory. The Valley’s Freshman of the Year scored 23 points including seven in the overtime period and two, game-winning free throws with 1.1 seconds left in overtime.

DeVries’ father and coach Darian DeVries admitted after the game that he ‘had some dad nerves while he was shooting those free throws.

Missouri State’s All-Valley performers Isiaih Mosley (27 points) and Gaige Prim (21) joined junior Donovan Clay (14) as double-digit scorers.

Sunday’s Tournament Final – 1:00 pm – CBS

Drake defeated Missouri State by two points in last year’s semifinal only to lose to Loyola in the final. The Bulldogs swept Loyola this season. Loyola’s appearance in the championship game is it’s fourth in five years. They defeated Illinois State in 2018 on their way to the Final Four. LUC lost to Bradley in 2019 and defeated Drake last year on their way to a Sweet Sixteen.

Drake’s relentless ball movement and interchangeable parts have created defensive confusion for Loyola who committed 48 fouls during the two games that turned into 48 made free-throws by the Bulldogs.

If Loyola can avoid foul trouble, they could win their third title in five years.