Busting Brackets
Fansided

Loyola Chicago Basketball: Preview of Ramblers Round of 64 matchup with Ohio State

By Harry Schroeder

Dec 10, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Loyola Ramblers players celebrate after a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Loyola Ramblers players celebrate after a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Ohio State and Loyola Chicago Basketball meet as the Ramblers seek to continue their trend of knocking off power conference teams

TV schedule, Friday, March 17, 11:15 am on CBS 

PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Ohio State (19-11) is limping into the NCAA Tournament having lost four of its last five games and they’re facing a Loyola Chicago Basketball team that has a habit of defeating power conference teams in the month of March.

The Buckeyes finished tied for fourth place in a Big Ten Conference that sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament. Forward E.J. Liddell is Ohio State’s best player and the key to their success. The 6’7 Belleville, Illinois native was the league’s fourth-leading scorer (19.6 ppg) and seventh leading rebounder (7.9). Liddell was an all-conference member and part of the leauge’s all-defensive team.

Guard Malaki Branham (13.3 ppg) was named to the Big Ten’s all-freshman team. Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes have won at least 20 games the last four seasons.

During Loyola’s 2018 Final Four season they defeated three power conference teams and during last season’s Sweet Sixteen journey, they knocked off two more. Last year’s victims were Georgia Tech and the Big Ten’s Illinois.

Rookie coach Drew Valentine guided the Ramblers to a 25-7 record and a second-place finish during their final season in the Missouri Valley Conference. LUC is moving to the Atlantic Ten Conference next year.

Fifth-year senior Lucas Williamson is the Valley’s two-time Defensive Player of the Year and this season led the Ramblers in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.0). Five Ramblers averaged better than eight points per game.

LUC hangs its hat on defense. The Ramblers were eighteenth in the nation in scoring defense (61.7 ppg) and 47th in defensive field goal percentage. Joining Williamson on the MVC’s all-defensive team was senior Aher Uguak.

dark. Next. Top 10 Round of 64 upsets to pick

If he and others can slow down Liddell, look for the Ramblers to pull off another upset, defeat another power conference team, setting up a potential second-round game with Villanova.