The last team to beat Loyola? Bradley, and they almost did it again in MVC tourney
A couple of months ago — back in the days when Loyola going to the Final Four actually seemed far-fetched, if not impossible — a significant game was played at the Peoria Civic Center.
At the time, it was nothing more than an important midseason skirmish in the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley pulled within a game of first place by defeating Loyola 69-67 on Jan. 31.
The result is a bigger deal now because it was the last time Loyola lost. The Ramblers have run off 14 wins in a row and now face Michigan in the national semifinals Saturday.
So is Bradley coach Brian Wardle enjoying the distinction of being the last team in the country to beat Loyola?
“Honestly, no,” Wardle said by phone from Peoria. “I'm happy for Loyola and (coach) Porter (Moser), because Porter is a very good coach. You love to see teams in our league be successful and get the opportunity in the tournament.”
But Wardle isn't happy, because he's still smarting over Bradley's 62-54 loss to Loyola in the semifinals of the MVC tournament at St. Louis.
Bradley trailed the entire second half of that one but closed within 56-54 with 4:47 remaining, then failed to score on four straight possessions still trailing by 2.
“We had a great battle with them in the conference tournament. We just didn't make the big shot,” said Wardle, who played in high school at Hinsdale Central. “It's great for our league, but honestly, I'm a competitor. I want to be there. It just reminds me of a few possessions we could have had back and been a little bit sharper.”
In the Jan. 31 game at Peoria, Bradley led by 11 with six minutes left. But Loyola battled back and tied the game on a Marques Townes 3-pointer with 1:05 left.
Bradley took the lead on 4 free throws by sophomore guard Darrell Brown. Townes his another 3-pointer to cut it to 1. After a free throw, the Ramblers had one last chance.
Trailing by 2, the ball went into the post to freshman Cameron Krutwig. After the game, Moser talked about how he wanted Krutwig to shoot the ball. Instead, he kicked it outside to Clayton Custer, who missed a potential winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“It was a very high-level game,” Wardle said. “They've played at a high level very consistently this year. They're an experienced team with players that are very unselfish, and a very high IQ, great passing team.”
Loyola's tournament run accented a common theme in recent years — the Missouri Valley Conference doesn't get the respect it deserves. MVC teams have a 10-game winning streak in NCAA Tournament openers, and now the league has reached the Final Four twice in the past six years.
Looking back at Wichita State's Final Four run in 2013, the Shockers were a No. 9 seed that year. The following season, they built off that success and were given a No. 1 seed. One difference in 2013 is the MVC had two teams in the tournament. Creighton actually was a higher seed at No. 7.
It seemed logical to assume the MVC wouldn't be as strong after losing Creighton to the Big East and Wichita State to the American Athletic. But Loyola proved that's not the case.
The Ramblers should have gotten more respect in December when they defeated then No. 5 Florida. They should have moved into the AP Top 25 and worked their way higher. But it's very difficult to judge which midmajor schools can truly compete with the higher-profile schools.
Loyola will lose some key pieces — Donte Ingram, Aundre Jackson and Ben Richardson are seniors — but return a nice nucleus with Custer, Krutwig, Townes and freshman guard Lucas Williamson.
These guys have become household names, so next year during the Missouri Valley Conference season, it will be a big deal when Loyola comes to town.
“It's exciting for people to realize how good our league is,” Wardle said. “I think our league is going to be better next year than it was this year. That's what's exciting and driving me in this off-season. I've just finished my third year and we've built our program up now to where I feel like we can contend and compete with anyone.”