What an encore: Loyola rolls over UMKC in season opener
Loyola was back playing basketball Tuesday night, and the Ramblers delivered a rousing encore in their return from an extraordinary run through March Madness last season.
After the Final Four banner was raised in front of a fired-up crowd at Gentile Arena and 99-year-old Sister Jean offered a pregame prayer and pep talk, Loyola looked a lot like the team that set a school record with 32 wins last year while drawing attention and attracting fans from around the globe.
"The pregame banner raising was emotional, just thinking about what we did to get that banner here and what it meant for Chicago," said senior guard Marques Townes. "It means a lot. I almost started tearing up. I'm just so happy we were able to do something like this, for the school and for Chicago."
Finally able to turn the page from a loss to Michigan in the semifinals after winning four straight NCAA Tournament games as the 11th seed, the Ramblers got the crowd even more pumped up when center Cameron Krutwig blocked the first shot of the game from visiting Missouri-Kansas City, sparking a 6-0 run.
Loyola cruised from there, blowing out UMKC 76-45.
Much tougher tests lie ahead for the Ramblers, including a Nov. 27 home game against No. 7 Nevada and home-and-away matchups with Missouri Valley Conference rival Illinois State, but Loyola is expecting challenging games against every opponent after last year's stunning success.
"I definitely think that whoever we play, they're going to come at us with their best shot," said Krutwig, who had 10 points and 6 rebounds in the opener. "We welcome that. We have to bring our game up to their level because we know there are always people behind us, just like we were last year."
The Ramblers return plenty of talent from last season's team, headed by MVC player of the year Clayton Custer (9 points), Krutwig (10 points, 6 rebounds), Townes (13 points) and Lucas Williamson (5 points, 9 rebounds).
Loyola coach Porter Moser is extremely high on sophomore forward Aher Uguak, a New Mexico transfer. Cousins with former Bulls star Luol Deng, Uguak scored 8 points and had 5 rebounds in his debut with the Ramblers.
Keep an eye on freshman Cooper Kaifes, who lit it up in his first collegiate game.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard from Shawnee, Kan., was remarkably accurate, going 6-for-8 from the floor (5-for-7 on 3s) and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to finish with 19 points.
"I didn't think it was going to be this good," Kaifes said. "I just trusted everything I've done to prepare for this. I just thank my teammates for getting me the open shots."