Over the 32 days leading up to college basketball season, we’re profiling 32 different teams who could be in the NIT mix, aided in this effort by those who know them best (or the closest we could get). Today, Ky McKeon responds by email to our questions about Loyola.
Ky McKeon covers college basketball for Three Man Weave, an outlet which boasts one of the two best Chicago-based college basketball podcasts in the game (Apple Podcasts, Spotify). He also writes for The Almanac, which we believe is the most comprehensive written college basketball preview on The Internet™. He can be found on Twitter at @ky_3MW and @3MW_CBB.
Here’s the full list of 32 for 32’s published so far, with links:
- Auburn, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- BYU, with Mitch Harper
- Cincinnati, with Zach Fries
- Dayton, with Tyler Cronin
- Duquesne, with Tristan Freeman
- Indiana, with Matt Cox
- Iona, with Sam Federman
- Iowa State, with Joe Stunardi
- James Madison, with Bennett Conlin
- Loyola, with Ky McKeon
- Michigan, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Missouri, with Jim Root
- North Texas, with Harry Miers
- Northwestern, with John Templon
- Notre Dame, with Stuart McGrath
- Ohio State, with Mark Titus
- Oregon State, with Andy Dieckhoff
- Penn State, with DJ Bauer
- South Carolina, with Brian Rauf
- St. Bonaventure, with SBUnfurled
- St. John’s, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Syracuse, with the Marshall Street Podcast
- Texas, with NIT Stu
- Utah, with Andrew Crowley
- Virginia Tech, with Ken Pomeroy
- Washington State, with Dave Andersen
- Wisconsin, with Cole Amundson
The Barking Crow: Loyola transitioned to the Atlantic 10 last year, and it was an unexpected disaster. What exactly went wrong for the Ramblers, and where does it leave expectations this year?
Part of it was being new to the league; there’s often a transition period as teams acclimate to the new travel and styles of opponents. Part of it was the talent not performing to expectations – Marquise Kennedy, for example, was awful, and I’m not convinced the locker room was 100% hunky dory. Part of it was also a dose of bad luck – which is tough to measure, but nevertheless. Opponents shot 37.5% from 3 and 76.7% from the FT line in A-10 play against Loyola – both highest marks in league play.
As for this year, throw last season in the trash and reset expectations. Valentine brought back the guys he wanted and grabbed a very good crop of transfers. Fully expect a return to form this year.
TBC: We, as a college basketball community, got to know Porter Moser well during his time at Loyola (because he made the 2019 NIT, not because of anything else). We’re now entering the third year of the Drew Valentine era in Rogers Park, and we—at least here at The Barking Crow—don’t feel like we know him yet. What should fans know about Valentine?
He’s young, personable, and smart. Last season was not an indictment on his ability as a coach. He runs smart action out of timeouts, he’s analytically driven, and his players love him. He’s also very real with the media – there’s no BS with him.
TBC: A ton is made out of the importance of Illinois recruiting (or failing to recruit) Chicago. Within the city itself, though, Loyola has generally been the best team in recent years. Where does Loyola get its talent?
Lots of overlooked midwest guys in the past – Krutwig was from just outside of Chicago, Williamson was from Chicago, Custer was from Kansas, Norris is from Ohio, etc. In the transfer portal day and age, the reach is obviously extended – it means less to “keep guys within state borders” right out of high school. Valentine can recruit – he can related to college kids (he’s freaking 32 years old and his brother plays in the NBA). It’s no wonder they got a stud transfer class in Dolan, Watson, Adelekun, & Mwamba.
(Editor’s note: Shout out Fox Valley Conference on Krutwig. We need all the street cred we can get.)
TBC: Sticking with Chicago for a moment. Including Northwestern in the mix (because you can get to Evanston on the L), which basketball environment is the best in the city right now? Does any program have a chance to definitively establish itself as “Chicago’s college basketball team”?
I guess it’s Northwestern – they can actually draw a crowd sometimes (even if half the time it’s mostly the visiting team). Loyola is a fun environment because Gentile Arena is so intimate. DePaul games aren’t great. Never been down to Chicago State or UIC — plan to get down to the latter at some point.
DePaul really should be Chicago’s college basketball team. It’s a shame they haven’t found the ability to hire a great coach or attract top talent.
TBC: We have a lot of loyal A-10 followers, so we’d be remiss to not address the three/four/zero-bid league. The A-10 was, briefly, an NIT stalwart, contributing a quarter of the 2021 field and another four bids in 2022. Last year, it fell off a cliff. Was this retreat from notoriety a temporary development, or is the A-10 losing its foothold near the top of the mid-major ladder? How does Loyola help or hurt the broader A-10 cause?
Last year was weird – nearly every team was down across the board. I think it will prove to be a blip on the radar, though this season might not bring an immediate return to form. Dayton should be very good, the Bonnies can compete for an at-large, and Duquesne is a sleeper. VCU would have been in the conversation, but the waiver denial of Joe Bamisile and the recent injury to Sean Bairstow will make it difficult.
Loyola helps the A-10’s cause. We’ve seen them get at-large bids before very recently, and they can get back to that level again.
TBC: The NIT is a chaotic beast. What’s the most chaotic thing about this Loyola team?
Braden Norris. He was all over the place last year and turned in a career low offensive rating. He’d have 15+ on perfect shooting one night and then go 0-fer the next. He was a turnover machine to start the season and up-and-down the rest of the way.
That can’t happen this season if Loyola is to climb up the A-10 standings. He needs to be as consistent a lead guard as you’d expect from a 5th year player.
TBC: Dare we dream of a Loyola NIT title?
They could absolutely win the NIT. It’s a very old, experienced, and well-coached team.
