# 2017–18 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ramblers, led by seventh-year head coach Porter Moser, played their home games at the Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago. They were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. With a win against Evansville on February 18, 2018, Loyola clinched at least a share of its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship. With a win over Southern Illinois on February 21, the Ramblers clinched the outright MVC championship. The Ramblers defeated Northern Iowa, Bradley, and Illinois State to win the MVC tournament. As a result, the Ramblers received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 11 seed in the South Region, they upset No. 6-seeded Miami (FL) on a last second three-pointer. In the Second Round, they defeated No. 3-seeded Tennessee to earn the school's first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 1985. They then defeated Nevada in the Sweet Sixteen and Kansas State in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1963. Their Cinderella run ended with a loss to the eventual runner-up Michigan in the national semifinal. The Ramblers' run also made the team's then-98-year-old chaplain Sister Jean a national and even international media figure.

## Previous season

The Ramblers finished the 2016–17 season 18–14, 8–10 in MVC play to finish in fifth place. They lost to Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Glorind Lisha | 1 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Walk-on; graduated |
| Matt Chastain | 22 | G/F | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Leroy, IL | Transferred to Illinois State |
| Tyson Smith | 25 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Junior | Baltimore, MD | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Byron Burt | 30 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Eligibility ended |
| Maurice Kirby | 31 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Junior | Chandler, AZ | Graduate transferred to IUPUI |
| Vlatko Granic | 32 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Junior | Split, Croatia | Playing professional in Croatia |
| Milton Doyle | 35 | G | 6'4" | 185 | RS Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Carson Shanks | 32 | C | 7'0" | 230 | RS Senior | Prior Lake, MN | Transferred from North Dakota. Was eligible to play immediately because he graduated from North Dakota. |
| Aher Uguak | 30 | G/F | 6'7" | 206 | Sophomore | Edmonton, AB | Transferred from New Mexico. Under NCAA transfer rules, Uguak had to sit out the 2017–18 season, and had three remaining years of eligibility. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Cameron Krutwig #52 C | Algonquin, IL | H. D. Jacobs High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Aug 2, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 70 ||||||
| Christian Negron #29 PF | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Larkin High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 18, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #93 Rivals: #58 247Sports: #103 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

In the conference's preseason poll, the Ramblers were picked to finish in third place in the MVC. Senior forward Aundre Jackson was named to the preseason All-MVC first team.

## Schedule and results

The Ramblers won at least eight of their first nine games for the first time since the 1965–66 Ramblers. In their tenth game on December 6, they upset No. 5 ranked Florida, for the school's first win against a ranked opponent since a February 15, 2009 win over No. 15 Butler and the first against a top 5 team since a December 22, 1984 victory over No. 4 Illinois.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 28, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Lewis | W 79–63 | | 15 – Norton | 10 – Blaylock | 4 – Pischke | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,103) Chicago, IL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Wright State | W 84–80 | 1–0 | 21 – Ingram | 7 – Krutwig | 6 – Richardson | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,814) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 12, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Eureka | W 96–69 | 2–0 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Jackson | 5 – Townes | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,135) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, NBCSC+ | | at UMKC | W 66–56 | 3–0 | 20 – Custer | 9 – Townes | 3 – Tied | Municipal Auditorium (1,482) Kansas City, MO |
| Nov 19, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Samford Savannah Invitational | W 88–67 | 4–0 | 18 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 9 – Custer | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,289) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Mississippi Valley State Savannah Invitational | W 63–50 | 5–0 | 13 – Custer | 10 – Ingram | 5 – Townes | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,133) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 24, 2017* 4:00 pm | | vs. UNC Wilmington Savannah Invitational | W 102–78 | 6–0 | 25 – Jackson | 9 – Ingram | 4 – Custer | Savannah Civic Center (485) Savannah, GA |
| Nov 25, 2017* 4:00 pm | | vs. Kent State Savannah Invitational | W 75–60 | 7–0 | 18 – Ingram | 11 – Tied | 6 – Custer | Savannah Civic Center (547) Savannah, GA |
| Nov 28, 2017* 8:00 pm | | at Boise State MW–MVC Challenge | L 53–87 | 7–1 | 14 – Jackson | 5 – Krutwig | 4 – Custer | Taco Bell Arena (3,738) Boise, ID |
| Dec 2, 2017* 3:00 pm, NBCSC | | UIC | W 85–61 | 8–1 | 23 – Jackson | 6 – Ingram | 7 – Krutwig | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,024) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 5 Florida | W 65–59 | 9–1 | 23 – Jackson | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (9,012) Gainesville, FL |
| Dec 9, 2017* 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Norfolk State | W 80–52 | 10–1 | 18 – Skokna | 8 – Krutwig | 3 – Tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,904) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 16, 2017* 1:00 pm, FSW | | at Milwaukee | L 56–73 | 10–2 | 13 – Ingram | 10 – Ingram | 2 – Tied | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (1,705) Milwaukee, WI |
| Missouri Valley regular season |||||||||
| Dec 22, 2017 8:00 pm, NBCSC | | at Missouri State | L 59–64 | 10–3 (0–1) | 18 – Krutwig | 6 – Ingram | 3 – Williamson | JQH Arena (4,583) Springfield, MO |
| Dec 30, 2017 3:00 pm, NBCSC | | Evansville | W 66–59 | 11–3 (1–1) | 19 – Townes | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,914) Chicago, IL |
| Jan 3, 2018 7:00 pm, NBCSC | | Indiana State | L 57–61 | 11–4 (1–2) | 16 – Ingram | 8 – Jackson | 3 – Richardson | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,501) Chicago, IL |
| Jan 7, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Northern Iowa | W 56–50 | 12–4 (2–2) | 11 – Custer | 6 – Ingram | 4 – Custer | McLeod Center (3,765) Cedar Falls, IA |
| Jan 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Illinois State | W 68–61 | 13–4 (3–2) | 15 – Jackson | 5 – Tied | 5 – Richardson | Redbird Arena (4,466) Normal, IL |
| Jan 13, 2018 3:00 pm, NBCSC | | Bradley | W 81–65 | 14–4 (4–2) | 21 – Krutwig | 13 – Krutwig | 3 – Townes | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,814) Chicago, IL |
| Jan 17, 2018 7:00 pm, NBCSC+ | | Southern Illinois | W 79–65 | 15–4 (5–2) | 25 – Ingram | 9 – Krutwig | 6 – Richardson | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,439) Chicago, IL |
| Jan 21, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Valparaiso | W 70–54 | 16–4 (6–2) | 18 – Custer | 7 – Tied | 4 – Custer | Athletics–Recreation Center (4,040) Valparaiso, IN |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Drake | W 80–57 | 17–4 (7–2) | 17 – Townes | 7 – Krutwig | 8 – Custer | Knapp Center (3,522) Des Moines, IA |
| Jan 28, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | Northern Iowa | W 70–47 | 18–4 (8–2) | 21 – Custer | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,658) Chicago, IL |
| Jan 31, 2018 7:00 pm, NBCSC | | at Bradley | L 67–69 | 18–5 (8–3) | 23 – Custer | 8 – Krutwig | 6 – Richardson | Carver Arena (5,753) Peoria, IL |
| Feb 3, 2018 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | Missouri State | W 97–75 | 19–5 (9–3) | 23 – Custer | 7 – Tied | 6 – Custer | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,592) Chicago, IL |
| Feb 7, 2018 7:00 pm, NBCSC | | Drake | W 72–57 | 20–5 (10–3) | 17 – Krutwig | 10 – Ingram | 6 – Richardson | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,802) Chicago, IL |
| Feb 10, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Indiana State | W 75–71 | 21–5 (11–3) | 17 – Ingram | 6 – Tied | 4 – Richardson | Hulman Center (4,328) Terre Haute, IN |
| Feb 14, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Valparaiso | W 80–71 | 22–5 (12–3) | 20 – Custer | 7 – Tied | 4 – Ingram | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,091) Chicago, IL |
| Feb 18, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Evansville | W 76–66 | 23–5 (13–3) | 22 – Townes | 7 – Custer | 6 – Custer | Ford Center (4,887) Evansville, IN |
| Feb 21, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Southern Illinois | W 75–56 | 24–5 (14–3) | 16 – Custer | 7 – Jackson | 8 – Richardson | SIU Arena (6,036) Carbondale, IL |
| Feb 24, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Illinois State | W 68–61 | 25–5 (15–3) | 16 – Krutwig | 8 – Ingram | 7 – Custer | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,963) Chicago, IL |
| Missouri Valley Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 2, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | vs. (9) Northern Iowa Quarterfinals | W 54–50 | 26–5 | 13 – Tied | 8 – Ingram | 6 – Richardson | Scottrade Center (6,410) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 3, 2018 2:35 pm, CBSSN | (1) | vs. (5) Bradley Semifinals | W 62–54 | 27–5 | 12 – Tied | 8 – Ingram | 5 – Richardson | Scottrade Center (8,415) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 4, 2018 1:05 pm, CBS | (1) | vs. (3) Illinois State Championship | W 65–49 | 28–5 | 18 – Ingram | 9 – Krutwig | 6 – Custer | Scottrade Center (8,056) St. Louis, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 15, 2018* 2:10 pm, truTV | (11 S) | vs. (6 S) No. 22 Miami (FL) First Round | W 64–62 | 29–5 | 14 – Custer | 7 – Ingram | 8 – Richardson | American Airlines Center (15,802) Dallas, TX |
| Mar 17, 2018* 6:10 pm, TNT | (11 S) | vs. (3 S) No. 13 Tennessee Second Round | W 63–62 | 30–5 | 16 – Jackson | 6 – Townes | 4 – Krutwig | American Airlines Center (18,642) Dallas, TX |
| Mar 22, 2018* 6:07 pm, CBS | (11 S) | vs. (7 S) No. 24 Nevada Sweet Sixteen | W 69–68 | 31–5 | 18 – Townes | 5 – Krutwig | 5 – Townes | Philips Arena (15,616) Atlanta, GA |
| Mar 24, 2018* 5:09 pm, TBS | (11 S) | vs. (9 S) Kansas State Elite Eight | W 78–62 | 32–5 | 23 – Richardson | 8 – Ingram | 5 – Custer | Philips Arena (15,477) Atlanta, GA |
| Mar 31, 2018* 5:09 pm, TBS | (11 S) | vs. (3 W) No. 7 Michigan Final Four | L 57–69 | 32–6 | 17 – Krutwig | 9 – Ingram | 2 – Ingram | Alamodome (68,257) San Antonio, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South W=West. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 7 |