| 2020–21 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball | |
|---|---|
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Missouri Valley regular season and tournament champions  | |
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen  | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference | 
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 12 | 
| AP | No. 17 | 
| Record | 26–5 (16–2 MVC) | 
| Head coach | 
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| Assistant coaches | 
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| Home arena | Joseph J. Gentile Arena | 
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Loyola Chicago † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 26 | – | 5 | .839 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 26 | – | 5 | .839 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 17 | – | 7 | .708 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 15 | – | 10 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Evansville | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 9 | – | 16 | .360 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 10 | – | 18 | .357 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 10 | – | 15 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradley | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 12 | – | 16 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 12 | – | 14 | .462 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 7 | – | 18 | .280 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2021 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2020–21 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ramblers, led by 10th-year head coach Porter Moser, played their home games at the Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 26–5, 16–2 in MVC play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Southern Illinois, Illinois State, and Drake to win the MVC tournament championship.[1] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 8 seed in the Midwest region.[2] There they defeated No. 9-seeded Georgia Tech[3] and upset No. 1-seeded Illinois to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[4] In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to Oregon State.[5]
On April 3, 2021, Moser left Loyola to accept the head coaching position at Oklahoma.[6] A few days later, the school announced that assistant coach Drew Valentine would take over as the Ramblers' head coach.[7]
Previous season
The Ramblers finished the 2019–20 season 21–11, 13–5 in MVC play to finish in second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament to Valparaiso. All postseason play was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Skokna | 4 | G | 6'4" | 175 | Senior | Zagreb, Croatia | Graduated | 
| Jalon Pipkins | 50 | G | 6'4" | 180 | Junior | Paris, TX | Transferred to Purdue Fort Wayne | 
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damezi Anderson | 35 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Junior | South Bend, IN | Transferred from Indiana. | 
2020 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Hutson  C  | 
Edina, MN | Edina (MN) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Sep 27, 2018 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/R | ||||||
| Baylor Hebb  PG / SG  | 
Colleyville, TX | Heritage (TX) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 9, 2019 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 158 | ||||||
 Sources: 
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Roster
| 2020–21 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV  | 
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance)  city, state  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| December 5, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN3  | 
Lewis | W 76–48 | 1–0 | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| December 9, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
Chicago State | W 88–51 | 2–0 | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| December 13, 2020* 1:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
at UIC | W 77–66 | 3–0 | 
Credit Union 1 Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| December 15, 2020* 7:00 pm, BTN  | 
at No. 12 Wisconsin | L 63–77 | 3–1 | 
Kohl Center  Madison, WI  | |||||||
| December 18, 2020* 5:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
vs. Richmond | L 73–75 | 3–2 | 
Indiana Convention Center  Indianapolis, IN  | |||||||
| December 22, 2020* 12:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
St. Francis (IL) | W 92–55 | 4–2 | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| December 27, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
Illinois State | W 90–60 | 5–2 (1–0)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| December 28, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN  | 
Illinois State | W 86–55 | 6–2 (2–0)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| January 2, 2021* 6:30 pm, ESPN+  | 
North Texas | W 57–49 | 7–2 | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| January 10, 2021 5:30 pm, ESPN2  | 
at Indiana State | L 71–76 | 7–3 (2–1)  | 
Hulman Center (80) Terre Haute, IN  | |||||||
| January 11, 2021 6:00 pm, CBSSN  | 
at Indiana State | W 58–48 | 8–3 (3–1)  | 
Hulman Center (90) Terre Haute, IN  | |||||||
| January 16, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2  | 
Northern Iowa | W 72–57 | 9–3 (4–1)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| January 17, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN  | 
Northern Iowa | W 88–46 | 10–3 (5–1)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| January 20, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
at Valparaiso | W 75–39 | 11–3 (6–1)  | 
Athletics–Recreation Center (95) Valparaiso, IN  | |||||||
| January 24, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
at Bradley | W 69–56 | 12–3 (7–1)  | 
Carver Arena  Peoria, IL  | |||||||
| January 25, 2021 6:00 pm, CBSSN  | 
at Bradley | W 65–58 | 13–3 (8–1)  | 
Carver Arena  Peoria, IL  | |||||||
| January 31, 2021 2:00 pm, CBSSN  | 
at Missouri State | W 72–46 | 14–3 (9–1)  | 
JQH Arena (1,505) Springfield, MO  | |||||||
| February 1, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
at Missouri State | W 70–50 | 15–3 (10–1)  | 
JQH Arena (1,122) Springfield, MO  | |||||||
| February 6, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
Evansville | W 68–55 | 16–3 (11–1)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| February 7, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
Evansville | W 69–58 | 17–3 (12–1)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | |||||||
| February 13, 2021 11:00 am, ESPN2  | 
No. 22 | at Drake | W 81–54 | 18–3 (13–1)  | 
Knapp Center (864) Des Moines, IA  | ||||||
| February 14, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2  | 
No. 22 | at Drake | L 50–51 OT | 18–4 (13–2)  | 
Knapp Center (921) Des Moines, IA  | ||||||
| February 17, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+  | 
No. 22 | Valparaiso | W 54–52 | 19–4 (14–2)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | ||||||
| February 26, 2021 8:00 pm, CBSSN  | 
No. 21 | Southern Illinois | W 60–52 | 20–4 (15–2)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | ||||||
| February 27, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2  | 
No. 21 | Southern Illinois | W 65–58 OT | 21–4 (16–2)  | 
Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL  | ||||||
| MVC tournament | |||||||||||
| March 5, 2021 11:00 am, ESPN+  | 
(1) No. 20 | vs. (9) Southern Illinois  Quarterfinals  | 
W 73–49 | 22–4 | 
Enterprise Center (830) St. Louis, MO  | ||||||
| March 6, 2021 12:00 pm, CBSSN  | 
(1) No. 20 | vs. (4) Indiana State  Semifinals  | 
W 65–49 | 23–4 | 
Enterprise Center (938) St. Louis, MO  | ||||||
| March 7, 2021 1:00 pm, CBS  | 
(1) No. 20 | vs. (2) Drake  Championship  | 
W 75–65 | 24–4 | 
Enterprise Center (1,265) St. Louis, MO  | ||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 19, 2021 3:00 pm, TBS  | 
(8 MW) No. 17 | vs. (9 MW) Georgia Tech  First Round  | 
W 71–60 | 25–4 | 
Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN  | ||||||
| March 21, 2021 11:10 am, CBS  | 
(8 MW) No. 17 | vs. (1 MW) No. 2 Illinois  Second Round  | 
W 71–58 | 26–4 | 
Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN  | ||||||
| March 27, 2021 1:40 pm, CBS  | 
(8 MW) No. 17 | vs. (12 MW) Oregon State  Sweet Sixteen  | 
L 58–65 | 26–5 | 
Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN  | ||||||
*Non-conference game.  #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.      All times are in Central Time.  | |||||||||||
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final | 
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 17 | Not released | 
| Coaches | — | —^ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References
- ↑ "Drake falls to No. 20 Loyola in MVC Championship". Radio Iowa. March 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ Hefferman, Todd. "MVC Basketball | Drake slotted in First Four, Loyola receives 8 seed". The Southern. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ "Georgia Tech vs. Loyola Chicago - Game Recap - March 19, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ Lauren M. Johnson and Homero De la Fuente. "No. 8 Loyola Chicago stuns No. 1 seed Illinois to advance to the Sweet 16". CNN. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ "Oregon State vs. Loyola Chicago - Game Recap - March 27, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ "Oklahoma hires Loyola Chicago's Porter Moser to replace Lon Kruger as Sooners coach". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ "Drew Valentine Hired as Loyola-Chicago's Head Coach, Replacing Porter Moser". NBC Chicago. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
 - ↑ "NCAA cancels March Madness tournaments, all other winter and spring championships". NBC News. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
 
