2021–22 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2021–22 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Ramblers, led by first-year head coach Drew Valentine , played their home games at the Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference . They finished the regular season 25–7, 13–5 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. As the No. 4 seed in the MVC tournament , they defeated Bradley , Northern Iowa , and Drake to win the MVC tournament for the second consecutive season. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed, where they lost in the first round to Ohio State .
On November 16, 2021, Loyola announced that the season would be the last season for the team in the MVC as they joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in July 2022.[ 1]
Previous season
In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , the Ramblers finished the 2020–21 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.[ 2] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 8 seed in the Midwest region.[ 3] There they defeated No. 9-seeded Georgia Tech [ 4] and upset No. 1-seeded Illinois to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[ 5] In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to Oregon State .[ 6]
On April 3, 2021, head coach Porter Moser left Loyola to accept the head coaching position at Oklahoma .[ 7] A few days later, the school announced that assistant coach Drew Valentine would take over as the Ramblers' head coach.[ 8]
Offseason
Coaching changes
On April 20, Valentine announced the hiring of assistant coaches Amorrow Morgan, Sean Dwyer, and Patrick Wallace.[ 9] Former Oakland associate head coach Dan Hipsher was named special assistant to the head coach.[ 9]
Departures
Due to COVID-19 disruptions, the NCAA did not count the 2020–21 season against the eligibility of any basketball player, meaning that all seniors in that season could choose to return for 2021–22.
Incoming transfers
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Previous School
Ryan Schwieger
13
F
6'7"
205
Senior
Matthews, NC
Transferred from Princeton
Chris Knight
23
F
6'7"
225
Senior
Madison, WI
Transferred from Dartmouth
2021 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Ty Johnson G
Chicago, IL
DePaul College Prep (IL)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Nov 11, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Ben Schwieger G / F
Aurora, IL
Waubonsie Valley (IL)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Nov 11, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Saint Thomas F
Omaha, NE
Millard North (NE)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Apr 13, 2021
Recruiting star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: N/R
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports : 132
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:
Roster
2021–22 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
0
Saint Thomas
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Fr
Millard North
Omaha, NE
G
1
Lucas Williamson
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
GS
Whitney Young
Chicago, IL
G
2
Ty Johnson
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Fr
DePaul College Prep
Chicago, IL
G
4
Braden Norris
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
RS Jr
Hilliard Bradley Oakland
Hilliard, OH
G
5
Keith Clemons
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
GS
Wesley ChristianVincennes
Norcross, GA
F
10
Tom Welch
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Jr
Naperville North
Naperville, IL
G
12
Marquise Kennedy
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Jr
Brother Rice
Chicago, IL
F
13
Ryan Schwieger
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Sr
WedingtonPrinceton
Matthews, NC
C
22
Jacob Hutson
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
So
Edina
Edina, MN
F
23
Chris Knight
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Sr
James Madison Memorial Dartmouth
Madison, WI
G/F
24
Tate Hall
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
GS
Greenfield-Central Indianapolis
Greenfield, IN
F
30
Aher Uguak
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
GS
Harry Ainlay New Mexico
Edmonton, AB
G
31
Will Smythe (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Fr
St. Mary's Prep
Rochester Hills, MI
G/F
33
Ben Schwieger
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Fr
Waubonsie Valley
Aurora, IL
F
35
Damezi Anderson
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Sr
Riley Indiana
South Bend, IN
F
45
Will Alcock (W)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Sr
Zionsville Community
Zionsville, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
After losing several game to cancellations and postponements due to COVID-19, Loyola and San Francisco agreed to play a game on January 6, 2022, on the campus of Salt Lake Community College .[ 10]
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 3, 2021 *7:00 p.m.
UW–Stout
W 93–41
Gentile Arena (2,374)Chicago, IL
Regular season
November 9, 2021 *7:00 p.m., NBCSC+
Coppin State
W 103–45
1–0
Gentile Arena (2,982)Chicago, IL
November 13, 2021 *1:00 p.m., ESPN+ /NBCSC
Florida Gulf Coast
W 89–77
2–0
Gentile Arena (3,277)Chicago, IL
November 16, 2021 *7:00 p.m., NBCSC
Chicago State
W 92–56
3–0
Gentile Arena (2,637)Chicago, IL
November 20, 2021 *3:00 p.m., NBCSC
UIC
W 80–63
4–0
Gentile Arena (3,732)Chicago, IL
November 24, 2021 *11:00 a.m., ESPN
Michigan State Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
L 61–63
4–1
Imperial Arena Nassau, Bahamas
November 25, 2021 *1:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 19 Auburn Battle 4 Atlantis consolation round
L 53–62
4–2
Imperial Arena (804)Nassau, Bahamas
November 26, 2021 *6:00 p.m., ESPNews
Arizona State Battle 4 Atlantis 7th Place Game
W 77–59
5–2
Imperial Arena (739)Nassau, Bahamas
December 1, 2021 7:00 p.m., NBCSC
Indiana State
W 88–76
6–2 (1–0)
Gentile Arena (2,915)Chicago, IL
December 4, 2021 *3:00 p.m., FS1
at DePaul
W 68–64
7–2
Wintrust Arena (6,774)Chicago, IL
December 7, 2021 *7:00 p.m., ESPN3
Roosevelt
W 88–49
8–2
Gentile Arena (2,379)Chicago, IL
December 10, 2021 *7:00 p.m., SECN+
at Vanderbilt
W 69–58
9–2
Memorial Gymnasium (7,002)Nashville, TN
December 19, 2021 *1:00 p.m., ESPN3/ESPN+
Norfolk State
Canceled due to COVID-19 issues
Gentile Arena Chicago, IL
December 22, 2021 *1:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Davidson
Canceled due to COVID-19 issues
John M. Belk Arena Davidson, NC
January 2, 2021 *1:00 p.m., ESPN3
Saint Xavier
Canceled due to COVID-19 issues
Gentile Arena Chicago, IL
January 6, 2022 *1:00 p.m., WCC Network
vs. San Francisco
W 79–74
10–2
Lifetime Activities Center (112)Salt Lake City, UT
January 8, 2022 3:00 p.m., NBCSC
Bradley
W 78–71 OT
11–2 (2–0)
Gentile Arena (3,092)Chicago, IL
January 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN
Valparaiso
W 81–74 2OT
12–2 (3–0)
Gentile Arena (2,193)Chicago, IL
January 15, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Indiana State
W 64–56
13–2 (4–0)
Hulman Center (3,614)Terre Haute, IN
January 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSC+
No. 22
at Evansville
W 77–48
14–2 (5–0)
Ford Center (3,190)Evansville, IN
January 22, 2022 2:30 p.m., CBSSN
No. 22
Missouri State
L 69–79
14–3 (5–1)
Gentile Arena (4,105)Chicago, IL
January 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSC
Southern Illinois
W 59–47
15–3 (6–1)
Gentile Arena (2,941)Chicago, IL
January 27, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSC
at Southern Illinois
W 44–39
16–3 (7–1)
Banterra Center (4,315)Carbondale, IL
January 30, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Drake
L 68–77
16–4 (7–2)
Knapp Center (3,994)Des Moines, IA
February 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Illinois State
W 78–64
17–4 (8–2)
Gentile Arena (3,097)Chicago, IL
February 6, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Missouri State
W 71–62
18–4 (9–2)
JQH Arena (6,117)Springfield, MO
February 9, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Bradley
L 61–68
18–5 (9–3)
Peoria Civic Center (4,450)Peoria, IL
February 13, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN2
Northern Iowa
W 85–58
19–5 (10–3)
Gentile Arena (4,019)Chicago, IL
February 16, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSC+
at Valparaiso
W 71–69
20–5 (11–3)
Athletics–Recreation Center (2,208)Valparaiso, IN
February 19, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2
Drake
L 76–83
20–6 (11–4)
Gentile Arena (4,557)Chicago, IL
February 21, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSC
at Illinois State Rescheduled from January 5
W 59–50
21–6 (12–4)
Redbird Arena (3,354)Normal, IL
February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSC
Evansville
W 82–31
22–6 (13–4)
Gentile Arena (3,843)Chicago, IL
February 26, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Northern Iowa
L 96–102 OT
22–7 (13–5)
McLeod Center (6,497)Cedar Falls, IA
MVC tournament
March 4, 2022 2:30 pm, MVC TV
(4)
vs. (5) Bradley Quarterfinals
W 66–50
23–7
Enterprise Center (5,394)St. Louis, MO
March 5, 2022 2:30 pm, CBSSN
(4)
vs. (1) Northern Iowa Semifinals
W 66–43
24–7
Enterprise Center St. Louis, MO
March 6, 2022 1:00 pm, CBS
(4)
vs. (3) Drake Championship
W 64–58
25–7
Enterprise Center (5,164)St. Louis, MO
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022 11:15 am, CBS
(10 S)
vs. (7 S) Ohio State First Round
L 41–54
25–8
PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Time .
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes 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 RV RV RV RV 22 RV RV RV — — — RV RV Not released Coaches RV RV^ RV — RV RV RV RV RV RV 24 RV — RV RV — — RV RV
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings. ^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References
^ "Loyola Athletics To Join Atlantic 10 Conference in 2022-23 Academic Year" . Loyola University Chicago Athletics . Retrieved November 16, 2021 .
^ "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 .
^ a b "Loyola Announces Men's Basketball Staff" . Loyola University Chicago Athletics . Retrieved July 29, 2021 .
^ "After losing conference games to COVID, San Francisco and Loyola Chicago agree to play game Thursday" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved January 4, 2022 .
Venues Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics