SportsPulse: Loyola-Chicago continues to dance in the NCAA tournament and will make an Elite Eight appearance for the first time since 1963. USA TODAY Sports
ATLANTA — Maybe it was the power of Sister Jean. Or, more likely, it was Loyola-Chicago being able to run a layup-line offense with little resistance from Nevada.
Either way, the Ramblers are headed to the Elite Eight after winning their South Regional semifinal, 69-68, and running a surgical offense that didn’t miss a shot for nearly 11 minutes to begin the second half.
Loyola, which won its first two NCAA tournament games with last-possession jumpers, had only slightly more breathing room this time after shooting 55.8% for the game and will play either Kentucky or Kansas State here on Saturday.
Leading by just a point inside the final minute, Loyola patiently ran the shot clock to the very end before getting Marques Towns got a contested three-pointer to fall from the right wing with 6.2 seconds left to all but ensure the victory.
Though Loyola will have to defy history in order to become just the fourth No. 11 seed to make a Final Four, the Ramblers certainly have the look of a composed, disciplined, highly-skilled team befitting their 31-5 record.
And they needed all those attributes after getting hit with two big Nevada runs — one in the beginning and another late after the Wolf Pack erased a 10-point deficit to tie the game with 4:06 left.
Sticking with their patient offense predicated on ball movement and smart shots, Loyola re-gained the lead with 2:50 left on a three-pointer by Aundre Jackson, then held on as Nevada missed a pair of wide-open three-pointers by Caleb Martin and Hallice Cook that would have given the Wolf Pack the lead inside the final minute.
But as dramatic as the finish seemed, it was nothing compared to the wild swings of momentum earlier in the game.
Nevada, which opened the game by taking a 20-8 lead, ended the first half by scoring just four points over the final 13 minutes, 36 seconds. And its possession chart was as ugly as it sounds: 2-for-17 from the field with seven turnovers.
Some of that was a credit to Loyola, which struggled in the first five minutes to guard Nevada’s off-ball movement before making the necessary adjustments shut down driving lanes and prevent cutters from moving untouched. But the Wolf Pack, and the talented-but-maddening Martin twins (Cody and Caleb) in particular, also played right into Loyola’s hands by jacking up quick, contested shots and trying to make risky passes through the middle.
And though Nevada eventually got shots to fall in the second half, it suddenly couldn’t defend as Loyola made 13 consecutive field goals — most of them layups — to begin the second half.
Remarkably, that scoring binge didn’t put the game away as the lead never got bigger than 12 points. And Nevada certainly made them earn it until the end.
IMAGES FROM THE SWEET 16 OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
