Ramble On: A Look Into Men’s Basketball’s Postseason Play

Loyola men’s basketball will continue postseason play after receiving a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. Loyola’s first game is set for March 19 against San Jose State University. This is the second year in a row the Ramblers have participated in the NIT, previously falling to Bradley University in the first round. 

The NIT features 32 teams who failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, each is given the option to accept or decline their invitation. 

In addition to Loyola, a total of six teams from the Atlantic 10 conference will play in the tournament — The University of Dayton, George Mason University, Saint Joseph’s University and St. Bonaventure University are top seeds and will host home games, while Loyola and Saint Louis University will travel to play theirs. 

In the first round, the Ramblers will head to California to face fourth-seeded San Jose State with a 10 p.m. CDT tipoff. The Spartans finished eighth in the Mountain West Conference and were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the MWC tournament by the University of New Mexico, the conference’s No. 1 seed. 

San Jose State finished with a 15-19 season record and went 7-13 in conference play. The Spartans are led by fourth-year guard Josh Uduje, who averages 16.3 points per game and shoots 49.2% from the field. 

Third-year center Robert Vaihola boasts the team’s best field goal percentage, shooting 54.6%, followed closely by third-year forward Sadraque NgaNga who has shot 52%.

If the Ramblers defeat the Spartans, they’ll face the winner of the matchup between the University of San Francisco and Utah Valley University. Loyola has already faced San Francisco once this season at the MKE Tip Off in Milwaukee, where they sustained their first loss of the season. 

Loyola has a chance to play A10 rival St. Bonaventure if both teams win their first two games in the tournament. The Ramblers can play either Dayton or George Mason in the semifinals April 1, and possibly Saint Joseph’s or Saint Louis in the championship round April 3. 

The first, second and quarterfinal rounds of the NIT are played at the higher seed’s home court, while the semifinal and championship games are played in the Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler University’s campus in Indianapolis. 

The Ramblers’ opening matchup can be streamed on ESPN2 or listened to on Ramblers Sports Network, while the rest of the tournament is available on various ESPN streaming platforms.