After succeeding as a Cinderella in its last two NCAA Tournament runs, Loyola discovered what it’s like when everyone knows your name.
The 10th-seeded Ramblers fell to No. 7 seed Ohio State 54-41 in their first-round game Friday at PPG Paints Arena, bowing out of the tournament with their worst performance of the season.
“I don’t want this game to define our season,” coach Drew Valentine said. “I don’t want this game to define a lot of these guys’ career. … Obviously it needs to hurt. I was at a loss for words coming into the locker room because there are so many different emotions. The main thing I want to focus on is the program is in a lot better spot than it was when these guys got here five years ago.”
Lucas Williamson, whose career began with the Final Four team in 2018, started out poorly and never recovered, while the No. 7 seeded Buckeyes shrugged off a slow first half to pour it on down the stretch.
E.J. Liddell led Ohio State with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Malaki Branham added 14 points.
“We knew we were in for a rock fight,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “And that’s very much what it was.”
Williamson finished with four points, shooting 1-for-10 from the field and 1 of 6 from the free-throw line, ending a distinguished Loyola career on a down note.
Ohio State (20-11) goes on to play the winner of the Villanova-Delaware game Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16 next week in San Antonio.
Loyola (25-8) shot a miserable 26.8% (15-for-56) from the field and hit only 3 of 10 free-throw attempts, mostly misfires from Williamson. The Ramblers couldn’t finish off shots inside against the bigger, more physical Buckeyes, and other than Braden Norris’s four 3-pointers never got into sync from outside. Norris led Loyola with 14 points, the only player in double-figures.
“Obviously we really struggled offensively,” Valentine said, pointing to the abysmal shooting and 14 turnovers. “Defensively we were solid at times, probably fouled too much.”
Valentine removed Williamson and the other starters with a minute left as Loyola fans gave them one last ovation.
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The Ramblers couldn’t have started worse and were fortunate to go into the half trailing by only 23-18. Loyola shot 23.3% from the field and committed seven turnovers, while Williamson, their leading scorer, missed all five of his field-goal attempts and had only one point.
“I’m disappointed in myself, and don’t feel like I played to the standard I put myself at,” Williamson said. “Like Drew said, I’m kind of at a loss for words, kind of stunned right now.”
Loyola managed to stay close thanks to a sticky defense that limited Ohio State to 8-of-20 shooting before halftime. The Buckeyes went 0-for-9 from 3-point range in the half, while Liddell had only four points, all on free throws.
But the frustration continued for Loyola at the outset of the second. Williamson missed a pair of free throws and a layup in the opening minutes, and Liddell finally awoke, nailing a pair of jumpers. The Buckeyes led by 11 when Norris’s third 3-pointer briefly stopped the momentum.
Williamson finally hit his first basket in seven attempts, a 3-pointer with 12 minutes, 46 seconds left, pulling the Ramblers within 11. But Loyola couldn’t manage to put together a late run, ending their season — and really an era of Ramblers basketball.
Valentine said he thought they could have sped up the game defensively with more pressure at halfcourt but added the Buckeyes’ stellar ballhandling made that difficult.
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 102-year-old team chaplain and most recognizable person at Loyola since she was celebrated by media and fans during the 2018 Final Four run, gave her pregame prayer with the team and watched from the stands as fans crowded around trying to get photos with her.
But at halftime security guards politely asked fans to respect her privacy, and one said she was tired and hadn’t eaten all morning. By that point it was a difficult game to watch for Ramblers fans — and evident no miracle was forthcoming.
“I expect her (postgame) email to be super positive,” Norris said. “She always thanks us and shows a lot of gratitude for being who we are.”
Williamson’s tough game was particularly difficult for Valentine, who built a strong relationship with his star guard when Valentine joined as an assistant coach under Porter Moser.
“I feel so bad for him,” he said. “For that to be his last game, that should not define him. He deserved to go out better, but I’m just proud of how much he has grown.”
Williamson said the relationships he built at Loyola will “last a lifetime” and called himself “incredibly blessed to be recruited” out of Young High School.
“I never thought this would be the type of career I’d have,” he said. “I hoped for it. But it’s really hard to get here, to play in March Madness.”
Loyola will move to the Atlantic 10 Conference in July as Valentine attempts to maintain the program’s success against some tougher competition. He’ll be working the transfer portal and high school recruiting to get players who fit the program and university.
The Loyola culture created by players such as Williamson and former Ramblers Cameron Krutwig and Donte Ingram should ensure the program is sound for the immediate future.
“We have to get the right guys, continue with the culture, on the court, off the court, the vibe, and continue to get our guys better,” Valentine said.
For Valentine, at 30 the youngest Division I coach in college basketball, the journey is just beginning.