Loyola Chicago Dominated Illinois Wire-To-Wire To Send Home The First 1-Seed Of 2021

The second round of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament saw a monster matchup between top-seeded Illinois and 8-seed Loyola Chicago, a top-10 KenPom team this year and one who many thought was woefully under-seeded. From the opening tip, the Ramblers took control on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, jumping out to an early lead, one they would never give back in a dominant 71-58 win.

On offense, Loyola dominated inside, shooting 26-for-51 from the field, attempting only 10 three-pointers and making four of them. They attacked downhill on the Illini, using dribble handoffs and pick-and-rolls to force the Illinois defense into tough decisions and seemingly always made the right read. On defense, they frustrated the Illini into a 22-for-49 shooting afternoon, including going just 4-for-14 from three-point range. All-American Ayo Dosunmu couldn’t find his stroke or get in any offensive rhythm, going 4-for-10 from the field for nine points with six turnovers. With Illinois’ star guards struggling, they relied heavily on big man Kofi Cockburn, who had 21 points and nine boards to keep the Illini in the game.

However, he faced a ton of pressure from the swarming Ramblers defense, and any time he failed to go quickly he had a double or triple team immediately swiping at the ball.

The Ramblers forced 15 Illinois turnovers, playing terrific defense, but it was their sensational offensive sets that gave the Illini fits all game. Cameron Krutwig, who has built a cult following for his appearance, reminded everyone just how good he is, playing a Jokic-esque game on Sunday with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, showing off his his insane touch both with passes and scoring at the rim.

Krutwig even capped the game off with a game-sealing steal, his third of the game.

It was a thorough and dominant performance from the Ramblers, which when the seeding came out felt like a wildly disrespected 8-seed, and proved why with a dismantling of the top-seeded Illini, who had dominated in the Big Ten Tournament a week ago. It’s also unfortunate for the Illini that they ran into a team the caliber of Loyola in the second round, as this was a second weekend matchup, not a second round matchup, and for them to exit in the first weekend isn’t indicative of their ability or quality as a top seed.

The Ramblers, meanwhile, look the part of a team ready to make another deep run, as they follow the lead of their veteran big man in Krutwig and play tremendous fundamental basketball on both ends of the floor, stressing opponents into near-perfect execution to be able to win.