There will be no sneaking up on anyone this time for Loyola.
Under 30-year-old first-year coach Drew Valentine, the Ramblers earned their second straight NCAA Tournament invitation — and their third in five years — with a 64-58 win over Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference title game Sunday in St. Louis.
“This is what we came back to do,” Valentine said. “We put out a video in April that people probably could’ve taken and used as very motivational throughout the year that we’re going to run it back, and we did.”
The Ramblers (25-7) overcame a horrid start to outlast the Bulldogs, who were victimized by poor shooting from the field (35.6%) and the free-throw line (11-for-18).
It wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but they’ll take it.
Lucas Williamson led Loyola with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Aher Uguak added 16 points and 10 boards.
The Ramblers entered the conference tournament seeded fourth after finishing the regular season in a three-way tie for second, then cruised to wins over Bradley and regular-season champion Northern Iowa before holding off Drake.
“We came into this tournament as a 4 seed,” Valentine said. “I don’t care if we were favored to win it or not, for us to play the way we did, for us to beat the teams the way that we did, was really fun for me to see.
“I love this group. I love them forever. They know that. I’m really excited, man. I don’t think we played great, but I’m not even going to worry about how we played for probably a couple days.”
Loyola advanced to the Final Four in 2018 and went to the Sweet 16 last year in the final season under former coach Porter Moser.
Valentine was emotional afterward when talking about his road to the tournament.
“We’re blue-collar,” he said. “Nobody probably expected me to be here at 30. I did. Sorry.”
No need to apologize for believing in yourself.
“I’m so happy for (Valentine) to get this opportunity as the youngest coach in America, as a Black coach in America,” Williamson said. “For him to have this opportunity to win March Madness in his first year ... that’s my guy right here.”
Loyola wasn’t at its best Sunday, committing 16 turnovers and at one point having more turnovers (eight) than field goals (five). The Ramblers missed 14 of their first 17 shots, but a remarkable 19-0 run late in the first half brought them back from the dead.
“We weren’t playing good at all,” Uguak said. “We were turning the ball over. And then playing defense and locking in helped us get some easy baskets and get us going.”
Williamson told his teammates during a timeout they weren’t playing like themselves.
“I just tried to keep telling guys: ‘Calm down, we’re playing in a championship game. Emotions might be a little high,’” he said.
The Ramblers led by nine with 4:27 remaining when the Bulldogs went on a late run, pulling within two at 55-53 with 1:44 left.
Uguak made four big free throws down the stretch, but two misses by Marquise Kennedy with 31 seconds remaining kept Drake’s hopes alive. Ryan Schwieger’s two free throws with 15 seconds left sealed it, and the Ramblers danced off the floor in their final MVC Tournament game.
Loyola is leaving for the Atlantic 10 Conference in July.
For Williamson and Uguak — who both took advantage of the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver to come back for an extra season — it’s a chance to go out with a bang.
“This is why you play college basketball,” Williamson said. “This is something you grow up watching, wanting to play in games like this. ... It means a lot to me and a lot to the other seniors on this team. This is what we envisioned when we decided to run it back, all the way back in April.”
Williamson said he pondered turning pro after graduating with a degree in journalism, but he decided to stay for one more year under Valentine because of their close relationship.
“He’s the standard,” Uguak said of Williamson. “We talk about it all the time. He just is. On the court, off the court, his growth and development. ... Should’ve been (MVC) Player of the Year. Whoops.”
Again, no need to apologize for speaking the truth. Williamson was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s one of the biggest reasons the program went from virtual unknown in his freshman year in 2017-18 to a March Madness regular.
Now the Ramblers are back in a place where everyone knows their name.
“I can’t imagine coming here and having the experience I’ve had here without Lucas,” said Valentine, who joined the program as an assistant under Moser in Williamson’s first year. “From Day One, summers, he wouldn’t leave me alone about, ‘Coach, when can we get in the gym?’ From damn near his first week. We just built up a bond, a connection. More than just basketball, (he’s) family for real.”
Uguak said he didn’t know of Loyola before he transferred from New Mexico after his freshman year in 2017, calling it the “greatest decision I’ve made” in life.
Williamson, who went to Young High School on the Near West Side, cracked: “Aher’s from Canada and he didn’t know where Loyola was. I’m from Chicago and I didn’t know what Loyola was.”
Now they’re hoping to put Sister Jean and the Rogers Park school back in the limelight. The Ramblers came into the weekend with a NET Ranking of 25, suggesting they’re better than many power-conference teams with lengthier resumes. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi projected Loyola on Friday as a No. 12 seed and one of the last four teams in, though obviously the automatic invite means they’re no longer on the bubble and won’t need a play-in game to get to the Round of 64.
“We’re not just going to be happy because we’re in it,” Valentine said. “Today and tomorrow and this week, we’re going to be super happy that we’re in it, but once that seed comes across, then it’s going to be time to get to work.”
