Loyola Chicago beat Southern Illinois 60-52 Friday to improve to 20-4 overall, 15-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. With another win over SIU on Saturday, the Ramblers will clinch at least a share of the league title, then head to St. Louis for Arch Madness, where they'll be the favorite to secure the MVC's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
But will they need it?
Personally, I doubt it. But it should be noted that Jerry Palm is projecting the Ramblers as a No. 11 seed in his latest bracket, which suggests their margin for error as it relates to getting an at-large bid, if they need it, is slim, at least in Palm's eyes, despite the fact that Porter Moser's team has won 13 of its past 14 games, 21 straight at home, and is now 11th at KenPom and 12th in the NET.
"Our guys are hungry," Moser said.
My assumption is that as long as Loyola Chicago avoids what would be a Quadrant 4 loss in the regular-season finale, the Ramblers will play in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the MVC Tournament. The record and computer numbers are just too strong. And though I recognize computer numbers aren't everything, the truth is that a team with a top-30 KenPom ranking on Selection Sunday has only been left out of the Field of 68 four times over the span of the past six NCAA Tournaments.
Again, Loyola Chicago is 11th at KenPom.
The Ramblers should be fine.
Loyola Chicago remains No 17 in Saturday morning's updated Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Ramblers' game with Southern Illinois is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. ET.
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Saturday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags have won their 14 WCC games by an average of 24.6 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 18 games by double-digits. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 11-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Iowa, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 8-24 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State dropped to 12-6 in the first two quadrants after Thursday's loss at Michigan State. The Buckeyes lead the nation with nine Quadrant 1 wins. | -- | 22-14 |
| 5 |  | llinois is 11-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. Five of the Illini's six losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 29-9 |
| 6 |  | West Virginia is 11-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Mountaineers are 5-1 in their past six games with wins over Texas, Kansas and Texas Tech. | -- | 9-23 |
| 7 |  | Alabama dropped to 12-5 in the first two quadrants after Wednesday's loss at Arkansas. The Crimson Tide has one additional loss in Quadrant 3. | -- | 25-12 |
| 8 |  | Villanova is 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Wildcats are 4-1 in their past five games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Creighton. | -- | 18-16 |
| 9 |  | Florida State is 8-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Seminoles are 9-1 in their past 10 games with victories over Virginia and Louisville. | -- | 17-16 |
| 10 |  | Iowa dropped to 11-7 in the first two quadrants after Thursday's loss at Michigan. Six of the Hawkeyes' seven defeats are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 19-15 |
| 11 |  | Texas is 7-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. All six of the Longhorns' losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 21-13 |
| 12 |  | Houston is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cougars are 4-1 in their past five games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Wichita State. | -- | 32-5 |
| 13 |  | Arkansas is 9-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Razorbacks are 8-1 in their past nine games with wins over Alabama and Missouri. | -- | 16-17 |
| 14 |  | Creighton is 10-2 in the first two quadrants with three additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Bluejays are 7-1 in their past eight games with wins over Villanova and Seton Hall. | -- | 25-10 |
| 15 |  | USC dropped to 7-5 in the first two quadrants after Thursday's loss at Colorado. The Trojans are 1-2 in their past three games. | -- | 15-18 |
| 16 |  | Wisconsin is 9-8 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Badgers' resume is highlighted by victories over Loyola Chicago, Rutgers and Maryland. | -- | 22-14 |
| 17 |  | Loyola Chicago is 5-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Ramblers are 13-1 in their past 14 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Drake. | -- | 23-10 |
| 18 |  | Virginia dropped to 8-4 in the first two quadrants after Wednesday's loss to NC State. The Cavaliers have two additional losses in Quadrant 3. | -- | 23-11 |
| 19 |  | Kansas dropped to 8-8 in the first two quadrants after Tuesday's loss at Texas. All eight of the Jayhawks' losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 23-11 |
| 20 |  | Oklahoma suffered its first Quadrant 3 loss of the season Tuesday at Kansas State. The Sooners are 3-2 in their past five games with two of those wins coming against Iowa State. | -- | 20-12 |
| 21 |  | Virginia Tech dropped to 6-5 in the first two quadrants after Tuesday's loss at Georgia Tech. The Hokies are 1-2 in their past three games with the lone win in that stretch coming at Miami. | -- | 19-15 |
| 22 |  | Tennessee is 6-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Vols are 6-3 in their past nine games with wins over Kansas and Kentucky. | -- | 27-9 |
| 23 |  | Purdue is 11-7 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Boilermakers will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game with Wisconsin. | -- | 34-5 |
| 24 |  | Oklahoma State is 7-5 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cowboys will take a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Oklahoma. | -- | 12-20 |
| 25 |  | BYU is 7-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Cougars will take a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game with Saint Mary's. | -- | 23-11 |
| 26 |  | Missouri dropped to 8-7 in the first two quadrants after Tuesday's loss to Ole Miss. The Tigers are 1-4 in their past five games with three losses in that stretch to unranked teams. | -- | 8-24 |
