SportsPulse: From San Antonio, our college basketball experts break down Loyola Chicago's chances of pulling off the unthinkable and getting to the national championship game. USA TODAY Sports
SAN ANTONIO — Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser knows all it would've taken is one injury or bad loss for March's feel-good story to have a much sadder ending.
He knows far too well how depressing the life of a mid-major can be.
The 11th-seeded Ramblers won the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, so they would not have to sweat on Selection Sunday. Had Loyola lost in the MVC tournament final to Illinois State, however, the Ramblers would have been squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble in a one-bid league leaving a small chance of making the field of 68.
Though Loyola dominated the Missouri Valley and had a non-conference road win against Florida, a No. 6 seed, its lack of Quadrant 1 wins outside of beating the Gators (zero) was glaring. Although the Ramblers now have five Q1 wins — thanks to four thrilling NCAA tournament wins to get to San Antonio — on March 11 Loyola could have gotten the same treatment as fellow mid-majors Saint Mary's and Middle Tennessee — a former Cinderella that sported a top-10 strength of schedule and had the most true road wins of any team in the country.
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"You could get a tweaked ankle in practice to a star player for us, or lost by one in the (Missouri Valley) conference tournament and we're not here," Moser said. "You could have shot a bounce in or the other way, and we're not in after a body of work we felt was good."
The last two No. 11 seeds to reach the Final Four — George Mason and VCU — were both at-large bids when they staged their respective Cinderella runs. Moser acknowledged just how much things have changed even since then.
"I remember being a coach around the country and watching the VCU run and the George Mason run," Moser said. "That wouldn't have happened. Those were at-large ids. Those story lines wouldn't have happened in today's day and age because they wouldn't have got in. I think that's an amazing thought."
Last year, when Wichita State was still in the Valley, Illinois State was the co-regular-season champion and won 27 games (including one Q1 win against Wichita State) but was one of the first teams left out of the field by the selection committee.
"I hope our run sparks some conversation on trying to continue to find the best way," Moser said. "I don't think w'ere at that point yet. I don't think we're there yet. And I think we need to continue to find the best way, because it was, according to everybody, we weren't going to get in."
The most frustrating part, Moser said, is how difficult non-conference scheduling can be as a premier mid-major program, and then the type of perspective the committee members have for lack of marquee non-conference wins.
"The one thing that bothers me and it bothers a lot of other coaches in the country with the scheduling at our level is, (the committee members), like, blame us for our schedule. Like, well, he scheduled really weak. That is not the case. We have a lit of like 100 calls ... because we want a hard schedule. We're trying."
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