One and Done, or None

In basketball, the danger of playing tenacious defense is that it can affect a team’s offense. That’s exactly what happened to Loyola yesterday in its opening-round 54-41 loss to Ohio State in the NCAA D-I men’s tournament. The Ramblers held their opponents to 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 6.7 (!) percent from beyond the three-point line. Loyola also had more steals and fewer turnovers than the Buckeyes, all of which would seem to add up to a Ramblers’ win, until you see that Loyola shot 26.8 percent from the field and 30 percent from the free-throw line; Ohio State sank fourteen more free throws than Loyola. So it goes. Yet it could be worse, if getting to the postseason matters. All the local media coverage focused on the Ramblers today, which makes sense. But I wondered, what about Porter Moser, their coach from last year? Did he get Oklahoma, his new team, to the Big Dance? No, he did not, though he thought an 18-15 record should’ve gotten the Sooner an invite. Maybe next year. Next season should be interesting for both coaches. Their respective teams should better reflect the person presently in charge. My money’s on Loyola and Drew Valentine.