Saturday, March 9, 2024 3:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago, Ill.
The Loyola Ramblers wrap up the A-10 regular season on Saturday afternoon against the La Salle Explorers, and bid farewell on Senior Day to Braden Norris, Tom Welch, Philip Alston, Dame Adelekun, Greg Dolan, and Patrick Mwamba. Sheldon Edwards is also a senior, but may have an available extra year. And WOW—what a season it’s been! Loyola fans will also have a day to celebrate a surprising team that showed grit and determination throughout a 22-8 season with a chance to tie for the conference title on the final day.
Braden Norris enters his last home game at Loyola ranking #1 in games started, #2 in made three-pointers, #4 in assists, #17 in steals, and #29 in points scored. Loyola is 83-42 with two NCAA appearances, including a Sweet 16 with Norris as the starting floor general. Tom Welch has been one of the best teammates and one of the most reliable bench players over his four seasons in Rogers Park. And Phil Alston has been vital in making the difficult transition to the A-10, while having palpable pride in wearing the Loyola uniform. Sheldon is a fan favorite and a great teammate who's had some memorable moments in big games. Adelekun, Dolan and Mwamba-- here for less time, granted-- still made an imprint on a memorable season and added new pages to the Loyola culture story.
As for Loyola’s opponent on Saturday, the La Salle Explorers were down at the bottom of the league standings for most of the season, but in the past three weeks Coach Fran Dunphy’s guys have turned things around. The Explorers have won four of their last five games (including head-turners against UMass and St. Bonaventure) to move from a 15th place tie to tied for 10th. Key to the turnaround has been much better shot selection and ball sharing leading to better shooting, particularly from behind the arc. In the past five games La Salle has averaged 17 assists per game and 38.9% shooting from distance. In the 5 games prior (all losses) they averaged 12.4 assists and 31.8% three-point shooting.
The likely starters for the Explorers are: 6’1” junior guard Khalil Brantley, 5’11” senior guard Jhamir Bricus, 6’5” junior guard Daeshon Shepherd, 6’8” freshman guard Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi, and 6’10” sophomore center Rokas Jocius. The three experienced guards trade on quickness and excellent ball handling. Brantley averages 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Bricus averages 13.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game—while shooting nearly 86% from the free throw line. Shepherd averages 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. In the frontcourt, Jocius is a husky Lithuanian who averages 8.4 points and 5.5 boards. Vahlberg Fasasi, a freshman from Sweden, has been gaining in confidence and consistency through the year; he averages 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, and is doing a better job of staying out of foul trouble than earlier in the season.
Coming off the bench are 6’4” senior guard Anwar Gill, 6’5” sophomore guard Andres Marrero, and 6’7” sophomore forward Ryan Zan. Gill is a really savvy and experienced guard who averages 9.5 ppg. Marrero is the top three-point shooter, second on the squad in attempts and makes from behind the arc, and averaging 7.9 ppg. Zan adds 3.3 ppg in limited minutes relieving the starting frontcourt.
La Salle ranks 12th in the conference in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Their best attribute is taking care of the ball—they’re among the best in the country at avoiding steals, and in the top 20 for lowest average turnovers per game.
There’s going to be a lot going on Saturday—maybe some scoreboard watching, players’ families in town for Senior Day, emotions possibly going a little sideways, a visiting team low in the standings (but much better lately), and a big sell-out crowd. The Ramblers are locked into the #2 seed in Brooklyn, but a share of the regular season conference title might still be a possibility. There is also an opportunity to strengthen the argument for an NIT bid if needed. The best advice is to tune out all the distractions, concentrate on the game plan, and take care of business.
Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... _Salle.pdfLa Salle game notes: https://goexplorers.com/documents/2024/ ... hicago.pdfTV/Streaming video: ESPN +
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eve ... =401596948Radio/Streaming audio: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=182&type=LiveLive stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=482161Vegas odds: Loyola by 12