2018–19 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ramblers, led by seventh-year head coach Porter Moser, played their home games at the Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois. They were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–14, 12–6 in MVC play to earn a share of the MVC regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the MVC tournament, they beat Valparaiso before losing to Bradley in the semifinals. As a regular season conference champion who did not win their tournament championship, the Ramblers received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the TCU bracket. There they lost in the first round to Creighton.

2018–19 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball
Missouri Valley regular season co-champions
NIT, first round
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	20–14 (12–6 MVC)
Head coach	Porter Moser (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Bryan Mullins Matt Gordon Drew Valentine
Home arena	Joseph J. Gentile Arena
Seasons ← 2017–18 2019–20 →

2018–19 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Loyola Chicago	12	–	6		.667			20	–	14		.588
Drake	12	–	6		.667			24	–	10		.706
Southern Illinois	10	–	8		.556			17	–	15		.531
Missouri State	10	–	8		.556			16	–	16		.500
Bradley †	9	–	9		.500			20	–	15		.571
Northern Iowa	9	–	9		.500			16	–	18		.471
Illinois State	9	–	9		.500			17	–	16		.515
Indiana State	7	–	11		.389			15	–	16		.484
Valparaiso	7	–	11		.389			15	–	18		.455
Evansville	5	–	13		.278			11	–	21		.344
† 2019 MVC tournament winner

Previous season

The Ramblers finished the 2017–18 season 32–6, 15–3 in MVC play with a win against Evansville on February 18, 2018, Loyola clinched at least a share of its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship.^[1] With a win over Southern Illinois on February 21, the Ramblers clinched the outright MVC championship.^[2] The Ramblers defeated Northern Iowa, Bradley, and Illinois State to win the MVC tournament. As a result, the Ramblers received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 11 seed in the South Region, they upset No. 6-seeded Miami (FL) on a last second three-pointer. In the Second Round, they defeated No. 3-seeded Tennessee to earn the school's first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 1985. They then defeated Nevada in the Sweet Sixteen and Kansas State in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1963. Their Cinderella-story run ended with loss to Michigan in the national semifinal.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Donte Ingram	0	G/F	6'6"	215	Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduated
Adarius Avery	10	G	6'5"	190	Junior	Arlington, TN	Graduate transferred to Central Oklahoma
Ben Richardson	14	G	6'3"	195	Senior	Overland Park, KS	Graduated/signed to play professional in Poland with MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza
Cameron Satterwhite	23	G	6'4"	175	Sophomore	Gilbert, AZ	Transferred to Northern Arizona
Aundre Jackson	24	F	6'5"	230	Senior	Kennedale, TX	Graduated/signed to play professional in Iceland with Skallagrímur
Carson Shanks	32	C	7'0"	245	RS Senior	Prior Lake, MN	Graduated
Nick Dinardi	44	F	6'7"	225	Senior	Palos Park, IL	Walk-on; graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Tate Hall	24	G	6'6"	200	Junior	Greenfield, IN	Transferred from Indianapolis. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hall will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Franklin Aguananne #19 C	Abuja, Nigeria	La Lumiere School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sep 15, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Cooper Kaifes SG	Shawnee, KS	Mill Valley High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 15, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Isaiah Bujdoso PG	Hamilton, ON	Sunrise Christian Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 8, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: #93    Rivals: #58    247Sports: #103
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2019)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Paxson Wojcik SG	La Lumiere, IN	La Lumiere School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 24, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Thomas Welch PF	Naperville, IL	Naperville North High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Aug 9, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Marquise Kennedy PG	Chicago, IL	Brother Rice High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Sep 17, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: #93    Rivals: #58    247Sports: #103
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2018–19 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Lucas Williamson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Whitney Young Chicago, IL G 2 Jake Baughman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Central Catholic Bloomington, IL G 4 Bruno Skokna 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Košarkaški klub Gorica Zagreb, Croatia G 5 Marques Townes 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Sr St. Joseph Fairleigh Dickinson Edison, NJ F 12 Christian Negrón 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Larkin Elgin, IL G 13 Clayton Custer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Blue Valley Northwest Iowa State Overland Park, KS G 22 Isaiah Bujdoso 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Hamilton, ON G 23 Cooper Kaifes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Mill Valley Shawnee, KS G 24 Tate Hall  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Greenfield-Central Indianapolis Greenfield, IN C 25 Cameron Krutwig 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Jacobs Algonquin, IL F 30 Aher Uguak 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Harry Ainlay New Mexico Edmonton, AB F 31 Dylan Boehm (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Loyola Los Angeles, CA F 33 Franklin Agunanne 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr La Lumiere Abuja, Nigeria F 45 Will Alcock (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Zionsville Community Zionsville, IN	Head coach Porter Moser (Creighton) Assistant coach(es) Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois) Matt Gordon (Illinois State) Drew Valentine (Oakland) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 23, 2018* 7:00 pm		Winona State	W 82–52		Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,882) Chicago, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 6, 2018* 8:00 pm, NBCSCH		UMKC	W 76–45	1–0	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Nov 9, 2018* 7:00 pm, NBCSCH		Furman	L 58–60	2-0	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Nov 14, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Niagara Fort Myers Tip Off	W 75–62	3-0	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Nov 16, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Grambling State Fort Myers Tip Off	W 80–64	4-0	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Nov 19, 2018* 5:30 pm, FS1		vs. Richmond Fort Myers Tip-Off semifinals	W 82–66	5-0	Suncoast Credit Union Arena  Fort Myers, FL
Nov 21, 2018* 8:30 pm, FS1		vs. Boston College Fort Myers Tip-Off championship	L 66-78	5-1	Suncoast Credit Union Arena  Fort Myers, FL
Nov 27, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPNews		No. 5 Nevada MW–MVC Challenge	L 65–79	5-2	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Dec 1, 2018* 3:00 pm, NBCSCH		at UIC	W 73–64	5–3	Credit Union 1 Arena (3,539) Chicago, IL
Dec 5, 2018* 8:00 pm, NBCSCH		Ball State	L 69–75	5–4	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,831) Chicago, IL
Dec 8, 2018* 3:00 pm, BTN		vs. No. 23 Maryland Baltimore Showcase	L 41–55	5–5	Royal Farms Arena (3,640) Baltimore, MD
Dec 16, 2018* 3:00 pm, ESPN+		Norfolk State	W 80–49	6–5	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,412) Chicago, IL
Dec 18, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Benedictine	W 75–47	7–5	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,139) Chicago, IL
Dec 22, 2018* 4:00 pm, CBSSN		vs. Saint Joseph's The Palestra Showcase	L 42–45	7–6	Palestra (5,735) Philadelphia, PA
Missouri Valley regular season
Jan 2, 2019 8:00 pm, NBCSCH		Indiana State	W 79–44	8–6 (1–0)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,102) Chicago, IL
Jan 5, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Drake	W 85-74	9–6 (2–0)	Knapp Center (4,279) Des Moines, IA
Jan 8, 2019 7:00 pm, CBSSN		at Evansville	L 48–67	9–7 (2–1)	Ford Center (5,049) Evansville, IN
Jan 12, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2		Illinois State	W 67–64	10–7 (3–1)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,513) Chicago, IL
Jan 15, 2019 7:00 pm, NBCSCH		Valparaiso	W 71–54	11–7 (4–1)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,412) Chicago, IL
Jan 19, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPNU		at Indiana State	W 75–67	12–7 (5–1)	Hulman Center (10,200) Terre Haute, IN
Jan 23, 2019 8:00 pm, CBSSN		at Missouri State	L 35–70	12–8 (5–2)	JQH Arena (4,863) Springfield, MO
Jan 27, 2019 3:00 pm, CBSSN		Southern Illinois	W 75–50	13–8 (6–2)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,712) Chicago, IL
Jan 30, 2019 6:00 pm, NBCSCH+		Northern Iowa	W 61–60	14–8 (7–2)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,011) Chicago, IL
Feb 2, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN2		at Illinois State	L 57–65	14–9 (7–3)	Redbird Arena (8,107) Normal, IL
Feb 5, 2019 6:00 pm, CBSSN		Drake	W 86–64	15–9 (8–3)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,611) Chicago, IL
Feb 10, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU		at Valparaiso	W 56–51	16–9 (9–3)	Athletics–Recreation Center (5,148) Valparaiso, IN
Feb 13, 2019 7:00 pm, NBCSCH		at Bradley	L 54–61	16–10 (9–4)	Carver Arena (5,490) Peoria, IL
Feb 17, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN3		Missouri State	L 61–65	16–11 (9–5)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,722) Chicago, IL
Feb 20, 2019 6:00 pm, NBCSCH		Evansville	W 70–58	17–11 (10–5)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Feb 24, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU		at Southern Illinois	L 53–63	17–12 (10–6)	SIU Arena  Carbondale, IL
Feb 27, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+/ESPN3		at Northern Iowa	W 56–55	18–12 (11–6)	McLeod Center  Cedar Falls, IA
Mar 2, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN2		Bradley	W 81–68	19–12 (12–6)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena  Chicago, IL
Missouri Valley tournament
Mar 8, 2019 12:00 pm, NBCSCH	(1)	vs. (9) Valparaiso Quarterfinals	W 67–54	20–12	Enterprise Center  St. Louis, MO
Mar 9, 2019 2:30 pm, CBSSN	(1)	vs. (5) Bradley Semifinals	L 51–53	20–13	Enterprise Center  St. Louis, MO
NIT
Mar 19, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPNU	(7)	at (2) Creighton First round – TCU bracket	L 61–70	20–14	CHI Health Center Omaha (5,755) Omaha, NE
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[3]

Rankings

Main article: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV																	Not released
Coaches	RV