(670 The Score) Loyola won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 75-65 win against Drake on Sunday, clinching an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Ramblers are expected to be a higher seed in the tournament than in their last appearance in 2018, when they were an underdog 11-seed that reached the Final Four. At 24-4 this season, Loyola has a record that rivals that of its Final Four form of three years ago, when they finished 32-6.
Of course, Loyola coach Porter Moser isn't welcoming that comparison quite yet, instead preaching the need for his team to stay focused on its current opportunity.
"I'm 100% not worried about complacency," Moser said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday. "These guys, the way we're wired, the mindset is going to be what it's been now for several months now, is blocking everything out. Everybody is going to want to make comparisons. We just got to block it out. We're 2021. This is our team. And these guys are wired to create their own path.
"Blocking out the comparisons and everything. We're going to pave our own year. It's 2021, not 2018."
Moser pointed to Loyola's two current players who were part of the 2018 team, seniors Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson, as the leaders of his current team and voices to remind teammates of their opportunity.
Loyola will learn its place in the NCAA Tournament next Sunday when the bracket is revealed. The state of Indiana will host the entire NCAA Tournament this season amid the pandemic.