Mid-majors faded out in NCAA tourney, but Loyola plays on in NIT
Loyola is officially a member of the mid-major Hall of Fame, thanks to its 2018 Final Four appearance and a return to the Sweet Sixteen three years later.
This season's NCAA men’s basketball tournament features nothing but teams from power conferences. Is that a fluke or is the era of mid-major March magic about to end?
“The odds are stacked against you,” Loyola coach Drew Valentine said Tuesday. “It is what it is. There's clearly a correlation and translation with immediate eligibility, transfer portal and NIL. It's hard to retain your guys.”
Loyola is still playing, though. The Ramblers will host Kent State on Wednesday at the Gentile Center with a spot in the NIT Final Four on the line. The winner will face Chattanooga next Tuesday in Indianapolis.
“It may not be the Final Four we made in 2018,” Valentine said. “But to get the opportunity seven years later to get to another Final Four in a different form, and have a home game, that is pretty dang cool.”
With something to play for, it's easy for Valentine and the Ramblers to look past what's happening in the NCAA Tournament. The problems being faced by schools like Loyola are always on his mind, however.
One prime example of what's been happening is Kentucky, which beat Illinois in the second round on Sunday. The Wildcats created a virtual mid-major all-star team, with players coming from Dayton, Drexel, Delaware, San Diego State and Fairleigh Dickinson.
On the sidelines, Drake just went to the tournament two years in a row and had two head coaches hired away. There will be two Drake coaching alums in the Big Ten next year with Ben McCollum at Iowa and Darian DeVries at Indiana.
“We'll see what ends up happening (in the portal) with our team,” Valentine said. “Our guys that could return, obviously I want them all back. We'll see what ends up happening.”
There could be a twist in the next few months that turns the tide. If an antitrust settlement is approved on April 7, Division I schools will be able to start paying their players and sharing revenue this summer.
For the Big Ten and SEC, most of that revenue-sharing is targeted for football, because that's what brings in the most cash. Schools without football, like Loyola and most of the Big East, can direct most of its revenue-sharing to basketball, in theory.
“For sure, we're definitely going to have an advantage,” Valentine said. “That's why our guys should want to come back because they're going to be compensated very, very well. Extremely well.
“I'm excited about that. That's part of my excitement is not having to hope and pray. Our recruiting has improved every year since I've been here and it's only going to continue, being able to participate in revenue share.”
So maybe the mid-majors aren't finished yet. The problem is, the transfer portal is open now, so many of the mid-major stars are in the portal, listening to offers.
Valentine is juggling the NIT, recruiting and a newborn child at home. But at least he can tell recruits to watch the Ramblers on ESPN2 Wednesday.
Junior guard Jayden Dawson scored a career-high 35 points to send Loyola to a 1-point win Sunday at San Francisco. He saw a silver lining to the mid-major teams getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament.
“Obviously, March Madness is what it is because of the mid-majors and the Cinderella stories and stuff like that,” he said. “But I like it. The top seeds, every game is going to be really good, so I do kind of like it.”