Loyola (MD) Men's Basketball 2012 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds
MAAC (24-8, 13-5)

It hasn’t always been easy for head coach Jimmy Patsos at Loyola.  The Greyhounds haven’t had a winning season since 2007-2008.  Just a few seasons ago they only won 12 games.  This year, the former Maryland assistant led his team to 24 wins and a victory in the MAAC tournament final over Fairfield, 48-44.  Loyola went 13-5 in the MAAC to earn second place in the regular season standings.  After Iona was upset in the tournament, Loyola seized an opportunity.  It’s been a long time, but Patsos can breathe a sigh of relief.  He finally has his team in the big dance.

Big Wins: 12/28 at Bucknell (72-67), 2/10 Iona (87-81), 3/5 vs Fairfield (48-44)
Bad Losses: 1/2 Niagara (61-66), 12/15 at Marist (54-72), 2/24 Rider (79-83)
Coach: Jimmy Patsos (8 seasons at Loyola)

Why They Can Surprise:
Loyola has some solid contributors that play key roles offensively for the Greyhounds.  They have four players that score in double figures.  Erik Etherly and Dylon Cormier are the leading scorers at over 13 points a game apiece.  Robert Olson and Justin Drummond are also double-figure scorers.  Each man will have to show up every game for Loyola to go anywhere in the tournament.  The Greyhounds play solid defense as well.  They get in the way of opposing shooters (4.3 blocks per game) and are top 60 in the country in steals per game.  They would be advised to continue to put that kind of pressure on the ball and hope for the other team to get flustered.

Why They Can Disappoint:
They’ve certainly had  a good season, but Loyola isn’t really great at any one thing.  They don’t make enough deep shots, and they have a tough time defending the three point line as well (36.5%).  They are a very small team, and they will have trouble banging inside with some of the more talented teams.  Their 35.3 rebound per game average may dip during the tournament.  They also have trouble sharing the ball.  They are in the bottom third of Division I teams in assists.  They only average 12.1 per game.  They are going to need to spread the ball around to all their scorers in order to have a chance.  Otherwise, they may find themselves in the rear view mirror.

Probable Starters:
R.J. Williams, Freshman, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 2.5 apg
Robert Olson, Junior, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 1.9 apg
Dylon Cormier, Sophomore, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 1.9 apg
Shane Walker, Senior, Forward, 9.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Erik Etherly, Junior, Forward, 13.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg

Key Roleplayers:
Anthony Winbush, Junior, Forward, 3.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Jordan Latham, Sophomore, Forward, 1.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Justin Drummond, Sophomore, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg

By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.2 (175th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.5 (104, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.0 (195, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (182, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.1 (276, 8)  
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.0 (180, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (86, 6)
Rebound Margin: 4.1 (54, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (230, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.5 (172, 3)

Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Loyola Maryland    1994    NCAA        Round of 64 loss to Arizona

*all team stats through 3/4


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