Previewing the Loyola/Kansas State Elite Eight Game
No. 9 Kansas State vs No. 11 Loyola Chicago – 6:09 pm, TBS – Atlanta
Line: Kansas State -1
Here we are with Kansas State vs Loyola in the Elite Eight, just like everyone wanted and expected. These two teams are similar though in stylistic and scheme. They want to dictate tempo offensively and make you work on the defensive side of the ball. They aren’t going to trap you, blitz you or speed you up defensively, but rather make you work for a shot. They frustrate you into turnovers, which both teams use to get free points on the offensive side of the ball. Here’s a look at their tempo this season:
This is going to be a slow game as you can see both teams barely want to play 70 possessions. The difference though is how efficient Loyola is with the ball. They score just about a point per possession while Kansas State is back to .093 points per possession. That’s going to be even more important if Dean Wade plays or not for Kansas State. Wade is the best offensive player for Kansas State and is a mismatch at 6’10”. He played about eight minutes against Kentucky and just provided a different look as he’s a 44% 3-point shooter.
This is the third game Loyola will play against a team similar to them. Miami and Tennessee are both teams that want to slow it down offensively and then make you work on the defensive side of the ball. The Nevada game is obviously the outlier here. But, one thing to keep an eye on with Loyola is how well they finish at the rim. They are one of the best teams at avoiding blocked shots at the rim because they use it to their advantage. Against Nevada, they started to shield the ball with the rim, despite giving up a size advantage inside there. The other thing Loyola does well? Make the extra pass. Watch this possession, it’s basketball porn:
For Kansas State, there are three things to keep an eye on when its on offense. First, is getting out in transition. They are the third best team at forcing steals, which is arguably the most important part to Kansas State’s game. They need to force those turnovers to get out and run and do an excellent job of taking it right to the rim. Second, offensive rebounds. They score 1.11 points per possession on putbacks despite being the 262nd best offensive rebounding team in the country. Finally, watch how they attack in the pick and roll. They are one of the few teams who are actually better at getting the ball to the roll man, scoring 1.16 points per possession on that set. Part of that is what makes Wade so important as he can roll or pop. Without him, look for them to use a wing on guard screen, trying to get a mismatch off of that.
Bracket pick: Loyola
ATS pick: Loyola