NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The Loyola Wolfpack men’s basketball team met with local media Monday afternoon to preview their trip to the NAIA National Championship Round of 16 in Kansas City, Mo.
Loyola closed out the regular season with 12 games in 23 days, and an SSAC Tournament title.
After a near 2 week break, the top-ranked Wolfpack have looked recharged in their first two tournament games, scoring 225 total points and forcing 56 turnovers in wins over Benedictine Mesa and Florida College.
“We get into people pretty good. I think the Benedictine coach kind of made reference to they were ready. They saw us on video. But they couldn’t replicate our length and athleticism. I think that probably happened in game two. They saw it. They thought they had a plan. It’s just a little bit quicker and more athletic than they were expecting,” says Loyola Men’s Basketball Coach Stacy Hollowell.
“Most teams in the country they like to play at their own pace and play comfortable. That’s our main goal when we go out there every night is to make teams uncomfortable and I feel like that definitely shows up in our outcomes because we really just speed a lot of teams up and make them uncomfortable,” says Loyola senior Zach Wrightsil.
So uncomfortable that the Pack lead the country in steals.
They’ve registered 45 in their two tournament wins, scoring 74 points off those turnovers in emphatic fashion.
“I personally feel like it demoralizes them. If a whole team is dunking, that’s enough to intimidate a team. So, to really get steals and dunk in the game it’s something totally different. You can see in the faces of the opponents that they’re defeated,” says Loyola senior Myles Burns.
They’ve played like that all year and its helped them to a 33-1 record.
The one blemish was from Faulkner, the team that they play Thursday afternoon in the Round of 16.
“We really try not to get into that. We don’t like to have the big emotional sways one way or another. I am not a big locker room pep talk guy. it is meat and potatoes. This is what we need to do, and if we do, we can have some success,” says Hollowell.
Richie: “Is that the game Myles missed?”
“Myles missed that game, yes,” responded Hollowell.
The second time they played Faulkner this year, Loyola won by 52 points.
Stacy Hollowell and his team know that from here on out they get everyone’s best shot.
Something they’re prepared for.
Loyola and Faulkner tips off at 3 p.m. Thursday, for more information click here.