The Loyola Ramblers will be dancing in March after all, accepting an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament last night.
The entry means Loyola returns to the NIT for the first time since 2019
The Ramblers entered the Atlantic 10 Tournament after clinching a share of the A10 regular season title with Richmond, with matching records of 23-9 (15-3 A10).
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Both teams lost out on the first day of the tournament, with the Ramblers falling to St. Bonaventure in a 75-74 double overtime affair, while Richmond fell to Saint Joseph’s 66-61, leaving their postseason fate up to the NCAA selection committee.
Neither team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, but both found themselves invited to the NIT. Joining the schools and also representing the A10 are Saint Joseph’s and VCU.
The Ramblers will return to Peoria to take on an old Missouri Valley Conference rival in Bradley. The Braves were given the number three seed after placing third in the conference with a record of 21-11.
Bradley currently holds the edge in the all-time series with a record of 37-33, however, the Ramblers have captured 16 of the last 21 games, most recently at the MVC Tournament in 2021.
First round matchups have been revealed, with Bradley hosting the game at Carver Arena in Peoria on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.