Lou Henson said, paraphrasing, that teams often play better in the short run if their star player is sidelined. That's because the other guys are motivated to step up. It can also be a boost to team oriented play. However, the star is the star for a reason. This generally only lasts for a couple games. We were quite a bit better with Ayo.
Lot's of reasons we lost.
Loyola was a 3 or 4 seed quality opponent that played really well. Some days, your opponent beats you.
Our guys had been playing with a chip on their shoulder since the MSU game. They had been dissed and had something to prove. Now, they were the favorites. Different psychology.
The coaches probably knew LU-I was better than their seed, but convincing the players was another thing.
I may be wrong, but it seems like early starts favor underdogs.
Larry Scirotto.