CHICAGO _ Sister Jean was presented with a Final Four ring on Gentile Arena's court. A video running on a perpetual loop in front of the Norville Center ticket office shows clips of Loyola slaying NCAA Tournament giants, including Nevada.
But March was a distant memory on Tuesday night.
While Loyola's Marques Townes hit a flurry of shots to flirt with the idea of a comeback in the closing minutes, the Ramblers could not replicate last season's Sweet 16 magic in a rematch against No. 5 Nevada in a 79-65 loss before a hopeful sellout crowd that stayed through the final buzzer.
Last season, Nevada was one of Loyola's many surprise victims during an NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four. The Ramblers knocked off the Wolf Pack with a stunning 69-68 victory when Townes sealed the win with a timely 3-pointer.
Nevada (7-0) didn't relent on Tuesday. There's a reason Loyola coach Porter Moser called the Wolf Pack a legitimate national championship contender heading into the game.
While Loyola's determination was evident, Nevada's play looked effortless.
The Ramblers (4-3) aren't the same team as last season _ a fact they willingly acknowledge. Gone are last season's stars such as Donte Ingram. Instead they are working on developing depth with young players around their core four returnees, meaning some misfired passes and off-the-mark shooting.
Yet Loyola kindly would like to remind everyone of the page on the calendar.
"Nobody's freaking out," point guard Clayton Custer said on Monday about Loyola's early losses. "It's a long season. We just have to keep getting better. It's hard not to compare ourselves to the end of the year last year. It's hard to keep that in perspective but I definitely try to do it."
The Ramblers will need to do so to stay level-headed.
On Monday previewing the showdown, Moser wondered aloud during an interview whether the Wolf Pack was the oldest team in college basketball and whether they had an older starting five than any NBA teams.
Nevada, which starts five fifth-year seniors, looked like the grownups on the court Tuesday night.
The Wolf Pack got to the rim with ease, scoring on 19 layups and dunks. They scored an insurmountable 48 points in the paint. The Wolf Pack hit 58.2 percent of their shots, led by twins Caleb and Cody Martin's 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Loyola struggled to hit shots over the Wolf Pack's gargantuan length and to defend their deep opponent. In last season's Sweet 16 game, Nevada shot just 41.4 percent. The Ramblers made 55.8 percent of their field goals and had the luxury of bringing a long, experienced and athletic forward off the bench as the now-graduated Aundre Jackson scored 15 points.
Townes, who scored 18 points in last season's game, tried to will the Ramblers back on Tuesday night, scoring 24 points with nine rebounds. He led the way in cutting the Wolf Pack's 20-point lead to 71-60 with 2 minutes, 23 seconds remaining.
Freshman Cooper Kaifes continued to look undaunted, scoring 11 points.
The Ramblers had hosted just three other top 10 teams since Gentile Arena opened in 1996, all losses.
