Incentives Are Still Present for Loyola in Tonight’s Game Against Pepperdine

If Loyola Marymount defeats Pepperdine in a game starting at 8 tonight at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, the Lions may still play in a postseason tournament. But it would likely be the NIT, not the NCAA.

Pepperdine, 24-4 and 12-1 in the West Coast Athletic Conference, clinched the conference title and an NCAA berth on the road last Saturday by beating the University of San Francisco, 85-64, while the Lions (18-9 and 10-3) lost at Santa Clara, 71-61.

So the showdown for the WCAC championship on the last night of conference play failed to materialize. But all tickets have been sold for the contest at Firestone, which has a seating capacity of 3,104, a Pepperdine spokesman said.

And Loyola still has ample motivation for wanting to win this one. Pepperdine Coach Jim Harrick has an 11-2 career record against Loyola, and the Waves have won the last four meetings, including a 79-64 win at Loyola in February that tied them with the Lions for first place in the WCAC. Loyola went on to lose two of its next four conference games and drop out of the race.