March Madness: Who Has Been the Top Performer From Each Final Four Team?
Loyola Ramblers: Ben Richardson
Cumulative nERD Score: +62.5
Aundre Jackson has been the Ramblers’ leading scorer in the tournament (12.3) and Donte Ingram is their top rebounder (5.0), but on the strength of a massive performance in the Elite 8, Richardson has been Cinderella’s most valuable performer overall.
Richardson had a whopping nERD score of 62.87 in leading Loyola past Kansas State, as he dropped 23 points and was 7-for-10 from the field and 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. He also added six rebounds and four assists against just one turnover, giving him an offensive rating of 180.0.
His performances in the first three games (+6.25, -7.47, +0.86) were considerably more modest, as the Ramblers got strong efforts from Jackson, Clayton Custer, Marques Townes and Cameron Krutwig to advance to the Elite 8. Still, Richardson’s monster game last Saturday is a huge reason why the Ramblers are still dancing.