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Jim Larranaga offers advice for Loyola-Chicago in Final Four

By Alan Rubenstein

INDIANAPOLIS - MARCH 31: Head coach Jim Larranaga of the George Mason Patriots stands on the court during practice the day before the Final Four on March 31, 2006 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - MARCH 31: Head coach Jim Larranaga of the George Mason Patriots stands on the court during practice the day before the Final Four on March 31, 2006 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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"“I just don’t like being rushed. We have a lot of routines we follow and that adjusted our routine dramatically…. “When you go into a football stadium where the basketball court is, it’s such a huge venue, it doesn’t seem like you’re there to play basketball,’’ Larranaga said. “And I think that impacted our players, their shooting.”"

The Patriots struggled to adjust and shot just 2-11 on three-point attempts. Florida was 12-25. The sites and sounds get lost in a much bigger stadium.

Phillips Arena where Loyola played their South Regional Games has a Capacity of 21,000. Many Loyola fans made the trips to Dallas and Atlanta for the first two legs of the NCAA Tournament.

The Alamodome holds 72,000 for basketball in a stadium that was built for football. Larranaga discussed the adjustments with USA Today.

"“The depth perception is different…There’s no background. The fans are not on top of you. There’s not that adrenaline rush that you get when you score a basket because even the noise when they cheer just goes straight up to the roof. “When we played Connecticut in the Verizon Center (in Washington D.C.), we set the record for the noise meter. Yet when we played in Indianapolis in the RCA Dome against Florida, when our crowd erupted, it just was not a big deal. It did not have that same impact.”"

Next: Jim Larranaga will continue to coach Miami Hurricanes for foreseeable future

Loyola-Chicago is the fourth 11 seeded team to advance to the Final Four. In addition to George Mason, LSU did it in 1986 and VCU did so in 2011. Loyola is attempting to become the first 11 seed to advance to the title game. No team seeded lower than eighth has ever advanced to the championship game.

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