Mid-major pop-up game pits San Francisco and Loyola Chicago

By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Basketball Writer

San Francisco and Loyola Chicago struggled to find opponents for college basketball games so they decided to meet in the middle. The Dons and Ramblers are set to play in Salt Lake City on Thursday, an unexpected mid-major pop-up game. San Francisco had games against Saint Mary’s and No. 4 Gonzaga in the past week shelved due to coronavirus protocols. Loyola Chicago has not played since Dec. 10 thanks to a mix of opponent coronavirus pauses and its own before Christmas. The Ramblers had their sixth game of the season shelved when Illinois State had to bow out. That sets the stage for two of the nation’s best mid-majors to square off at a Salt Lake City community college.