With a less than one percent chance of advancing to the Final Four in this year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Men’s’ Basketball tournament, according to fivethirtyeight.com, The University of Loyola-Chicago Ramblers certainly defied the odds.  Though they lost 57-69 in their semi-final matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, getting that far was something of a miracle.

Loyola-Chicago led for much of the first half and extended their lead to 10 points at the beginning of the second half. Unfortunately for them Michigan’s 6’11 German Forward, Moritz Wagner, proved to be too much as he tallied 24 points and 15 rebounds during their second half comeback.

“What amazes me about this team is that they don’t have a star,” Upper School English teacher and Loyola-Chicago graduate ‘76 Mike Mahany said prior to the semi-final game. “They’re fun to watch because they’re always willing to make the extra pass.”

Senior Mitchell Bedows, one of the few Parker students who predicted that the Ramblers would beat the University of Miami in their first game, agreed. “I love watching them play because of their unselfishness,” Bedows said. “There is a different player that contributes the most every game for them.”   

With 64 teams in the tournament, Loyola-Chicago had to beat four teams of higher seed en route to their second Final Four in school history. Loyola-Chicago would have made history had they been able to beat 3 seed University of Michigan and advance to the National Championship game, as no team seeded 9 or lower–Loyola-Chicago was seeded 11–has ever advanced to the National Championship Game.

An unlikely character emerged along with the Ramblers’ Final Four charge: a 98 year-old nun named Jean Schmidt, also known as Sister Jean. Sister Jean, the team’s chaplain, offers prayer and support for the players in accordance with the university’s Catholic affiliation.  While she has gained national attention as the team’s mascot, she is also very knowledgeable about the game.

Parker alum and current Loyola-Chicago sophomore David Cerda ‘16 believes Sister Jean has been an important part of the Ramblers’ tournament run. Cerda said, “The team really looks up to Sister Jean as someone who’s seen a lot of basketball and can offer a lot of basketball insight.”

“She’s been at every game for years,” Mahany said. “I think it’s just amazing. She has really helped the student body coalesce, and I think that’s certainly contributed to the team’s winning.”    

Loyola-Chicago’s “Round of 64” first-round matchup saw them come up against a fast-paced team from the storied University of Miami. The teams were very evenly matched throughout the exciting contest, exchanging baskets and many lead changes. With 9.3 seconds left in regulation time, Miami had a chance to put the game out of reach from the free throw line, but freshman Lonnie Walker IV could not convert.  Loyola-Chicago charged up the court, and senior, and Chicago native, Donte Ingram converted on a three point attempt with 0.4 seconds remaining, all but assuring a victory.

Following their last gasp win against the University of Miami, Loyola-Chicago had to play two days later on March 17 in the round of 32 against an even bigger, athletically imposing University of Tennessee team.

Mahany had a lot of hope that the Ramblers would win their first round game but never imagined that they could win again in the same week. “I was hoping they would win the first game because it’s not uncommon for an 11 seed to beat a 6 seed,” Mahany said. “But I pretty much have been convinced that they were gonna lose every other game, so it’s been amazing to me.”  

The Tennessee Volunteers came into the game boasting an impressive 26-8 record while playing against very competitive teams all season in The Southeastern Conference. A major difference between the two teams was that Tennessee, like most other teams who qualify for the NCAA Tournament, competes in what is commonly known as a ‘power-five conference.’ These conferences include the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big 12 Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the Pacific 12 Conference, and the Southeast Conference (SEC).

The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers play in the Missouri Valley Conference, not a power-five conference, and so therefore are not exposed to the kind of competition that most teams in the NCAA Tournament are used to.

Loyola’s Round of 32 matchup treated fans of both teams to another nail biter. After leading by four points at halftime, Tennessee took control in the second half but ultimately lost by 2 points, following sophomore Jordan Bone’s failed two point attempt as time expired.

It was after their win over the Volunteers that Mahany thought the Ramblers could make an even deeper run. “I thought Tennessee looked bigger than Loyola, and that was the game I was most surprised that they won,” Mahany said. “I felt like the team who they were going to play in their next game, Nevada, was a comparable team, so I was more confident then.”

The Ramblers’ Sweet 16 game saw them take a larger lead into halftime, and they eventually led by 12 points at one point in the second half. Nonetheless, their opponent, a 7th-seeded University of Nevada team battled back to within one point with 30 seconds remaining.

The Ramblers’ Elite 8 matchup against Kansas State University was one in which they controlled the score for the entire game, ultimately winning by 14 points.

Since their improbable ran began, this year’s team drew comparisons to the Ramblers team that won the university’s only NCAA Tournament championship, in 1963. That team, one of the first Division One teams to integrate racially, ended up beating an all-white Mississippi State University team in the National Championship game, sending shock waves through the world of collegiate sports.

Mahany remembers their unlikely run fondly. “I was in 4th grade when they won,” Mahany said, “and I can remember for the next several years trying to be John Egan–who was their point guard–whenever I played basketball.”  

Mahany didn’t realize how amazing it was for a small university to win “until much later in my life.”

While Loyola’s defeat brought disappointment to many of the tournament’s followers, their improbable run certainly captured the attention of all tournament followers.