Has Loyola-Chicago Ever Reached the Final Four?
Loyola-Chicago has shocked many in the 2018 NCAA tournament by reaching the Elite Eight in the South region as the 11-seed thanks to last-second victories over 6-seed Miami, 3-seed Tennessee, 7-seed Nevada and 9-seed Kansas State.
The Ramblers are headed to the Final Four this year for the first time in a while.
This was the Ramblers first time in the NCAA tournament since 1985 when they were eliminated in the Sweet 16 by eventual national runner-up Georgetown. However, Loyola-Chicago has made an even deeper run in the tournament before.
In the team's first ever trip to the NCAA tournament in 1963, the Ramblers defeated Tennessee Tech, Mississippi State and Illinois on their way to the Final Four. They then knocked off Duke in the national semifinal and then beat Cincinnati 60-58 for the program's only national championship.
The 2018 NCAA tournament is the sixth tournament Loyola-Chicago has played in. The Ramblers lost in the Sweet 16 in 1964 and in the first round of the tournament in 1966 and 1968.
Since Loyola-Chicago reached the 2018 Final Four, the team matches 2011 VCU, 2006 George Mason and 1986 LSU as the lowest seeded teams to ever make the Final Four. However, unlike those other three teams, the Ramblers will not have to face the 1-seed in their region to get that far, because Virginia, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, was upset by 16-seed UMBC in the first round and became the first ever 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed in NCAA tournament history.
Loyola will play Michigan in the Final Four on March 31 in San Antonio, Texas.
