In the latest chapter of March Madness, the No. 11-seeded Loyola has surpassed No. 9 Kansas State for a place in the coveted Final Four, marking the first time that the squad has made it to the Final Four since 1963. With a score of 78-62, Kansas State, who hasn’t been in the Final Four since 1964, just couldn’t quite outperform the Ramblers who now become only the fourth 11-seed team to make it so far in NCAA tournament history, joining the company of Virginia Commonwealth in 2011, George Mason in 2006, and LSU in 1986.
Leading his team to a victory that found roles in all players who touched the court was Ben Richardson, who capped off with a career-high of 23 points, sinking six three-pointers in the game.
“I’ve got to credit my teammates for finding me,” Richardson said after the game. “That’s what so special about our team. We’ve got so many unselfish guys, and we have so many weapons. Like we’ve been saying, it can be anybody’s night, you know? And we’ve showed that so far this tournament.”
Making even more strides in history, Loyola has also become the only team in the state of Illinois to win a national title, laying claim to the title of the South Region Champions Saturday night in Atlanta’s Phillips Arena.
“All summer long we were like, ‘Why not us?” said Loyola’s Coach Porter Moser. “The opportunity and how much they invested in it, this is not something where it just started. These guys have been investing a long time in how hard they worked and how hard they believed.”
In one week, they will face off against the No. 3 seed Michigan, who defeated the Florida State Seminoles late Saturday night to become the West Region Champs by a score of 54-58.
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