Loyola-Chicago Basketball: How the Ramblers reached the Final Four

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: Head coach Porter Moser of the Loyola Ramblers celebrates after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Kansas State 78-62 to advance to the Final Four. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

What a national title would mean for Loyola-Chicago

If the improbable would occur, it would be considered one of the biggest overall upsets in sports history. It’s possible, especially when the odds of the Ramblers doing it will be lower than Leicester City winning the Premier League Championship outright a couple of years ago in the greatest soccer league.

The economic impact it would have on this school is understated, with the entire country paying attention to the local Chicago Catholic school. UMBC is expected to receive a nice financial boost just by beating Virginia in the first round. Admissions are going to go up by a nice percentage, and alumni donations will spike.

It also guarantees the basketball program a place on the national stage when it comes to viability for being a winning program. There are 351 schools in division one basketball, yet maybe 100-150 have any realistic hopes of doing anything positive on a consistent basis. Loyola-Chicago isn’t one of those teams – yet.

And let’s not forget the fertile recruiting ground in their backyard that is the city of Chicago. Northwestern made history last season but took a step back, while both Illinois and DePaul haven’t been relevant in a while. The local kids have gone elsewhere in recent years, so the Ramblers have a shot at some of them with this coverage.

Next: Loyola-Chicago continues the Cinderella story into the Final Four

Regardless of what happens, Loyola-Chicago has accomplished an incredible amount this season. But I don’t think they’re done yet making history and cutting down nets, as they’ve proven they’re more than capable of winning it all.

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