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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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 22: Cameron Krutwig /

Can Loyola-Chicago get back to the Final Four anytime soon?

If I’m being realistic here, the odds of this team getting back to the NCAA Tournament are less than 40%, thanks to the trials and tribulations of being a mid-major program.

Looking at the possible roster for next season, the Conference Player of the Year in Custer will return, along with Krutwig and Marques Townes. But Ingram and Jackson will both move on, along with graduating senior Ben Richardson.

But this Final Four run has given this program great exposure and will benefit them when it comes to the transfer market. Just like Custer, there will be a number of high-major players moving down a level to get more playing time. Loyola-Chicago should take advantage of this moment to get the kind of talent that they normally couldn’t get straight out of high school.

It’s going to be interesting to see the trajectory of the program after this year. The last two 11 seeds to make it to this point has had polar-opposite results. VCU has become one of the better-known mid-major programs with multiple at-large appearances, while George Mason hasn’t been heard much from since. Which direction will the Ramblers go towards?

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