March Madness: Best mid-major NCAA Tournament moments of the past decade

Loyola-Chicago (2018)

Anytime an 11-seed makes it into the Final Four it’s going to be remembered forever. Now combine that with the dramatic nature of Loyola Chicago’s victories in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and you have one of the greatest NCAA Tournament runs of all time.

Loyola Chicago won its first three games at the NCAA Tournament by five total points, and in each of the first two games the Ramblers made a last-second shot to pull into the lead. Loyola’s tournament started with a victory over the Miami Hurricanes after Donte Ingram drilled a long three-pointer just before the buzzer sounded to lift the Ramblers to a 64-62 victory.

The Round of 32 briefly looked like it would be a less stressful victory for the Ramblers, as they held a strong 61-54 lead with under three minutes remaining. The Ramblers did not score again until Clayton Custer got a friendly bounce on a shot attempt with five seconds remaining. Custer’s teardrop put Loyola back in front 63-62 after an 8-0 run put the Volunteers in the lead during the game’s final stages.

The theatrics extended into the next weekend. In what became a thrilling matchup with the Nevada Wolfpack, the Ramblers held a ten-point lead with under 10 minutes remaining. Nevada came roaring back to tie the game with four minutes left, but once again the Ramblers survived a dramatic finish to prevail 69-68.

In the Elite 8, Loyola smoked Kansas State 78-62 to extend its shocking run and clinch a trip to the Final Four, becoming just the fourth-ever double-digit seed to do so.