Loyola Chicago's Road to The Final Four: A Cinderella Story | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Loyola Chicago's Road to The Final Four: A Cinderella Story

The Ramblers are guilty of busting millions of brackets across the nation, as they have danced their way to the Final Four.

128
Loyola Chicago's Road to The Final Four: A Cinderella Story
si.com

If you have a pulse and live in the United States, you are probably aware that the infamous "March Madness" tournament is in progress, and is getting down to the wire. Beginning with 68 teams, it all comes down to the Road to The Final Four. Each year the tournament shocks the nation and oftentimes frustrates loyal fans and those who bravely fill out a bracket, however, this year's tournament is extra, dare I say, mad.

There's always a few Cinderella stories, in which a few lower seeds make a run for a game or two and advance further than anyone anticipated. However, this year's tournament has included the craziest, jaw-dropping upsets the world of college basketball has ever seen.

For starters, for the first time in the history of the tournament, a #16 seed defeated a #1 seed. That's right, UMBC smacked around one of the favorites to win, the Virginia Cavaliers by a whopping 20 points. But, the real Cinderella story that has continued to reek havoc in "The Big Dance" are the Loyola Chicago Ramblers. Seeded at #11, they were automatically viewed as an underdog in the eyes of the public, but some had hoped they would make an upset over their first opponent, #6 Miami.

The Ramblers survived and advanced after an exciting 64-62 wins over the Hurricanes. It's not uncommon for one of these upsets to bust people's brackets, but the momentum usually ends for the underdog as the proceeding games approach. Their next opponent, Tennessee, was clearly favored to defeat the Ramblers and many thought their run would come to an end.

However, they fought their way through another victory and came out on top, 63-62. As the team danced their way through the madness, a prominent figure emerged from the university. Loyola Chicago team chaplain, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, has been the team's biggest fan for over 50 years, and has become an icon in the tournament. She has been shown supporting the team at every game thus far in the dance, and has lead them in prayer.

Her prayers have certainly been answered as the Ramblers have done the unthinkable, advancing to the Final Four to face the Michigan Wolverines. Loyola Chicago is the fourth 11th seed team in the history of Division I College Basketball to advance to the Final Four. Now many think the Ramblers run will end when they play in San Antonio on March 31st, but Sister Jean and the entire organization will continue to keep the faith, and hope to advance to the final and, miraculously win the ship.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

136
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

1722
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

3057
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments