Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 21: Loyola Chicago Ramblers against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 21: Loyola Chicago Ramblers against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 21: Loyola Chicago Ramblers against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Loyola Chicago Ramblers against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round. (Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 21: Illinois v Loyola in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division I MenÕs Basketball Tournament held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Loyola University Chicago executed 101-year-old superfan Sister Jean’s plans to a T on Sunday, moving to the Sweet 16 with a 71-58 win over Illinois, the first No. 1 seed bounced from this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Cameron Krutwig delivered a 19-point, 12-rebound masterpiece and the quick-handed, eighth-seeded Ramblers (26-4) led wire to wire. They befuddled a powerful Illinois offense to return to the second weekend three years after their last magical run to the Final Four.
The Ramblers will next play either Oklahoma State or Oregon State, who were set to meet later Sunday.
The huge upset handed the Big Ten Conference its fourth loss in the tournament on it way to six losses through Sunday. The game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse was among the first in a tournament that saw a host of upsets in the first round.
The Big Ten put nine teams into the tournament—the most of any conference—but Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois and Rutgers all were gone by the end of Sunday.
Loyola’s 2018 trip to the Final Four was headlined by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the venerable team chaplain, who received both COVID-19 vaccination shots and clearance to travel to Indianapolis to see what inspiration she could provide in 2021.
Before taking in most of this game from the luxury suite — sitting in her wheelchair and decked out in her trademark maroon and gold scarf — Jean delivered a pregame prayer that could’ve been stripped straight from a John Wooden handbook.
“As we play the Fighting Illini, we ask for special help to overcome this team and get a great win,” she said. “We hope to score early and make our opponents nervous. We have a great opportunity to convert rebounds as this team makes about 50% of layups and 30% of its 3 points. Our defense can take care of that.”
From her mouth to their ears.
Illinois (24-7) earned top seeding for the first time since its own Final Four run in 2005, but fell behind by double digits in the first half and never got within striking range. The Illini committed 16 turnovers and scored 23 points fewer than their season average.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
“Has saw?” Were your copy editors so agitated over the loss they couldn’t see straight? Oh, right, what papers have copy editors anymore.
Didn’t realize Tennessee was in the Big Ten?!?
The Big Ten appears to have suffered what a lot of teams and conferences have suffered in the past… their head were so bloated, they didn’t take their opposition seriously. As they have discovered, that’s a big mistake.
Dear IBJ. Just ignore trolls who try to criticize your reporting and grammar. They are not as smart as they think they are.