Loyola is back to pulling off March Madness upsets.
The No. 8-seeded Ramblers defeated top-seeded Illinois 71-58 in the second-round of the NCAA tournament Sunday afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Sister Jean, the 101-year-old team chaplain who became a household name during Loyola’s Cinderella run to the 2018 Final Four, was in attendance
Loyola (26-4) defeated the Drake Bulldogs on March 7 to secure their second Missouri Valley Conference title in the last four years. And on Friday, the Ramblers pulled out a 71-60 win over Georgie Tech in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Ramblers center Cameron Krutwig led the team with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on Sunday, while guard Lucas Williamson chipped in 14 points. Williamson had a team-high 21 points in the first-round win over the Yellow Jackets.
After finishing the MVC season on a seven-game winning streak, many thought Loyola deserved a higher seed than No. 8 heading into the tournament. It ended up hurting Illinois the most.