... and it was a huge week for Drake, who for now looks to be the best team in the Missouri Valley.
5. The national emergence of Loyola (Chicago) and Sister Jean during a Cinderella run2018 College Hoops Year In Review: The 10 best games from the last 12 months--College Basketball Talk
College basketball has increasingly become a sport of blueblood programs and elite players. Which is why Loyola captured the nation’s attention as the fun underdog during an improbable run to the 2018 Final Four.
The Missouri Valley Conference champions hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1985. But the No. 11 seed Ramblers showed a special ability to win in tight games thanks in-part to a tremendous, unselfish veteran core and Sister Jean, the school’s 98-year-old nun who became a national sensation.
Loyola won its opening-round game against No. 6 seed Miami on a Donte Ingram three-pointer and followed that up with back-to-back one-point wins over No. 3 seed Tennessee and No. 7 seed Nevada. After dispatching No. 9 seed Kansas State by double digits in the Elite Eight, Loyola became just the fifth double-digit seed to make the Final Four.
The Ramblers lost to Michigan in the national semifinals, but they made a huge imprint on college hoops. Head coach Porter Moser earned well-deserved praise and a contract extension. Recruiting has picked up at Loyola.
And Sister Jean got a bobblehead, her own signature shoes, became friends with Charles Barkley and got recruited by the Atlanta Falcons before throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field.
Nobody had a better 2018 than Sister Jean.
8. March 17, Second Round: Loyola (Chicago) 63, Tennessee 62
This game is important for a lot of reasons. One, it unlocked a Final Four run on par with those by George Mason, VCU and Butler in recent memory. Two, it was a great game, decided in the final second. Third, and most importantly, it made Sister Jean an international celebrity.
Two Games, One Ticket Sunday at JQH--missouristatebears.com
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