5 reasons Loyola-Chicago can and will win it all
1. Divine Intervention
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt has gotten a lot of attention, and rightfully so as Loyola-Chicago’s team chaplain and greatest advocate. But an extra bit of divine intervention should not be overlooked for the Ramblers.
Rick Majerus, Porter Moser’s coaching mentor, died in December of 2012 after a long-running battle with heart problems led to him resigning from his post at Saint Louis before that season. His influence on Moser is clear.
Wish Rick Majerus was here to see this. Rick would have loved to have seen Porter Moser take his principles and apply them to Loyola's run to the Final Four. Rick would have been so proud of Porter.
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) March 25, 2018
What would Coach Rick Majerus say to Porter Moser after beating Kansas State? “Hey Porter, I got a great spot for dinner.” pic.twitter.com/CYwrJWJvoX
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) March 25, 2018
Between Sister Jean’s prominent role as team chaplain and Majerus’ basketball acumen that is surely firmly in place with influence in heaven, God is probably a Loyola-Chicago fan at this point in the NCAA Tournament. That’s only a slight exaggeration. But for a talented team that has proven it can hang with the bigger schools during a deep tournament run, getting an extra boost from somewhere else can’t be totally ruled out.
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Loyola-Chicago will have to take down Michigan next Saturday to keep their run going to the final game against Villanova, Duke, Kansas or Texas Tech (pending the results of Sunday’s finish to Elite Eight action). But the Cinderella story, out of nowhere starting 10 days ago, may end with a cutting down of the nets in San Antonio and “One Shining Moment.”