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Final Four 2018, Loyola-Chicago vs. Michigan: TV channel, live stream, start time

By Chance Collins

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt celebrates with the Loyola Ramblers after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Kansas State 78-62. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt celebrates with the Loyola Ramblers after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Kansas State 78-62. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Final Four is set and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago will play No. 3 Michigan for a chance at an NCAA title. Here’s what you need to watch on TV and online.

Three more games . . .that’s the amount of “March Madness” fans have to focus on for the 2017-18 basketball season. With Final Four tickets punched and the party arriving in San Antonio, fans will be gathering Saturday night to see what could be a final glimpse at Sister Jean and the “underdogs” of Loyola-Chicago.

The Ramblers enter the Final Four, as perhaps the hottest team left if we were to place parameters on a “hotness scale,” and after shocking the world with their success in the tournament thus far, the boys from the Midwest will look to grab one more from the “sports Gods.” Coming off a 16-point beatdown of Kansas State in the Elite Eight, the Ramblers garnered a wee bit of respect, but the naysayers still exist. Winners of the Missouri Valley Conference, the Ramblers have now won fourteen straight games, and Head Coach Porter Moser looks to be on his way to a significant payday and possible change of scenery.

Clayton Custer, Marques Townes, and Cameron Krutwig represent the heart and soul of this basketball team, along with all of Chicago and the Catholic Church. Krutwig has been an anchor down low, along with being a rim protector creating disruption while chipping away at the defenses to help Custer and Townes averaging 8.7 points per game and 4.5 rebounds for the tournament. While Krutwig may not be a “stat-stuffer,” he has done the little things to serve a role for the Ramblers.

Sister Jean and Loyola-Chicago fans will place their faith above and in the hands of Custer and Townes who have swapped roles time-to-time in leading their team to victory. Michigan, who is just as disciplined at defending as the previous teams that the Ramblers prevailed over, need to limit the Ramblers’ flow early on. Waiting for the best shot within the offense, the Ramblers’ ball movement has been infallible, thus far.

The Michigan Wolverines shoot the basketball very well. Riding a last second buzzer-beater from Jordan Poole in a win over Houston to advance to the Sweet 16, the maize and blue have not had an easy trip to San Antonio. Winning the Big Ten Tournament was one small step for Head Coach John Beilein and company, but the Wolverines have bigger dreams. After a loss in 2013 to the Louisville Cardinals in the National Championship(which has since been vacated by the NCAA), the folks from up North are almost certainly yearning for a shot at redemption.

Garnering more respect for what he’s done at Michigan in the last 5-10 years, John Beilein has one of the most talented teams in his tenure heading into the Final Four. The Wolverines rank in the top 5 in total three-point field goals attempted, made, and in percentage made. The Wolverines are led by Moritz “Mo”  Wagner, Charles Matthews and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman. The trio combined to average 42.7 points per game in the tournament and outside of this “big 3,” everyone else is just a supporting cast member. Michigan needs to be the first team in the tournament to face the Ramblers to actually play up to their athleticism advantage that they have over Loyola.

Here’s what you need to watch Loyola-Chicago vs. Michigan:

Date: Saturday, March 31

Start Time: 6:09 p.m. ET

Location: San Antonio, TX

TV Channel: TBS

Live Stream: March Madness Live

If the trio can continue to dominant the opposition and with the three-point weaponry that Michigan has at its disposal, it might be time for a returning flight to Chicago for the Ramblers and Sister Jean after Saturday night.

Next: Jalen Rose's grandma vs. Sister Jean?

Can Custer, Townes, and Krutwig compete to snag one more victory from the jaws of defeat and will America fall in love with Sister Jean, all over again? The latter is inevitable and if Loyola-Chicago can pull off the unthinkable, it’s exactly what we’ll do. Stay updated with the March Madness Hub right here on FanSided.