Fansided

20 most shocking NCAA Tournament upsets that put the ‘madness’ in March

By Mike Phillips

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: K.J. Maura #11 and Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers talk during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Retrievers won 74-54. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** K.J. Macura;Jairus Lyles
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: K.J. Maura #11 and Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers talk during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Retrievers won 74-54. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** K.J. Macura;Jairus Lyles /
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17. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago over No. 3 Tennessee – 2018

  • Loyola-Chicago wins 63-62

If you’re doing a list of the greatest upsets of all-time in the NCAA Tournament, it would be criminal not to include Loyola-Chicago. After winning the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic bid in Arch Madness, the Ramblers stole the nation’s hearts in 2018, riding a wave of Sister Jean related magic all the way to the Final Four.

That run of excellent basketball included a trio of buzzer-beating wins, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly which Loyola-Chicago moment needed to make the list. We ultimately landed on their second-round win over Tennessee since it was the most improbable of the trio.

After knocking off Miami at the buzzer thanks to Donte Ingram, the Ramblers had to deal with 3-seed Tennessee, which featured the dominant duo of Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. Loyola-Chicago actually built a four-point lead at the half only for Tennessee to outplay the Ramblers after the break.

The Volunteers held a one-point lead in the final seconds when Ramblers’ point guard Clayton Custer got a friendly bounce off the rim on his jumper, giving Loyola-Chicago a one-point lead. Jordan Bone, who was guarding Custer on the other end, got off Tennessee’s last shot but he did not get a friendly roll, sending the Ramblers on to the Sweet 16.

Loyola-Chicago rode the wave of that win over Tennessee to top Nevada and Kansas State in the regional to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1963 when they won the entire tournament. The Final Four didn’t go as planned for the Ramblers this time around but this run did make Sister Jean a national star.

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