INDIANAPOLIS – Loyola Chicago carried out the plans of superfan Sister Jean, 101, for a T on Sunday, moving to Sweet 16 with a 71-58 victory over Illinois, the first No. 1 seed recovered from the NCAA tournament this year.
Cameron Krutwig delivered a 19-point, 12-rebound masterpiece and the eighth seed Ramblers (26-4) drove from strand to strand. They mistook a powerful Illinois attack to return to the second weekend, three years after their last magical run for the Final Four.
The Ramblers will play in Oklahoma State or Oregon State, which are due to meet on Sunday.
The 2018 trip to the Four Finals was spearheaded by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the team’s venerable chaplain, who received the vaccines from COVID-19 and authorization to travel to Indianapolis to see what inspiration she could provide in 2021.
Before watching most of this game from the luxurious suite – sitting in his wheelchair and adorned with his trademark brown and gold scarf – Jean said a prayer before the game that could have been taken directly from a John Wooden manual .
“While playing against Fighting Illini, we asked for special help to overcome this team and achieve a great victory,” she said. “We hope to score early and make our opponent nervous. We have a great opportunity to convert rebounds, as this team makes about 50% of the layups and 30% of its 3 points. Our defense can take care of that.”
From your mouth to your ears.
Illinois (24-7) won the best selection for the first time since their own race in the Four Finals in 2005, but fell behind by double digits in the first half and never reached the goal range. Illini made 16 turnovers and scored 23 points less than their average for the season.
All-American Kofi Cockburn, of the second Illinois team, 2.13 meters tall, finished with 21 points in the 7 of 12 shot, but worked hard for every chance against the harrowing presence of Krutwig and company
And Loyola’s guards, Lucas Williamson and Keith Clemons, prevented American Ayo Dosunmu from finding his comfort zone. He finished with nine points, 11 below the season average.
The other All-American on the floor was a third-teamer, Krutwig, who looked like the whole world in this one.
Posting, spinning, pitching when necessary and causing all sorts of problems in defense in painting, the senior 6-9 played bigger. He also had five assists. Krutwig was with Loyola on his last trip to the Four Finals and has since become one of the only four players in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference to register 1,500 points, 800 scholarships and 300 assists.
And there is a chance for more.
It is a turning point that Sister Jean could see happening. Before the game, she suggested that Loyola, the MVC champion who won 25 games this year, may have reached an unfair deal with a No. 8 seed that pitted her against 1 so soon.
There was only one way to deal with this, and for anyone outside of Champaign – or now holding a newly obliterated key – it is difficult to argue that this Loyola team is not the breath of fresh air in this badly needed bubble tournament.
Of course, there were upsets, some drama and small teams doing big things.
But there is no one like Sister Jean to put everything in perspective. The Ramblers and March Madness – it’s a hard habit to break.