The 11th seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers have made the March Madness Final Four. Crazy, right? I know. From picking up a high profile fan in former President Obama, to beating big name schools, this has been one hell of a ride. How much of a long shot are these Ramblers to win it all, even at this point? College basketball betting odds for this team right now sit at 8 to 1 to win it all. That’s right. The NCAAB experts give this team a mere 12.5% chance of winning the team – even with only 4 squads left!
The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
If they’re that improbable of a team then let’s have a closer work.
Coach: Porter Moser has a career record of 120-110. He is a native of Illinois, so a home grown sideline boss.
Conference: The Ramblers play in the Missouri Valley Conference, made up of 10 teams. The most well known basketball school in the conference? Indiana University.
The team stars: The highest-scoring player on the team is Clayton Custer, a junior guard from Kansas who is averaging 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. Donte Ingram is a senior guard from Chicago who averages 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Technically, the roster includes 6 players who are from Illinois.
Record: The team finished 32-5 in the regular season, good for first in the conference. The Ramblers have not lost since January 31st, a 69-67 loss to Bradley University.
Fun Fact: The team mascot is Lu Wolf.
Matthew Ross is a radio host on TSN 690 in Montreal, Canada, and a contributor to ESPN Radio 101.3 Plattsburgh/Burlington. Follow @MatthewWords