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Loyola-Chicago among 5 of the greatest NCAA Tournament runs in Illinois history

By Ryan Heckman

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: The Loyola Ramblers celebrate 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 to advance to the Final Four. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: The Loyola Ramblers celebrate 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 to advance to the Final Four. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Loyola-Chicago Final Four
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago continue their historic run in the 2018 Tournament, joining other elite Illinois company.

Upset after upset, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are beginning to look more like favorites than the underdogs. The 2018 NCAA Tournament has been home to some historical performances up to this point, and it just keeps getting better as Loyola is headed to their first Final Four in over 50 years.

After a dominating win over 9-seed Kansas State, the Ramblers completed a fourth-straight upset en route to San Antonio where they will take on the 3-seed Michigan Wolverines of the West portion of this year’s bracket. It all kicks off March 31st as Loyola-Chicago tries to dance their way into the National Title Game.

Following Sister Jean’s boys bringing home another victory, it got us thinking about which other Illinois-based teams have had similar success in the tournament over the course of history. The Ramblers may be the most heart-warming, feel-good story of the bunch, but Chicago and its surrounding areas have been home to some incredible runs in March.

Here are five of the greatest tournament runs in the history of the state, in no particular order.

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