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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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This year’s Loyola-Chicago squad is not the only one to make history. In fact, the 1962-1963 team ended up winning it all.

The Ramblers boasted a record of 24-2 as they entered the tournament and began their regular season by winning an incredible 21 straight games. When the tournament began, nobody expected what would happen in the first round — nor will anyone ever forget.

Loyola-Chicago took on Tennessee Tech on March 11, 1963 in Evanston, IL. This would be the home to an NCAA record which still holds to this day. The Ramblers defeated the Golden Eagles 111-42, which would go down as the largest margin of victory (69 points) in tournament history.

From there on out, they won their next three games by double digits and marched onto the National Title Game at Freedom Hall against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

At one point, the Ramblers were down by 15 points. But, they came back to force overtime and wound up winning by a score of 60-58. Even in the year 2018, this might still be the most impressive tournament run by any Illinois-based group.

Next: Loyola-Chicago Final Four Bound

In 2013, the entire team was given the ultimate honor and inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

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