Final Four looks to be a historic finish

In the most memorable March Madness tournament in history, No. 11 Loyola-Chicago look to dance in Texas

Jake Rinehart
Staff Writer

After a weekend that was full of shock and awe, the NCAA Tournament is finally down to its final four teams of the tournament. These teams include: Loyola-Chicago, Michigan, Villanova and Kansas.

The Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago continue to ramble onward, as they complete yet another upset in this year’s tournament. The No. 11 Ramblers defeated No. 9 Kansas State by a score of 78-62.

Senior guard, Ben Richardson, carried Loyola-Chicago throughout this game, as he scored a game-high 23 points. He would also add six rebounds and four assists against the Wildcats.

The world continues to be loving Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean. In their first year in the tournament since 1985, the Ramblers matched three other schools in becoming the highest seed in tournament history to reach the Final Four. This is the first Final Four appearance for Loyola-Chicago since 1963, in which they won the championship that year.

The No. 1 ranked Villanova Wildcats continued to show why they are the team to beat, as they defeated No. 3 Texas Tech by a score of 71-59.

Villanova guard Jalen Brunson had a game-high 15 points for the Wildcats, while also recording six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Wildcats played great team basketball against Texas Tech. Five players on Villanova scored in double figures, compared to only two for Texas Tech.

Junior forward, Eric Paschall, also recorded a double-double for Villanova. He finished the contest with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines advance to the Final Four as they defeated No. 9 Florida State 58-54. The Wolverines will make their first Final Four appearance since 2013.

Michigan was led by junior, Charles Matthews, who finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Junior forward, Moritz Wagner, had an off night for Michigan, as he finished the game shooting 3-11 from the field, including 0-7 from behind the three-point line.

Wagner would still go on to record 12 points. Much of his scoring would come from the free-throw line, where he shot 6-8.

Senior forward, Phil Cofer, had a double-double for the Seminoles, as he finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cofer’s performance would not be enough, as Florida State ended up on the losing end.

In what felt like an upset but really wasn’t, No. 1 Kansas eliminated No. 2 Duke.

The game was tied at 72 at the end of regulation, meaning this game would be decided in overtime.

In overtime, Duke would be held to only nine points, while Kansas was able to withstand the zone from Duke long enough to score 13 points and get the 85-81 victory.

Some notable performers for Duke included freshman forward, Marvin Bagley, and senior guard, Grayson Allen. These teammates may have played their last set of games for the Blue Devils, as they get set to take part in the NBA draft.

Bagley finished the night with a 16 point and 10 rebound double-double. Allen would score 12 points in his final collegiate game.

Apple Valley, MN, native and current Blue Devil, Gary Trent Jr., finished the contest with 17 points.

Kansas was led by sophomore guard, Malik Newman, who scored a game-high 32 points and seven rebounds for the Jayhawks.

Kansas was able to win by controlling the glass. In fact, the Jayhawks out-rebounded the Blue Devils 46-24. This proved to be a pivotal key of the game as five different Jayhawk players collected more than six rebounds.

The Final Four games will be played on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas. The No. 11 seed Loyola Chicago Ramblers will face the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines at 6 p.m. on TBS. The other side of the bracket is a battle of No. 1 seeds, as the Villanova Wildcats square-off with the Kansas Jayhawks at 9 p.m. on TBS.