Loyola Chicago on cusp of joining other great Cinderellas in recent history
Loyola Chicago continued its improbable NCAA tournament run Thursday, knocking off Nevada 69-68 to dance its way from the Sweet 16 to the Elite Eight.
The Ramblers' run has had it all: close games, comebacks, and a star off the hardwood in Sister Jean. They're one game away from the Final Four, where some of the greatest Cinderella stories in recent March Madness history are waiting for them:
George Mason, 2006 (seeded 11th, went to Final Four)
| Round | Defeated |
|---|---|
| 1 | No. 6 Michigan State |
| 2 | No. 3 North Carolina |
| Sweet 16 | No. 7 Wichita State |
| Elite Eight | No. 1 UConn |
The Patriots enjoyed the ultimate Cinderella run, overcoming four teams seeded in single digits, three of which are synonymous with college basketball. George Mason used overtime to take out UConn in the regional final, where Verne Lundquist's "By George, the dream is alive!" call quickly became legendary.
VCU, 2011 (seeded 11th, made Final Four)
| Round | Defeated |
|---|---|
| 1 | No. 6 Georgetown |
| 2 | No. 3 Purdue |
| Sweet 16 | No. 10 Florida State |
| Elite Eight | No. 1 Kansas |
The Rams had to beat USC in a play-in game just to reach the field of 64, and then faced a gauntlet of a schedule to get through their section of the bracket. VCU became the only team in tournament history to go from the First Four to the Final Four, making second-year coach Shaka Smart's "havoc" defense famous along the way.
Wichita State, 2013 (seeded 9th, made Final Four)
| Round | Defeated |
|---|---|
| 1 | No. 8 Pitt |
| 2 | No. 1 Gonzaga |
| Sweet 16 | No. 13 La Salle |
| Elite Eight | No. 2 Ohio State |
No team from the Missouri Valley Conference had ever reached the Final Four, but that changed in 2013 when the Shockers shocked the country. A Sweet 16 matchup against La Salle theoretically gave Wichita State a bit of a breather, but that contest was sandwiched between games against the two top seeds in its region.
Butler, 2011 (seeded 8th, went to NCAA final)
| Round | Defeated |
|---|---|
| 1 | No. 9 Old Dominion |
| 2 | No. 1 Pitt |
| Sweet 16 | No. 4 Wisconsin |
| Elite Eight | No. 2 Florida |
| Final Four | No. 11 VCU |
Nobody gave the Bulldogs a chance to return to the national championship game, especially after losing star forward Gordon Hayward to the NBA draft the previous year. Led by future Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens and veteran scorers Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, Butler did exactly that as an 8-seed.
Syracuse, 2016 (seeded 10th, went to Final Four)
| Round | Defeated |
|---|---|
| 1 | No. 7 Dayton |
| 2 | No. 15 Middle Tennessee |
| Sweet 16 | No. 11 Gonzaga |
| Elite Eight | No. 1 Virginia |
The Orange were a controversial inclusion in the draw, but wound up dancing all the way to the Final Four. Malachi Richardson became a breakout star, with the freshman knocking down a number of clutch shots for Syracuse against Gonzaga and Virginia in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively.