The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 79 is Loyola Chicago basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Loyola Chicago basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 1
- Finals appearances: 1
- Final Fours: 2
- Elite Eights: 2
- Sweet 16s: 5
- NCAA wins: 15
- Bids: 8
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.9
- Bids per season: 0.08
- AP Polls: 56
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 2
- NBA players drafted & played: 9
- Conference Players of the Year: 9
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 8
- Conference tournament titles: 4
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 1
Overall scoop on Loyola Chicago basketball
How can a program with over 100 years of DI seasons and just eight NCAA Tournaments be in the top 80? I present to you, Loyola Chicago.
Obviously, we all know them for Sister Jean, Porter Moser, and one of the craziest runs in March Madness history. In 2018, the 11-seed Ramblers went all the way to the Final Four, defeating 6-seed Miami (Fla), 3-seed Tennessee, 7-seed Nevada, and 9-seed Kansas State. A very even team clicked when it mattered most and gave us some great cinema.
Three years later, Cameron Krutwig helped lead them to the Sweet 16 as an 8-seed, upsetting 1-seed Illinois in the process. And in 2022, they went dancing again, their last time playing in March Madness.
But Loyola’s got a much deeper history that is pretty wild. In 1963, head coach George Ireland led them to their first and only National Championship. It was a bit of a surprise, as they still finished third in the Final AP Poll, but they won five games to capture a very legitimate title. Five players averaged 13+ points per game, with Jerry Harkness, Les Hunter, and Vic Rouse as the three stars.
Loyola would make it back to the tournament in 1964, 1966, and 1968, going to the Sweet 16 in ’64. Ireland would leave as the winningest coach in program history, at 318.
The Ramblers would make it back to the big dance once in 1985 under Gene Sullivan, but other than that, there have been two main eras of Loyola Chicago hoops – the 60s and the last decade. Most everything else in between has been the mark of an above-average mid-major program, but nothing like the nationally relevant seasons they’ve experienced. Still, they have an all-time winning percentage of .538, so obviously they’re usually doing something right!