For the first time in 33 years, Loyola-Chicago has rolled into the Sweet 16.
During the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, the 11th-seeded Ramblers earned a 63-62 upset over the third-seeded Tennessee Volunteers. It wasn’t an easy path to victory, however.
With only 27 seconds remaining, Loyola led 61-59 following an Aundre Jackson turnover. The Volunteers took their first lead in the second half with a three-point play by Grant Williams with 20 seconds left. It was a nail-biting moment, no doubt. But then, junior guard Clayton Custer hit a jump shot with 3.6 seconds left, giving the Ramblers a one-point lead.
"I have to give glory to god on that one. The ball hit the front of the rim and popped up in the air," Custer told TNT in a postgame interview. "I think that is just all the years of hard work coming into one play. ... To get that bounce on that shot, it makes all those hours in the gym worth it. I cannot believe that just happened."
The Ramblers will now advance to Atlanta where they will face the winner of Sunday's match between No. 2 seed Cincinnati and No. 7 Nevada.
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