The Cinderella team of the 2018 NCAA Tournament isn’t ready to go home yet. In fact, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are headed to San Antonio for the Final Four after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats 78-62 on Saturday, March 24. Loyola-Chicago covered the spread as 1.5-point underdogs, and the game went well over the total of 127.5.
The Ramblers are the South Region champions and will move on to the Final Four to face the West Region champion, either the Michigan Wolverines or Florida State Seminoles. Odds for that national semifinal matchup will be released by BetDSI Sportsbook shortly after the opponent is determined.
Game summary
Ben Richardson led Loyola-Chicago (32-5) with 23 points on terrific shooting. He was 7 of 10 from the floor, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range, and he made all three of his free throws. Richardson also had six rebounds and four assists. Marques Townes added 13 points and Donte Ingram 12 for the Ramblers, who shot a terrific 57.4 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range.
In contrast, Kansas State shot just 34.8 percent from the field (23 of 66) and 24 percent from 3-point range (6 of 25). The Wildcats made 10 of 12 free throws and forced 15 Loyola turnovers but got just 8 points from their bench.
Xavier Sneed had 16 points and six rebounds to lead Kansas State. Barry Brown scored 14 and Kamau Stokes added 13 points and four assists. But no other Wildcats player had more than seven points.
Loyola-Chicago started the game 10 of 12 from the floor in building a 23-14 lead and led 36-24 at halftime. The Ramblers were similarly hot to start the second half, making 9 of their first 10 shots from the field.
That hot shooting meant the spread and total in this game were never in doubt. It was Loyola and the over the whole way.
Looking ahead
Those who made a long-shot bet on Loyola-Chicago to win the NCAA Tournament can start to get excited. BetDSI gave the Ramblers +60000 odds to cut down the nets in San Antonio, and now they’re just two wins away.
