Loyola (Chi) did it again!

Loyola (Chi) did it again!

I mentioned two days ago that I didn't really consider their last-second win over Miami to be an upset because they are really good. (They are the ones that beat Florida - fifth in the nation at the time - in Gainesville.) But this time ... well, they again won in the last second, and this time against a #3 seed (Tennessee). Now I'm starting to think they are not just good, but also charmed. Of course they brought along a 98-year-old nun as a mascot, so God was on their side, but do they also have a lot of Irish players on St. Paddy's day? Their record is now 30-5, and they are in the Sweet 16. Did anyone see that coming?

Well, one person certainly did. The person who is currently leading the ESPN challenge picked Loyola Chicago to make it to the final four, where they would lose to Gonzaga. Other people who saw that must have thought he or she had taken some bad drugs, but now - who knows?

By the way, their team name is The Loyola Ramblers.

In other tournament news ...

The dream is dead for Buffalo. Not only did they lose, but even worse, they have to fly home to Buffalo. (Assuming the Buffalo airport is open, which is never a safe assumption. The last year I lived in Rochester, we had snow in September and May.) At least they don't have to fly home from San Diego. (They played in Boise.)

Seton Hall gave Kansas a scare, but ultimately succumbed. Kansas uses that unconventional all-guard offense, which allowed Seton Hall's center to out-rebound all five Kansas starters added together, and not by a narrow margin (23-15). He must have felt like Wilt pulling 'em down out there, including nine boards off the offensive glass. But in the long run, the rebounding advantage wasn't enough to carry Seton Hall to victory. Kansas passes a lot, moves without the ball, doesn't foul much, and doesn't turn it over much. That kind of steady play, plus some rebounding help from a 7-footer on the bench, was just good enough.

The other games followed the seeding, although some of them were mighty close.