So there are four teams left: Kansas, Villanova, Michigan, and Loyola University Chicago. And as Mormons, you should probably be cheering for Loyola this weekend. Why? Let me count the reasons:
This is how we do faculty meetings at @LoyolaLaw. At least when @RamblersMBB are playing in the #EliteEight. pic.twitter.com/yvGmNbdcbM
— Sam Brunson (@smbrnsn) March 25, 2018
Your team’s out anyway
I mean, unless you’re a fan of Kansas, Villanova, or Michigan, in which case I assume you’ll be rooting against Loyola (though you can still cheer for the Ramblers!). But there are no Mormon-adjacent schools left. BYU? Never been to the Final Four. (In fact, it holds the kind of depressing record for most trips to the tournament without making the Final Four.)
University of Utah? Last time they made the Final Four was in 1998 (and I remember that tournament: one of my roommates at the time was a huge U fan; I’m not entirely sure how he ended up at BYU, except probably peer pressure on his mission. He eventually repented (or sinned, depending on your alma mater) and ended up graduating from the University of Utah). Utah state? Hasn’t been. So you don’t have to worry about rooting for a Mormon-related school.
Underdogs FTW!
Let’s see, we have a No. 1 seed, a No. 1 seed, a No. 3 seed, and a … No. 11 seed. In fact, no team higher than 11 has ever gone to the Final Four, and Loyola’s only the forth 11 seed to go. Like an underdog story? This is a pretty good one.
The Motto
Loyola’s motto, “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (“For the greater glory of God”) should resonate with us. Loyola is a Jesuit school, and deeply steeped in Jesuit spirituality.
And it has a history of pursuing justice for the greater glory of God. In the early 1960s, Loyola broke with the unwritten rule of not starting more than three African American players. In 1963, Loyola’s one national championship, Loyola started four African American players. (It was radical enough that the Mississippi State team they beat during the tournament defied a state injunction meant to prevent them from playing an integrated team.) (For more context on the Game of Change, look here.)
Sister Jean
Seriously, who wouldn’t want a 98-year-old nun like Sister Jean as their team’s chaplain? (BTW, it looks like there’ll be a pretty good supply of Sister Jean swag available for fans to purchase!)
— Sister Jean (@SisterJean98) March 24, 2018
I get that I’m biased (after all, I do work at Loyola). But basically everybody else agrees, too: Loyola’s fun to watch. They have great shooting percentages, they play selflessly, passing the ball around, and, whether they won with a miracle shot in the final seconds or they won by a double-digit score, their playing is joyful.