Reliving the Best Cinderella Story in March Madness History

It’s Thursday, March 15, 2018. Tipoff for the first round of March Madness is at 2:10 p.m.. The Ramblers are coming off a Missouri Valley Conference championship, defeating the University of Northern Iowa, Bradley University and Illinois State University to receive the automatic bid. 

We now know how that game ended, but in the moment, who could’ve guessed this was the start of the best Cinderella Story in March Madness history. 

Loyola men’s basketball received the 11th seed in the South Region of the official bracket. Their first game was against the University of Miami (FL), who was slated in the sixth seed. 

Clayton Custer, Donte Ingram, Cameron Krutwig, Marques Townes and Ben Richardson are then-head coach Porter Moser’s starting lineup — names that would go down in Loyola basketball history. 

After entering halftime tied at 28, the Ramblers and Hurricanes kept it close for the remainder of the game. Custer tied the game at 60 on a 3-pointer, and Miami inched closer with a field goal. Townes kept the Ramblers in with a single free throw. Miami’s Lonnie Walker IV just missed his chance to increase the Hurricanes’ lead. Just a point separated the two teams at 62-61.

There are no other words for me to say, other than Ingram locked in. He took a shot deep beyond the arc, almost at the logo. The ball went in. The Ramblers storm the court. They keep dancing. 

This was just the beginning for the Ramblers, about to embark on arguably the best Cinderella story of all time in March Madness. Loyola put on upset after upset, soaring their names into the national spotlight. 

This team was something special. Something that teams strive to become when they enter March Madness. 

The Ramblers held on until the final minute for the next two games in the tournament. Custer hit a jumper with three seconds remaining in the second round match up against the University of Tennessee to take a 63-62 lead. After a Volunteer missed a last-chance three, the Ramblers celebrated and advanced to the next round. 

Townes gave the Ramblers a four-point lead on a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining against the University of Nevada, Reno in the Sweet 16. A Wolf Pack player responded with a three of his own, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Ramblers as they advanced to the Elite 8 with another one-point win, 69-68. 

The Ramblers blew through Kansas State 78-62 to advance to the Final Four, something that hadn’t been done at the university since the 1963 national championship. Richardson was the leading scorer, dropping 23 in the matchup. 

All good stories must come to an end, which is exactly what happened when Loyola took on the University of Michigan for a spot in the final. The Ramblers fell apart in the second half after leading 29-22 at halftime. The Wolverines outscored Loyola 47-28 in the second, ultimately coming out victorious and moving on to the championship. 

The story is like no other. Before 2018, the Ramblers had failed to make it to March Madness every season since 1985, when the farthest the team advanced was to the Eastern Region semifinal, losing to Georgetown University. 

Many names rose to fame, especially Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, whose legacy remains interwoven with the Cinderella run. The biggest name, however, was Loyola Chicago. 

Enrollment increased at the university, surpassing 17,000 total students. 2,770 first-years enrolled, and 526 students transferred in to create one of the largest classes of new students at the university, according to the 2019 annual report. 

The impact of the 2018 Final Four run is still present on campus to this day. Schmidt became a household name and wrote a best-selling book about her “first 100 years of life.” She was a celebrity on and off campus, receiving a plethora of picture and interview requests. 

Ingram, who now plays in the NBA G-League, made an appearance in a men’s basketball hype video this season, which played right before starting lineups were announced. 

Krutwig still makes the occasional appearance at Loyola when he isn’t playing basketball overseas in Spain. Custer is in the basketball world too, being named an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma under his former coach Moser. 

As time passes, no one will forget the historic run of the Ramblers. Not a single alumnus, a single fan or a single student will forget how they felt each time the ball fell into the net at the last second. 

The 2018 Loyola men’s basketball team holds the spot for the best Cinderella run in March Madness history. The Ramblers are one of six teams who were the 11th seed and made it to the Final Four, which is the lowest seed that’s ever made it that far in the tournament. The most recent 11th seed to do so was North Carolina State University in 2024. 

As the post-season for men’s basketball comes to a close — the championship will be played April 6 — fans faced another consecutive tournament without an infamous Cinderella story. In the era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals, the best teams buy the best players, and we no longer get to live what was witnessed in 2018. 

Bring back Cinderella stories. They make college basketball, especially in the postseason, much more enjoyable, following the stories of those who weren’t supposed to make it that far. Getting to know college students who’ve put everything they have onto the court through increased media attention. That is what March Madness should be about. 

Though I graduate soon, and the Ramblers haven’t made the tournament since 2021, if the chance presents itself, I’ll be predicting another run for the Ramblers, living vicariously through the 2018 run.