Sitting in front-row seats, four members of that 1963 Loyola championship team were glued to every play Thursday night, trying to will their alma mater to victory.
And then Marques Townes sank a decisive 3-pointer with only 6.3 seconds remaining to help clinch the Ramblers' 69-68 win over Nevada in the NCAA South Regional semifinal on Thursday night.
"The whole nation must be sort of sitting on the edge of their chairs tonight," said Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola's 98-year-old team chaplain.
And this squad is inescapably being linked to the 1963 team. Harkness and three of other members of that squad — Les Hunter, John Egan and Rich Rochelle — were in Atlanta for the Sweet 16 game.