Loyola-Chicago is in the Final Four, and no one is more surprised than ... Chicago. After decades of taking a backseat to countless teams and sports nearby, the Missouri Valley Conference champions have brought a basketball-obsessed city along for the ride as they head to San Antonio with eyes on the Ramblers’ first national championship since 1963.
The SI staff has no shortage of writers and editors with Windy City ties, from alums of area schools to Chicago natives to transplants. With the buzz generated by the lowest-seeded Final Four team since 2011 sweeping the city, they each had a story to share about the ripple effect of a Loyola takeover none of them saw coming.