By Janelli Reynoso
After 33 years, the Loyola Men’s Basketball Team is returning to March Madness.
To find out who the Ramblers will face, when and where, Loyola held a Selection Show Party in the Gentile Arena on Sunday afternoon.
The Loyola Ramblers will be facing the Miami Hurricanes this Thursday in Dallas, Texas at 2:10 p.m. CT.
The team was overjoyed when the news was announced.
The Selection Show Party allowed for fellow students and public fans to rally behind the team in support of all the success they’ve had this season.
Clayton Custer, MVC player of the year, says, “We’re the only team in Chicago going to the NCAA Tournament, so hopefully everybody can come together and collectively cheer for us and support the city of Chicago, and hopefully we can go down to Dallas and represent the city well.”
Professional athletes like Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs sent in video shoutouts to the Ramblers, who many see as underdogs.
Doors to the free event opened at 4 p.m.
Band of Wolves, the dance and cheer squads and LU Wolf kept the crowd entertained until the show started at 5 p.m.
Head coach Porter Moser gave a speech thanking the fans.
Zach Manzella, a drummer in the Band of Wolves, said, “I think Rogers Park has been a very growing neighborhood in the last 15 to 20 years. The Loyola team unites different people in the community.”
The Ramblers got an automatic entry to the NCAA Tournament when they beat Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship on March 4th.
