Does Sister Jean have Loyola rambling on to the Final Four again? Check out her bracket
In her bracket, Loyola hoops team chaplain predicts Ramblers will just miss Final Four
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt was likely not surprised by Loyola’s 71-60 victory over Georgia Tech on Friday.
Earlier, she unveiled her March Madness bracket — and she’s picking the Ramblers to reach the Elite Eight but fall to West Virginia, one step short of the Final Four.
Sister Jean was in Indianapolis on Friday, cheering on the Ramblers as they returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since their thrilling run to the Final Four in 2018, which launched the now 101-year-old’s celebrity status. The beloved team chaplain could be seen at the game wearing her signature letterman jacket adorned with a gold and maroon scarf. She also wore a matching maroon-colored face mask.
As Loyola closed in on victory, Sister Jean could be seen clapping and clenching her fists in celebration.
“Sister Jean is staying in Indy,” the NCAA tweeted in all uppercase wording after the game ended.
Loyola will play Sunday against Illinois, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region.
In a message to the Loyola community, she echoed the Ramblers’ “3W” mantra: “Worship, work, win.” The last year has given everyone a new 3W mantra, she said: “Wear your mask, wash your hands, watch your distance.”
She said she hopes the community makes the most of watching their Ramblers move through the tournament.
“Watching what our Ramblers have achieved, that space at the
Big Dance — who could want for a greater invitation?” she said in her message before Friday’s game.
The rest of Sister Jean’s Elite Eight picks are Gonzaga, Iowa,
Michigan, Brigham Young, Baylor and Ohio State (which was stunned in the first round Friday by 15thseeded Oral Roberts). In the Final Four, she has Gonzaga, BYU, Baylor
and West Virginia — with Gonzaga and Baylor squaring off in the national championship, and the Bulldogs completing an undefeated season by winning it all.
Elvia Malagón’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.