Loyola lights up city: Willis Tower turns maroon and gold for Ramblers

Loyola’s men’s basketball team has united Chicago.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Cubs fan or cheer for the White Sox; if you went to DePaul or went to college out of state. It seems like everyone and their mother — and sister — have rallied around the Ramblers and their 98-year-old team chaplain, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, for their NCAA Tournament run.

In honor of Thursday night’s Sweet 16 matchup between 11th-seeded Loyola and seventh-seeded Nevada, the Willis Tower will be changing its antennae at sunset to red and yellow.

Loyola has made it clear that the team won’t quit until the last buzzer sounds, and that might not happen for another week.

With the four top seeds out, the South Region is wide open for anyone, and the Ramblers have continued to ask: “Why not us?”

Of the four remaining teams in Loyola’s region, only Nevada was ranked in the last Associated Press poll (No. 22), though Kentucky was just 20 points short of the No. 25 spot.

But as fate might have it, Loyola’s two tournament victories have come against ranked teams.

Loyola will look to advance to its first Elite 8 since 1963, but first, the Ramblers need to devour the Wolf Pack.

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