Cinderella gets to keep on dancing.
The No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago Ramblers stunned No. 6 Miami in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a last-second 3-pointer. And they had a little bit of magic left for Saturday.
Facing third-seeded Tennessee for a spot in the Sweet 16, the Ramblers took a 10-point lead with four minutes to play. But the co-Southeastern Conference champions battled back, with Grant Williams giving the Vols a 62-61 lead with 21 seconds remaining.
But you can’t fight destiny.
As the clock ticked down, Ramblers guard Clayton Custer drove right, stopped on a dime and launched a 15-foot jumper for the win. The ball hit the front of the rim, touched the backboard and dropped to give Loyola a 63-62 lead with 3.6 seconds remaining.
Tennessee raced down the court and Jordan Bone heaved a 3-pointer as time expired, but it clanged off the back iron to seal the Vols’ fate.
The slipper still fits.
The Ramblers will face the winner of No. 2 Cincinnati and No. 7 Nevada in the South Region semifinals.
