After a grueling two-week preseason boot camp, during which training sessions began at 5:45 a.m., coaches gathered Loyola players into a room to watch the "One Shining Moment" highlight reel from the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
"We said that will be our goal, to get there and be the winners watching that on the court," senior guard Ben Richardson said. "Coach (Porter Moser) was preaching to us to do things better than we've ever done before."
Loyola is having its moment now.
For the first time since 1985, the Jesuit school in Rogers Park officially became an NCAA Tournament team Sunday when the TBS broadcast announced its name.
The Ramblers are a No. 11 seed in the South region and will play No. 6 seed Miami in Dallas.
A crowd of fans gathered at Gentile Arena to celebrate the historic moment with the players and coaches.
Loyola was a lock for the tournament as the winner of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, in which they beat Illinois State in the final last week.
It has been a wild week for the Ramblers, whose media sessions during the season were mainly with reporters from the college's student newspaper.
Moser and players have fielded 75 interviews this week, according to a team spokesman. They took in a Blackhawks game Thursday in a private suite at the United Center, where they were presented a Hawks sweater reading "MVC CHAMPS" on the back. The Cubs have reached out to the school about scheduling Moser to throw out a first pitch this season.
Moser recorded a YouTube video pleading with students to come back early from spring break to celebrate on Selection Sunday and inviting Chicago fans too.
"Every time I speak to student groups, freshmen orientations, I said someday our vision (is) we're going to have a huge party on Selection Sunday to watch Loyola Ramblers name come up on the screen," Moser said in the video. "Well, that day is here, my friends. And I want you to be part of it."
During the anticipation for Sunday, there was practice too. The Ramblers aren't satisfied with a tournament appearance. They want to win, players said.
"Our mentality all year has been having this focus where we take a win and put in the bank and look forward to what's next," senior a Simeon graduate, said last week. "This is a moment you want to cherish and you want to enjoy it, but it's not the end of the road for us."
The Ramblers (28-5) might have had a strong case for an at-large bid with a No. 24 RPI if it hadn't won the MVC tournament.
Loyola's 50.7 field-goal percentage ranks third nationally. Its defense ranks fifth nationally, allowing 62.2 points per game. The Ramblers are one of only 11 top-50 RPI teams to own nine road wins.
Five players average between 10.5 and 13.4 points. Loyola's sixth leading scorer, Richardson, was the conference defensive player of the year.
The Ramblers made waves Dec. 6 in Gainesville, Fla., with a 65-59 victory against then-No. 23 Florida. That win helped legitimize the Ramblers and will make them an upset pick in some brackets.
Fans slowly took notice as the season progressed. The Ramblers, who averaged a league-low 2,222 fans per home game, announced a sellout crowd for their regular-season finale Feb. 24 against Illinois State.
This is the sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament for Loyola in its 100th season. The 1963 team, which played in the landmark "Game of Change," is the only team in the state to have won a national championship.
The 1985 Loyola team, led by star Alfredrick Hughes, advanced to the Sweet 16.
This season's team is eager to add to its tradition.
"Growing up as a kid, you're watching college basketball and you see those moments and you hear that song ('One Shining Moment') coming on and you think that's where you want to be someday," Ingram said. "It's like a dream come true."
