NCAA Final Four field set for San Antonio

After a wild two weeks of upsets, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament heads to its final weekend, with four teams traveling to San Antonio for a chance at the title. Loyola of Chicago’s 98-year-old chaplain, Sister Jean, became a household name as the Ramblers secured the first spot in the Final Four on Saturday. Loyola becomes just the fourth No. 11 seed, tying for the lowest ever, to reach the tournament’s final weekend. The Ramblers won their first three games by a total of four points but handily defeated Kansas State 78-62 in the South Region final. The rest of the bracket took a reprieve from major upsets: No. 3 Michigan fended off No. 9 Florida State 58-54 in the West Region and will play Loyola Saturday, while two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Villanova, won the Midwest and East regions, respectively, on Sunday and will face off in Saturday’s second game in San Antonio. Villanova easily took down No 3. Texas Tech 71-59, ending the Red Raiders’ best tournament run in school history, and Kansas, in arguably the best game of the weekend, defeated No 2. Duke 85-81 in overtime. The winners in Saturday’s semifinals will play for the national championship next Monday. In the women’s tournament, Mississippi State and Louisville secured spots in the Final Four this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, with victories Sunday over UCLA and Oregon State, respectively. Two games Monday night will decide who will fill the other two slots in Friday’s national semifinals: Connecticut vs. South Carolina and Notre Dame vs. Oregon.