2018-Villanova

History was made in 2018. The UMBC Retrievers started the tournament off with a bang, defeating Virginia to become the first-ever 16 seed to upset a 1 seed in the first round. It was a unique tournament for the small schools, as the 11 seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers made a Cinderella run all the way to the Final Four. This performance gave that now-infamous megalomaniac Sister Jean the spotlight and power she clearly always desired. 

 

The rest of the Final Four: Blue Bloods. #1 Seed Villanova looked for their second national title in three years. After a surprising Sweet 16 run in 2017, Michigan was back in as a #3 seed. Kansas also rock-chalked their way to San Antonio, to round out the Final Four.

 

In the semis, Loyola’s Cinderella story came to an end, in a 69-57 loss to Michigan. Villanova also handled Kansas easily, to earn another trip to the National Championship game. 

 

Villanova was the number one ranked team coming into the 2018 tournament, the number one KenPom team, and they showed why being crowned the National Champion in 2018. 

 

The best team in the country showed why they are one of College Basketball’s premier programs, dismantling Michigan 79-62 to claim the title.