SAN ANTONIO — The greatest night of their lives morphed into the most disappointing.
But the sun still emerged after Gordon Hayward’s half-court shot left Butler inches from a national title, and the team crammed into coach Brad Stevens’ cramped office at Hinkle Fieldhouse, waiting for the phone to ring.
Then came the instruction:
Please hold for the President.
“It was very special. President Obama wanted to congratulate us, and tell us how great of a run we made, and what an impact we had on the country,” said former guard Ronald Nored, recalling the Bulldogs’ 2010 run. “He told us that although Duke won the game, that we were America’s team.”
Loyola Chicago now holds the inspiring torch for all mid-majors at the Final Four, memorably carried by George Mason, Butler, VCU and Wichita State.
Before becoming just the fifth double-digit seed to reach the Final Four, the No. 11 Ramblers had missed every NCAA Tournament since 1985. Now, they are one win over third-seeded Michigan away from becoming the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the national championship.
Coach Porter Moser, and Loyola Chicago arrive at the Alamodome surrounded by traditional powers — including No. 1 seeds Villanova and Kansas — just as Gregg Marshall and ninth-seeded Wichita State were when they arrived at the Georgia Dome in 2013.
“We were definitely the outsider. You look at those teams — Louisville, Syracuse, Michigan — which one doesn’t fit?” Marshall said by phone. “[Moser’s] done a great job making his team believe that they belong and that’s one of the things I harped on.
‘You belong here. You earned this right to be here. Now, you don’t have to play the perfect game. Your best is good enough.’
“These runs by non-power six teams, or whatever you want to call them, captivates the attention of the country, and just shows you don’t always have to have the five-star, one-and-done NBA guys on your roster to make this happen if you play beautiful and team-oriented basketball. If you’re really gritty and tough and well-coached, you can get there, and you can actually win.”
But the Final Four is so much more than basketball. It’s a parade of interviews, and photographs, and appearances, spread around a football stadium, and requiring a golf cart to keep pace.
“It’s awe-inspiring for sure, all the media attention, and basically the car wash that they put you through,” Marshall said. “You feel how special it is, the enormity of the whole thing.”
As a No. 11 seed in 2006, George Mason coach Jim Larranaga fueled his team by repeatedly telling them that “nobody knows who we are.”
Then, the anonymous ascended to royalty.
“It was amazing,” said Larranaga, now Miami’s head coach. “At the end, our school’s sports management said the media exposure was worth $650 million of free advertising.”
With the increasing and unexpected fame comes challenges that players had never prepared to deal with.
“We had no idea what we were stepping into,” Nored said. “There’s a lot of distractions, and I’m sure it’s even worse now. I’m sure they’re getting all kinds of messages and being told how good they are and how special they are, and sometimes when you hear all of that it can set you up for failure.
“We could feel the whole weight of the country.”
Loyola Chicago remains the biggest underdog (12-1), previously entering the Sweet 16 with the longest odds (100-1), and the NCAA Tournament (300-1) unknown to the nation.
But Larranaga knew from film that he could be the Ramblers’ first victim. And since his Hurricanes were eliminated by them on a last second 3-pointer in the first round, the coach has seen Loyola Chicago extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 14, with clutch shots, and crisp passes, and a defense that doesn’t surrender the same.
This year, maybe midnight never comes.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Loyola could win the national championship,” Larranaga said. “Why would anybody be surprised if Loyola wins? Have you seen them play? Have you seen how good they are? You can’t sell them short. It’s not an accident.
“If they had Villanova or Virginia on their chest, everybody would say they’re great because they come from the Big East or the ACC, and of course they would belong. But they’re Loyola, and they’re from the Missouri Valley.”
Everyone now knows. Everyone will remember.
