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FSU Basketball fans should root for Loyola Chicago to win Final Four

By Jason Parker

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: The Loyola Ramblers celebrate after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Kansas State 78-62 to advance to the Final Four. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: The Loyola Ramblers celebrate after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Kansas State 78-62 to advance to the Final Four. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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FSU Basketball was one of the Cinderella stories of this year’s NCAA tournament – but now, the Noles should root for another team with the glass slipper.

For FSU basketball fans, the last week has not been the best of times. It isn’t because the Seminoles should be disappointed with getting to the Elite Eight for the third time in program history, but the way they lost to Michigan last weekend in Los Angeles still stings when a team that shouldn’t have even been there got so close to playing this weekend.

Alas, the Seminoles will be watching the final weekend of the tournament like the other 60 teams knocked out over the last two weekends – watching as the Wolverines are joined by the 2016 champion Villanova Wildcats, the tradition rich Kansas Jayhawks and the popular Cinderella team this tournament, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers.

That team, my friends, is the one that we has Seminole nation should get behind for the final two days of college basketball this season and hope it leads them to their second tournament title in program history.

While there are some FSU basketball fans who have zoned out of the sport now that the Seminoles are out, those still sticking around can get behind this team for a variety of reasons – including some of the following:

  • As a fellow team who wears a color scheme close to the garnet and gold of the Noles, it is our duty to support any team looking like us.
  • Michigan is the reason we are walking from home, do not forget that.
  • The Ramblers beat both the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators this season, so we have that in common.
  • Kansas and Villanova have both won a title in the last 10 years, so it’s time for someone new to win it.
  • Loyola Chicago won their first three tournament games by a combined four points before blowing out Kansas State by 16 points, meaning they are getting hot at the right time.
  • The ACC can’t have any of the other power conferences (Big Ten, Big East and Big 12) bragging about the championship, so let the Missouri Valley Conference get it for the first time.
  • Finally, while I am Jewish, my wife is Catholic…and I’m pretty sure that rooting against Sister Jeane in a weekend that involves both Good Friday and Easter is not exactly the smartest thing to do.

Right now, anyone who doesn’t have a rooting tie to either of the other three schools (whether it being their school, team they root for or team they have some paper on for the tournament) is going to be jumping on the Ramblers bandwagon. They are a team built to hang with the big dawgs, but these might be the two biggest tests in program history.

Next: Top five moments from 2017-18 FSU basketball season

FSU basketball fans can catch the Ramblers in action Saturday at 6:09 p.m. against the Wolverines, with the winner facing the Villanova / Kansas winner on Monday night from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

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