Final Four has been mostly unkind to the state of Illinois, but then there's Loyola
This story was updated and corrected to include details on the 1950 and 1954 Bradley teams.
The relationship between the state of Illinois and NCAA Final Four can be described succinctly: One glorious triumph and a whole bunch of frustrating losses.
With Loyola adding another entry to the list, let's walk it up the floor and take in some history:
1943 - DePaul
This wasn't the most strenuous path to the Final Four, since the tournament had just eight teams. But first-year coach Ray Meyer and a freshman named George Mikan managed to knock off Dartmouth to reach the Final Four in New York City, where the Blue Demons lost 53-49 to Georgetown.
1949 - Illinois
This was another instance of one win over an Ivy League opponent being the requirement for reaching the Final Four. The Illini got past Yale, but were thumped 76-47 by Adolph Rupp's Kentucky squad in the semifinals at Seattle.
1950 - Bradley
Under coach Forddy Anderson, the Braves finished second in the MVC at 11-3 but made it all the way to the national championship game, losing 71-68 to City College of New York, which also beat Bradley to win the NIT that year. The Braves made it to the title game by beating John Wooden and UCLA 73-59 in the Elite Eight, and defeating Baylor 68-66 in the the semifinal in Kansas City to earn their trip to New York for the final. A year later, a point-shaving scandal in the 1951 season touched both CCNY and Bradley.
1951 - Illinois
Things got a little tougher as it now took two wins to reach the Final Four. Elgin's Don Sunderlage was the top scorer for the Illini, which lost a 76-74 heartbreaker to Kentucky in the semis at Madison Square Garden.
1952 - Illinois
This is the team more people remember, since it was led by sophomore center Johnny "Red" Kerr, the Chicago native who would become an NBA semi-legend and longtime Bulls broadcaster. Kerr told a good story about the plane to Seattle, carrying all four teams, having to swerve to avoid Mt. Rainier. The Illini lost to St. John's 61-59 in the semifinals.
1954 - Bradley
Four years after losing the NCAA title game, Forddy Anderson had his team back in the NCAA title game as an independent, having left the MVC after the 1952 season. The Braves finished the regular season only 15-12, losing 4 of their last six games. But they beat Oklahoma City, Colorado, Oklahoma State and USC (74-72) to meet No. 12 La Salle for the national championship. The Explorers, however, dominated in a 92-75 victory.
1963 - Loyola
This team deserves legendary status. Before reaching the Final Four, the Ramblers, with four black starters, beat all-white Mississippi State in the regional semis at East Lansing. Loyola then topped Illinois in the regional final, Duke in the semis and Cincinnati 60-58 in the championship game.
1979 - DePaul
It was a wonderful moment when DePaul upset UCLA in the regional final to send coach Ray Meyer back to the Final Four. But then Larry Bird's 35 points on 16-for-19 shooting in the semis was one of the more frustrating moments in Chicago sports history. Still, the Blue Demons had the ball down by 1 and struggled to get a shot off until freshman Mark Aguirre finally fired a long jumper that hit iron. Indiana State won 76-74 in Salt Lake City and moved on to meet Michigan State in the title game.
1989 - Illinois
The Flying Illini will never be forgotten. Five in-state players, several future NBA stars, sang together after big victories. But the Final Four hasn't been kind to teams with great nicknames (see Phi Slama Jama, Fab Five, Rupp's Runts). The Illini suffered a heartbreaking moment in the national semis when Michigan got a putback basket just before the final buzzer to win 83-81. Kenny Battle scored 29 points in that game.
2005 - Illinois
Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants is far from the most storied lineup in North Carolina history. But it was good enough to knock off the beloved Illini crew led by Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head in the title game. This is essentially where Illinois' 25-year run of national relevance disappeared.
2018 - Loyola
The most surprising Final Four run on this list, Loyola has once again captured the nation's attention. In a few days, we'll know if the Ramblers can build a 2-0 lead on the in-state competition in NCAA titles won.
Local heroes
Here are some suburban players who made an impact on the Final Four during the past 30 years:
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola 2018 (Jacobs)
Jalen Brunson, Villanova 2016-18 (Stevenson)
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin 2014-15 (Benet)
Duje Dukan, Wisconsin 2014-15 (Deerfield)
Ryan Boatright, UConn 2014 (East Aurora)
Ben Brust, Wisconsin 2014 (Mundelein)
Jon Scheyer, Duke 2010 (Glenbrook North)
Chris Collins, Duke 1994 (Glenbrook North)
Rob Pelinka, Michigan 1992-93 (Lake Forest)
Kenny Battle, Illinois 1989 (West Aurora)
Mike Griffin, Michigan 1989 (Leyden)