Loyola-Chicago Most Popular National Champion Pick Among Final Four Gamblers

A completion of Loyola-Chicago's Cinderella run to win the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament is the most popular bet in Las Vegas ahead of the Final Four semifinal games Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

David Purdum of ESPN.com reported the underdog Ramblers, who account for about half of all bets, have garnered more wagers than blue-blood programs Villanova, Kansas and Michigan.

MGM race and sports vice president Jay Rood told Purdum the story that's taken the sports world by storm has made its way to the Vegas sportsbooks.

"They're loving Sister Jean [Dolores-Schmidt] and Loyola," he said. "We did well on them in the previous games of the tournament. The public didn't buy in, but they have now."

Justin Hartling of OddsShark noted Loyola-Chicago has the longest odds to win the national championship at 17-2 entering the Final Four. The Wildcats (10-11) are the favorite followed by the Wolverines (5-2) and Jayhawks (7-2).