Loyola Chicago is on its way to the Final Four.

And there was no doubt about it Saturday night at Philips Arena.

Loyola, a No. 11 seed, routed Kansas State, a No. 9 seed, 78-62 in the NCAA South Regional final, earning the Ramblers their first Final Four berth since 1963.

Loyola, which had won its past three games in the tournament by a combined four points, led by 12 at halftime Saturday and lengthened the lead in the second half, going up by 23 points with 9:40 to play and maintaining a 17-point cushion with 2 ½ minutes to play.

The Ramblers shot 57.4 percent from the field while limiting Kansas State to 34.8 percent.

The win was Loyola’s 14th in a row, the longest current winning streak in the nation. The Ramblers last lost on the final day of January. Now they move on to San Antonio, two wins from a national championship.

Please see MyAJC.com for full coverage of Saturday night’s game.

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