Loyola Marymount (1990) – One of the more emotional runs in NCAA tournament history took the Lions all the way to the West Regional Final.
Loyola Marymount averaged an NCAA-record 122.4 points a game but then star forward Hank Gathers collapsed and died on the court during the West Coast Conference tournament.
Shaken at the loss of their friend and teammate, the Lions entered the tournament as the No. 11-seed despite being ranked in the top-25 to end the regular season. Loyola Marymount then won three games, including a rout of defending champion Michigan in the second round to advance to the Elite Eight.
Eventual champ UNLV ended the run but between Jeff Fryer’s long-range bombing and Gathers’ childhood friend Bo Kimble shooting his first free throw of each game left-handed in Gathers’ honor, it’s a run that will be long remembered.
