Not-so-secret March Madness star prays for Loyola-Chicago's opponents too, but ‘perhaps not as hard'

By Kelly McCarthy

While March Madness brackets are busting from coast to coast, one college basketball team has a not-so-secret weapon that's pumping it up with a spiritual boost on the court.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt (aka Sister Jean), the Loyola-Chicago men's basketball team chaplain and superfan, said she believes they win because "we have God on our side."

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt celebrates after the Loyola Ramblers beat the Tennessee Volunteers at the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center, March 17, 2018, in Dallas.

"I say a prayer, but sometimes there's a little more than talking to God in the prayer," Sister Jean said today on "Good Morning America" about her pregame blessing and pep talk.

"I do begin with, ‘Good and gracious God, today we hope to win this game, we ask for your courage -- we already have the confidence, we're focused, we know we want to work hard.’ At the end of the game, we want to be sure that when the buzzer goes off that the numbers indicate that we get the big W,” she said.

Tony Gutierrez/AP

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, left, greets the Loyola-Chicago basketball team as they walk off the court after their win over Miami in a first-round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament in Dallas, March 15, 2018.

The superfan also confessed, "I pray for the other team, perhaps not as hard. But we have God on our side and these young men have great faith and if you don't have confidence in faith, then you might as well not be playing."

The team chaplain and former academic adviser has witnessed more than half a century of the team's basketball history, and this season Sister Jean laces up her custom-made Nikes, huddles with the players and sits courtside to cheer them on.

Sister Jean LOVES it! ??#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/k4rntFkItX

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 18, 2018

"I'm just having a lot of fun," Sister Jean said of the team's recent success and her own rise to social media stardom. "It's just brought so many happy memories to me."

VIDEO: Loyola Chicago basketball team prays with 98-year-old Sister Jean before a big win

Sister Jean was the most tweeted about person of the games this past weekend, according to Twitter. Even former president and Chicago favorite Barack Obama mentioned Sister Jean on Twitter.

Congrats to @LoyolaChicago and Sister Jean for a last-second upset - I had faith in my pick!

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 15, 2018

Sister Jean said, "I began to love basketball when I was in high school," when women's courts were still divided into three sections instead of the full courts we have today.”

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Marques Townes #5 of the Loyola Ramblers celebrates with Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt after beating the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center, March 17, 2018, in Dallas.

Number 11-seeded Loyola-Chicago defeated Miami 62-64 in an upset buzzer-beater, first-round win, then advanced to top Tennessee by 1 point in the second game of the tournament and will now face No. 6-seeded Nevada Thursday night in the Sweet 16.