College basketball has often been a David vs. Goliath story, where small Catholic schools perennially shoot past the big power conference programs. Here John Gasaway traces the rise of Catholic college basketball from its early days—Villanova reached the Final Four in the first NCAA tournament in 1939—to the dominance of the San Francisco Dons in the 1950s, and the ascendance of powerhouses Georgetown and Gonzaga. To get at the heart of how these universities have excelled at this sport, Gasaway surveys their decades-long rivalries and championship games, and conducts interviews with notable coaches, players, alums, and fans—including Loyola Chicago's most famous and dedicated fan, 100-year-old Sister Jean.