Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview/Prop Pick

The First Round of the NCAA Tournament continues on Friday, and there is a terrific battle set in the South Region. It will be the 10th ranked Loyola Chicago Ramblers taking on the 7th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the first game on Friday. 

Loyola Chicago is back in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Championship nearly two weeks ago in St. Louis. The Ramblers are an impressive 25-7 on the year, and this is a veteran team with plenty of success in March.

Ohio State finished the regular season with a record of 19-11, but that record is a bit misleading. The Buckeyes were dominant in non-conference action this season, but they just struggled to pick up wins at the end of the Big Ten Conference season. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes are slim 0.5-point betting favorites over the Loyola Chicago Ramblers in this First Round matchup. 

Loyola Loves to Defend

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers are not a team that is going to light up the scoreboard, but this team really knows how to defend. Loyola is capable of holding any team under 60 points in a game, and that defensive effort will be key in this matchup.

The Ramblers are averaging close to 70 points per game this season, and they get the job done by being extremely efficient on offense. Guard Lucas Williamson leads the team with 14.0 points per game, but this team knows how to share the basketball.

Look for Loyola to attempt to keep this final score in the 60s, as this will give them the best chance to pull through with a win. 

Liddell Leading Buckeyes

E.J. Liddell is the leading man for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and he is one of the best players in college basketball. Liddell is averaging 19.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the year, and he has scored plenty of clutch points for this team.

Ohio State isn’t a team that is going to overwhelm opponents with the offense, but they have plenty of players that can score. The Buckeyes have five different players scoring around eight points per game, and that balance will be needed in this matchup.

Ohio State will have to lock in on the defensive end of the floor, but they have plenty of experience against some tough teams in the Big Ten Conference. 

Ramblers Roll To Second Round

There is a reason that the betting spread for this game is less than a point, and that is because there is very little separation between the two teams. Loyola has a history of putting together big runs in the NCAA Tournament, but they are facing an Ohio State team that has a superstar.

Don’t expect a ton of offense in this game, but that actually plays to the strength of each team. The Ramblers love winning games on defense, and they will do their best to slow down the Buckeyes in this matchup. 

Ohio State has really struggled down the stretch, and those issues will come back to bite them in this matchup. Bet the Loyola Chicago Ramblers ML as they find a way to pull off this slight upset and beat the Ohio State Buckeyes to advance to the Second Round.

Prop Pick

Ohio State (-120) UNDER 67.5 Points

Loyola-Chicago is allowing 62.9 points per game on defense, which ranks No. 29 in the nation. That average decreases to 46.4 points per game in the Ramblers’ last five wins. Scores had gone UNDER in five of the Loyola-Chicago’s last six games overall.

With Dunkel predicting a Loyola-Chicago victory by the score of 66-62, take the Buckeyes (-120) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 67.5 points against the Ramblers.

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