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Charlie Grant
Miami (6) vs. Loyola-Chicago (11): March Madness Odds, Prediction
Loyola-Chicago isn’t a well-known program in college basketball but there’s a good chance the team will be a household name after the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Miami is trying to become just the sixth team to beat the Ramblers this season and will have to do so without one of its best players.
NCAA Tournament Odds and Betting Analysis
The Hurricanes finished fifth in the ACC regular season standings and dropped out against North Carolina in the conference tournament. Miami is 22-9 straight up (11-15 against the spread) and the over/under split 13-13 in its 26 lined games. The Hurricanes lost 78-58 as 1.5-point faves in the first round of last year’s Big Dance. They’re 4-3 SU and 2-5 ATS in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Jim Larranaga.
The Ramblers won the Missouri Valley regular season and conference tournament titles, and went 28-5 SU and 19-9-1 ATS along the way. The under went 5-0 in their last five games and 17-12-1 overall. Loyola-Chicago won 10 of 12 games in its non-conference games and has yet to lose (5-0) on a neutral court this season.
The Hurricanes opened as 2.5-point favourites on the March Madness betting board.
Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
Injuries played a part in the Ramblers’ season as well – but they were lucky enough to get back a key player after a short stint. Three of Loyola-Chicago’s five setbacks came when the team’s leading scorer, Clayton Custer, was out due to injury. This is the program’s first appearance in the tournament since 1985 but teams out of the Missouri Valley conference are 8-0 in first round games over the last five years.
Miami Hurricanes
There were big hopes for Miami’s season but many wondered whether the team was NIT-bound when guard Bruce Brown injured his foot in an overtime loss to Florida State back in January. The sophomore guard is a team leader and a projected NBA first round pick. But the Canes rallied and won seven of their next 10 games to close out the regular season. Any possible return for Brown was ruled out on Sunday by Larranga. Freshman wing Lonnie Walker will have to keep up his strong play in this March Madness matchup in order for Miami to overcome Brown’s absence.
