Loyola Chicago Ramblers NCAA Basketball Betting
Whenever Loyola makes it to the NCAA Tournament, watch out. The Ramblers won the 1963 national championship, and they were the most recent Cinderella to make a Final Four run back in 2018. It was Loyola’s first trip to March Madness in over three decades, but the Ramblers looked like seasoned veterans.
They have looked the part again this season in their first trip to March Madness since that magical run. The Ramblers overcame a sluggish start to beat Georgia Tech 71-60 in the first round before leading No. 1 seed Illinois the whole way in a 71-58 upset. Loyola forced 17 turnovers in that win, and that has people believing heading into the Ramblers’ Sweet Sixteen showdown with Oregon State.
2020-21 Loyola Ramblers at a Glance
National Championship Odds: +1600
Sweet Sixteen Matchup Odds:
Loyola Chicago Ramblers -6.5
Oregon State Beavers +6.5
Total: 125.5
Oregon State needed to win the Pac 12 Tournament in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers went 14-12 in the regular season and had some bad losses. They dropped non-conference games to Wyoming and 6-15 Portland, but they did show promise with victories over USC and Oregon in the same week in mid-January.
We saw Oregon State knock off UCLA in overtime in the Pac 12 Tournament quarterfinals before going on to beat rival Oregon by 11 points in the semifinals and edging Colorado by a bucket in the final. The Beavers beat Tennessee and Oklahoma State by double digits to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.
The Beavers are led by Ethan Thompson. Thompson is averaging 15.6 PPG and leads the team with 3.8 APG. He had 26 points against Oklahoma State on Sunday, but he is making just 40.6 percent of his field goals and 32.6 percent of his threes this season.
Jarod Lucas is averaging 13.0 PPG and making 39 percent of his three-point attempts. Warith Alatishe is averaging 9.5 PPG and 8.6 RPG on the interior, and he is one of the best rebounders in the country. However, this Oregon State team has a lot of flaws.
While Oregon State ranks 41st in adjusted efficiency on offense, the Beavers are making just 47 percent of their two-point field goals. They are making their free throws, and they do a decent job of eliminating mistakes, yet this team isn’t that solid with the ball.
Additionally, the Beavers are not great on defense. Oregon State does not force turnovers, and the interior defense is lackluster. This team also gets in foul trouble a little too much and is known for sending opponents to the line too often.
Loyola has the best defense in the nation per Ken Pomeroy. The Ramblers rank first in defensive efficiency, and they don’t allow offensive rebounds and don’t commit a lot of fouls. They create a lot of turnovers thanks to their guards, but they don’t have a lot of size outside of Cameron Krutwig.
This offense runs at a slow place, but the Ramblers are very efficient. Loyola ranks ninth in effective field goal percentage (56.3 percent), and this team makes a lot of its shots inside the arc. That has the Ramblers primed to make another Final Four run.
Season Recap
Loyola didn’t play much of a non-conference schedule. It didn’t look like the Ramblers would be that great though, as they lost to both Wisconsin and Richmond. However, they turned it on in Missouri Valley Conference play with a 16-2 regular season record.
The Ramblers pasted Southern Illinois and Indiana State in their first two MVC Tournament games before facing Drake. The Bulldogs were the second-best team in the conference this season, yet they couldn’t beat the Ramblers when it mattered.
Krutwig is the leader of the Ramblers. He is averaging 15.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.0 APG on the season. Krutwig was a freshman during Loyola’s Final Four run three years ago, and he has become this team’s superstar as a senior. We have seen him make 57.6 percent of his field goals.
Loyola Chicago Ramblers Seasons (2000)
| SEASON |
RECORD |
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULT |
| 2019-20 |
21-11 |
Tournament Cancelled |
| 2018-19 |
20-14 |
|
| 2017-18 |
32-6 |
Final Four |
| 2016-17 |
18-14 |
|
| 2015-16 |
15-17 |
|
| 2014-15 |
24-13 |
|
| 2013-14 |
10-22 |
|
| 2012-13 |
15-16 |
|
| 2011-12 |
7-23 |
|
| 2010-11 |
16-15 |
|
| 2009-10 |
14-16 |
|
| 2008-09 |
14-18 |
|
| 2007-08 |
12-19 |
|
| 2006-07 |
21-11 |
|
| 2005-06 |
19-11 |
|
| 2004-05 |
13-17 |
|
| 2003-04 |
9-20 |
|
| 2002-03 |
15-16 |
|
| 2001-02 |
17-13 |
|
| 2000-01 |
7-21 |
|
NCAA Basketball Teams
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