by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Jan 10, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Reitz Arena, Baltimore, MD
Where to watch: TBD
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: Loyola -5.5
Caesars: NL
Season record
Bucknell: 3-12 (0-3 Patriot League)
Loyola: 8-6 (2-1 Patriot)
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Bucknell - Loyola preview and analysis
Recent form
Bucknell: lost four straight; lost 73-55 at Navy on Jan. 7
Loyola: won 66-58 at Boston Jan. 7
The Loyola (MD) Greyhounds will try for their third straight win on Monday when they host the struggling Bucknell Bison in Baltimore.
The Loyola (MD) Greyhounds will try for their third straight win on Monday when they host the struggling Bucknell Bison in Baltimore.
Monday is a day for those in the Patriot League to showcase their stuff, but it could also be a day to show that the Patriot League really isn’t that fun to get behind right now.
Loyola has won two of three to start conference play and has won two straight with consecutive wins against Holy Cross and Boston. Couple in a 3-point loss in overtime to the Army Black Knights -- one of the top teams in the league so far -- it hasn’t been all that bad for Loyola to begin play.
The Greyhounds are coming off an 8-point win at BU thanks to a team-high 19 points from Cameron Spencer, while Jaylin Andrews also had 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting. Despite going only 3 of 10 from 3-point range, Loyola dominated from inside the arc by making 53 percent of its shots.
Meanwhile, that defense held the Terriers to an abysmal 33.9 percent shooting while the Terriers were held to 8 of 29 from 3-point range.
Loyola won’t be outscoring most teams with high-octane offense as compared to some of its other colleagues in the Patriot League. The Greyhounds are at a nice 69.1 points per game while only allowing 67.3, which is one of the tops in the conference.
The same can’t be said for its opponent on Monday. Bucknell, normally a top team in the Patriot League for many years, is off to a horrid 3-12 start and is on a four-game losing streak after falling 73-55 to the other undefeated team in the league, the Navy Midshipmen.
Bucknell lost 73-55 as it just wrapped up a three-in-four stint on the road that also included losses to Army, Boston and Richmond. The Bison, normally averaging 71 points per game, scored only 23 in the second half and couldn’t hang with Navy despite being tied at 32 entering halftime.
Xander Rice led the Bison with 14 points but had to take 13 shots to get there, as Bucknell was held well below its season average in shooting (39.6%). But the problem with Bucknell isn’t the offense, as evidence from that first half.
Defensively is where they’ve fallen off. Bucknell has given up 80.3 points per game and has given up 81, 96 and 73 in three of those four losses. The Bison have only won one game since Dec. 1; they’ve only been favored one time, and that’s the 7-point loss to Army on Jan. 4.
Prediction
It’s hard to get on board with a shot-making team if they can’t play defense. Bucknell can score with anyone in the league, but stopping anyone is another problem. Loyola’s defense is capable of slowing down a team like that, and it wouldn’t shock to see Loyola put the clamps on in the second half like Bucknell had to endure last time out. Loyola by 14
Betting trends
Bucknell is 19-18 ATS in the past three seasons following a conference game.
Bucknell is 14-21 ATS off a loss the past three seasons.
Loyola is 11-12 ATS in its last 23 home games.
Loyola is 3-14 ATS in its last 17 games in January.
Projected starting lineup
Bucknell:
PG: Elvin Edmonds IV
SG: Andrew Funk
SF: Xander Rice
PF: Jake Van Der Heijden
C: Alex Timmerman
SF: Xander Rice
PF: Jake Van Der Heijden
C: Alex Timmerman
Loyola:
PG: Kenny Jones
SG: Cam Spencer
SF: Jaylin Andrews
PF: Golden Dike
C: Milos Ilic
SF: Jaylin Andrews
PF: Golden Dike
C: Milos Ilic
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
