Loyola Ramblers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/18/2022

Game Time: 12:15 pm ET, Friday, March 18, 2022

Venue:  PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Loyola +1, OSU -1; Over/Under:  132.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Loyola +1.5, OSU -1.5; Over/Under:  132.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Loyola +1.5, OSU -1.5; Over/Under:  132.5 points

 

Loyola Ramblers:  25-7 (2nd place, MVC)

Ohio State Buckeyes:  19-11 (5th place, Big Ten)

 

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Will Rogers has made +$35,000 PREMIUM PLAYS SINCE DEC 1! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

Loyola Ramblers:  4-1 last 5

Ohio State Buckeyes:  1-4 last 5

 

 

 

Loyola is coming into this game with a 25-7 record overall and they are 5-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and are coming into this one on a 3 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Northern Iowa Panthers while their 3 wins since then have come against the Bradley Braves, Northern Iowa, and the Drake Bulldogs in their last game. Lucas Williamson led the team in points in that game with 18 while Aher Uguak was next on the team with 16 points. Marquise Kennedy led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Uguak and Williamson both led the team in rebounds with 10 each. They are 48.3% from the field, 38.3% from 3-point range, and 71.9% from the free throw line with their shooting this season. Their offense is averaging 73.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 61.7 PPG against them. Loyola has an ATS record of 13-17-1 this season and their O/U record is 17-14.

 

 

OSU is coming into this game with a 19-11 record overall and they are 1-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 4 of their last 5 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game losing streak. Their last win was against the Michigan State Spartans while their 4 losses in that span came against the Maryland Terrapins, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Penn State Nittany Lions in their last game. EJ Liddell led the team in points in that game with 25 while Malaki Branham was next on the team with 16 points. Branham led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Liddell led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 44.2% from the field, 38.9% from 3-point range, and 88.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.5 PPG against them. OSU has an ATS record of 15-15 this season and their O/U record is 18-12.

 

Loyola is coming into this game as a 1 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Loyola has been playing very well in their recent games as they have won 3 straight and 5 of their last 6 games. They did not finish in first place in the MVC due to a loss against Northern Iowa in their last game of the season but they did get their revenge in the end as they went on to win 3 straight games and win their MVC tourney while kicking out UNI in the semi-finals as well. Loyola has played very well in their conference this season and even though there have been a few closer games, they have mainly won a lot of their games convincingly or by double digits. They are going up against an Ohio State side that has not been playing well at all recently and they have been losing bad games to bad teams. They were knocked out of the Big Ten tourney in the first round by Penn State and they have lost 4 of their last 5 games with losses coming to Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan, and Penn State, most of those teams being near the bottom of the Big Ten. Loyola is a very good team and they have plenty of experience in these tourney games so they will get rattled in this game and unravel like OSU has been doing toward the end of their season. Loyola has been the better team recently and OSU cannot be trusted to win in this spot with some of the losses they have picked up recently. Loyola is the better team and they will win this game covering the spread as well. 

 

Loyola Ohio State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 18, 2022 (12:15 pm ET start time) is Loyola 77 OSU 72.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Loyola Ramblers Ohio State Buckeyes prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

 

 

Loyola Ramblers: 13-6 ATS in all neutral court games. 11-5 ATS in all tournament games. 13-7 OVER when the total is 130 to 139.5.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 16-26 ATS as a neutral court favorite of 6 points or less or pick. 16-24 ATS in a NCAA tournament games. 32-21 OVER in a neutral court game where the total is 130 to 139.5.

 

 

Loyola Ramblers:  None.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  K. Young (F) Ques Fri - Illness. Z. Key (F) Ques Fri - Ankle injury. M. Johnson Jr. (G) Ques Fri - Ankle injury. S. Towns (F) Late March - Back injury. J. Sueing (F) Out indefinitely - Abdominal injury.

 

 

“We call him the GOAT. As far as being invested and understanding that you’re probably not going to play in the game but taking pride in your role, [Alcock] is up there for me.” - Drew Valentine on Will Alcock. 

 

 

“To do it five straight years, and also to be one of three Big Ten teams to qualify five straight years, is something that I want our guys and our program to feel good about.” - Chris Holtmann on their ongoing success with the program.

 

 

 

J. Hutson 

M. Kennedy 

B. Norris 

Aher Uguak 

Lucas Williamson

 

J. Ahrens 

M. Branham 

Z. Key 

E. Liddell 

J. Wheeler

 

 

PPG: L. Williamson (14.1)

APG: B. Norris (4.3)

Reb/G: L. Williamson (4.8)

 

PPG: E. Liddell (19.4)

APG: J. Wheeler (3)

Reb/G: E. Liddell (7.9)

 

Coaches:

Loyola Ramblers: Drew Valentine (1st season)

Ohio State Buckeyes: Chris Holtmann (5th season)