Check out our free Loyola Chicago vs Massachusetts pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Amherst. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Loyola Chicago vs Massachusetts Pick & Preview: Tuesday, February 14th Betting Odds

Ramblers vs Minutemen Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Loyola Chicago Ramblers at Massachusetts Minutemen
  • Where: Amherst at William D. Mullins Memorial Center
  • Date: Tuesday, February 14th
  • Betting Odds: Loyola Chicago +4.5, LOYCH +163 | UMASS -203 O/U 146.5

Ramblers Preview:

Loyola Chicago will take the floor against the Minutemen with an overall record of 8-16. So far, the Ramblers have played 11 games on the road, with a record of 2-9. For the season, Loyola Chicago has been the underdog in 13 games, sitting with a mark of 3-10. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Ramblers being +4.5 point underdogs.

Philip Alston comes into today’s game as the Ramblers’ leading scorer at 14.46 points per contest. Not only has Alston been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Loyola Chicago’s top rebounder at 5.62 boards per contest. Behind Alston, the team has benefited from the strong play of Braden Norris, who is second on the team in scoring at 11.21 points per game. Overall, he has hit 43.3% of his shots and is adding 2.38 boards per game.

Coming into the game, Loyola Chicago is averaging 73.8, which is 122nd in the college basketball. A strength of the team’s offensive attack is their ability to knock down shots from deep. So far, the Ramblers are 61st in 3-point shooting percentage (38.2%). In terms of pace, Loyola Chicago perfers to slow the game down, averaging just 65.2 possessions per game.

Minutemen Preview:

Massachusetts will be looking to pick up a win in today’s game vs Loyola Chicago in order to snap their current 4 game losing streak. Currently, the Minutemen have been the home team 14 times, sitting with a record of 9-5. The Minutemen’s are sitting with a betting line that is -4.5 points in their favor. For the season, Massachusetts has been favored to win in 12 games, sitting with a mark of 8-4.

Matt Cross comes into today’s game as the Minutemen’s leading scorer at 13.18 points per contest. Not only has Cross been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Massachusetts’ top rebounder at 6.59 boards per contest. Behind Cross, the team has benefited from the strong play of Dyondre Dominguez, who is second on the team in scoring at 9.04 points per game. Overall, he has hit 54.1% of his shots and is adding 4.52 boards per game.

So far this season, Massachusetts has put together a strong scoring offense at 75.7 points per game (67th). This strong figure has come despite the Minutemen playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 37.0% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Massachusetts’ overall field goal percentage currently sits at 43.3%

Free Spread Prediction: Loyola Chicago Ramblers +4.5

Heading into this matchup between the Massachusetts Minutemen and Loyola Chicago Ramblers we have a strong lean on taking the points with Loyola Chicago at +4.5. Both team’s are going to come into this game looking to get up looks from outside, as they are both average team’s in terms of 3-pointers made per game. Look for Loyola Chicago to benefit from facing another squad looking to turn this into a 3-point shooting contest. When looking at the line, we see tremendous value in taking the Loyola Chicago Ramblers at +4.5. Go ahead and lock this bet in before tip-off.