Check out our free Portland vs Loyola Marymount pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Los Angeles. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Portland vs Loyola Marymount Pick & Preview: Thursday, January 26th Betting Odds

Pilots vs Lions Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Portland Pilots at Loyola Marymount Lions
  • Where: Los Angeles at Gersten Pavilion
  • Date: Thursday, January 26th
  • Betting Odds: Portland +7.5, PORT +256 | LOYMRY -330 O/U 151.5

Pilots Preview:

Portland heads into this matchup having played 22 games and have an overall record sitting at 11-11. So far, the Pilots have played 9 games on the road, with a record of 2-7. For the season, Portland has been the underdog in 9 games, sitting with a mark of 2-7. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Pilots being +7.5 point underdogs.

Portland’s leading scorer this season is Tyler Robertson, who is averaging 14.57 points per contest. So far, Robertson has accounted for 17.92% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 5.1 rebounds per game and 5.52 assists. Kristian Sjolund is the second leading scorer for the Pilots, averaging 12.91 points per game. Between him and Sjolund, they are accounting for 34.6% of the team’s scoring.

On offense, Portland is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.9 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 22 games, they have only hit 34.5% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 38.03% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

Lions Preview:

Loyola Marymount heads into this matchup having played 21 games and have an overall record sitting at 14-7. Currently, the Lions have been the home team 14 times, sitting with a record of 11-3. The Lions’ are sitting with a betting line that is -7.5 points in their favor. For the season, Loyola Marymount has been favored to win in 10 games, sitting with a mark of 7-3.

Loyola Marymount’s leading scorer this season is Cameron Shelton, who is averaging 18.9 points per contest. So far, Shelton has accounted for 23.93% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 6.0 rebounds per game and 4.48 assists. Keli Leaupepe is the second leading scorer for the Lions, averaging 14.1 points per game. Between him and Leaupepe, they are accounting for 41.8% of the team’s scoring.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Loyola Marymount this season, as they are currently ranked 257th in college basketball at 69.3 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Lions’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.4%, placing them 218th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Portland Pilots +7.5

In today’s matchup, our analysis has identified the best bet as an opportunity to bet on a road underdog. Coming into the game, the Loyola Marymount Lions are the betting favorite with a point spread set at -7.5. However, we anticipate Portland putting up a strong fight and see them covering the spread. It is likely, the the public is going to side heavily with the Lions as the favorite. But, we see this line being set too high and like the value of taking the Pilots to cover.