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

Saint Joseph’s vs Loyola Chicago Pick & Preview: Wednesday, February 8th Betting Odds

Hawks vs Ramblers Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Saint Joseph’s Hawks at Loyola Chicago Ramblers
  • Where: Chicago at Joseph J. Gentile Arena
  • Date: Wednesday, February 8th
  • Betting Odds: Saint Joseph’s +3.5, STJOE +138 | LOYCH -172 O/U 141.0

Hawks Preview:

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks head into today’s game in what will be their 24th game of the season, posting a record of 11-12. On the road, the Hawks will be playing their 7th game of the season, having gone 3-4. So far, the Hawks have been the underdog 13 times, going 3-10 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +3.5 underdogs on the spread.

Saint Joseph’s will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Erik Reynolds Jr. who is averaging 17.91 points per game for the Hawks. Jr. is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Hawks’ offensive game plan is the play of Cameron Brown who has hit 41.2% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 13.87 points per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Saint Joseph’s this season, as they are currently ranked 310th in college basketball at 67.6 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 Hawks’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.6%, placing them 280th in the NCAA.

Ramblers Preview:

Loyola Chicago will take the floor against the Hawks with an overall record of 8-14. So far this season, Loyola Chicago has played 12 games at home, sitting with a record of 6-6. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Ramblers as the -3.5 point favorites. The Ramblers have been favored 10 times, going 5-5 straight up.

Philip Alston comes into today’s game as the Ramblers’ leading scorer at 14.82 points per contest. Not only has Alston been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Loyola Chicago’s top rebounder at 5.64 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 10.55 points per game. Overall, he has hit 41.1% of his shots and is adding 2.36 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.

Free Spread Prediction: Saint Joseph’s Hawks +3.5

Heading into this matchup between the Loyola Chicago Ramblers and Saint Joseph’s Hawks we have a strong lean on taking the points with Saint Joseph’s at +3.5. 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 Saint Joseph’s 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 Saint Joseph’s Hawks at +3.5. Go ahead and lock this bet in before tip-off.