Loyola Chicago vs Bradley Odds, and Picks

• The Loyola Chicago Ramblers (12-3, 7-1 Missouri Valley) play the Bradley Braves (9-6, 3-3 Missouri Valley) on Monday, January 25
• This will be the second time the two teams have met in as many days
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet below

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers and Bradley Braves will meet for the second time in two days at the Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois on Monday night (Jan, 25, 7pm EST).

Loyola Chicago is right behind Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference with only one loss in conference play. The Ramblers were in prime form Sunday as they laid the wood on the Bradley Braves 69-56. Bradley could ill afford to lose Sunday as their regular season conference hopes slip further away with every loss.

The Ramblers have won and covered each of the last three matchups between the two schools. The current odds are showing Loyola Chicago as a 6.5-point favorites in this matchup.

Loyola Chicago vs Bradley Odds

Odds as of January 25th at Fanduel

Loyola Chicago is a Wagon

The Ramblers may not be ranked in the AP Top-25 Poll but they are number 23 according to KenPom. They have the 18th best defense in terms of efficiency (adjusted for opponent) as only two teams in the nation hold opponents to fewer points per game. That defense was on full display Sunday when they absolutely demolished Bradley’s offense.

FINAL | #Loyola picks up its fifth straight win, defeating Bradley by a final count of 69-56! @camkrutwig finishes with a game-high 19 points to lead the #Ramblers, who shot a 🔥 56 percent from the field! #OnwardLU #MVCHoops pic.twitter.com/pA82VfQ9wR

— Loyola Men's Basketball (@RamblersMBB) January 24, 2021

The final score of this game was not indicative of what actually happened. The Ramblers came out in the first half and pretty much mercy ruled the Braves 43-19. It wasn’t until the game was completely out of hand in the second half that Bradley began to show any life. Loyola Chicago was on fire offensively shooting 56% from the floor making a comeback an afterthought with as much as 15 minutes left in the second half.

Bradley Needs To Show Some Life

The Braves are not a terrible team as KenPom has them ranked 113 in the nation. Their offense is nothing to write home about but their defense is what has kept them in most of the games they have played this season. That defense was no where to be found on Sunday against Loyola Chicago.

Fought well in the second half. Chance to bounce back tomorrow pic.twitter.com/D9vtWauP88

— Bradley Basketball (@BradleyUMBB) January 24, 2021

On the season, Bradley is holding teams to 64.8 points per game which is good for 57th in the country. On Sunday, they gave up 43 points in the first half to Loyola Chicago. The Braves were able to make the final score look respectable by winning the second half 37-26 but moral victories are not worth much at this level.

Best Betting Angle

Loyola Chicago is one of the better three-point shooting teams in the nation. They are 51st in the country hitting 37% of their attempts from behind the arc. On Sunday, they went 3-for-14 from three-land which is unlikely to happen again on Monday night.

What makes Sunday’s game more perplexing is the fact that Bradley is not good at defending the three-point line. They allow opponents to shoot 37.9% from distance putting them at 317th in the nation. The idea that the Braves will be able to keep the Ramblers from connecting from deep the same way they did on Sunday is not a safe bet.

Loyola Chicago only won Sunday’s game by 13 points but for those who watched it felt like they won by more than 20. This line is very generous and if the Ramblers have a better night from behind the arc, they will win this game by 20+. The safe bet here is on the Ramblers to sweep the weekend series and cover the 6.5 points.

Pick: Loyola Chicago -6.5 (-118)