Loyola Chicago vs Illinois Odds and Pick

• The Loyola Chicago Ramblers (25-4, 16-2 Missouri Valley) play the Illinois Fighting Illini (24-6, 16-4 Big Ten)  in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday
• Illinois demolished Drexel 78-49 in the first round on Friday easily covering the 22-point spread
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet, below

The second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament gets underway Sunday at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana, when the Illinois Fighting Illini meet the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (tip-off time TBD).

The schools have met twice since the year 2000 with the Illini winning both. The most recent was a 67-49 drubbing way back on November 11, 2011. The opening odds show Illinois as a seven-point favorite in this matchup.

Loyola Chicago vs Illinois Odds

Odds as of March 19th.

Illinois made quick work of the Drexel Dragons in the first round, winning 78-49. Loyola Chicago needed a little more time but they ultimately pulled away from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second half to win comfortably 71-60.

Loyola Chicago Is No Joke

The Ramblers may be a mid-major but according to KenPom, they are the ninth-best team in the entire nation. They like to suck the life out of their opponents by playing a snail’s pace combined with tenacious defense. Although their defense caused 12 turnovers in their first round win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, it was their rebounding that saved the day.

https://twitter.com/RamblersMBB/status/1373035106353483784?s=20

Loyola Chicago has the third ranked defense in the country in terms of efficiency (adjusted for opponent) according to KenPom. No team gives up fewer points per game and the closest team to them is the Houston Cougars who give up three more on a per game basis. Even with the suffocating defense, the Yellow Jackets were able to shoot 57% from the floor.

Had it not been for a 12-1 offensive rebounding advantage, this game would have been closer. Those rebounds led to 15 second chance points for the Ramblers which won the game for them. Georgia Tech didn’t score a single point on an extra possession as they only secured one offensive board.

Illinois is a Heavyweight

The Fighting Illini earned a number-one seed in the tournament and they looked like it against the Drexel Dragons. Illinois is one of only three teams to come into the tournament ranking in the top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Led by Trent Frazier, they absolutely boat raced Drexel in the first half, making a statement in the process.

No hesitation Trent arrived in force in the first half.

9 points and 2 assists from the senior.

🎥 @marchmadness pic.twitter.com/8j9RpikGwO

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 19, 2021

As good as the Illini were on offense, shooting 54% in the first half, they were even better on defense. They held a very good shooting Drexel side to only 22% from the floor on 37 attempts in the opening half. That combined with Illinois outscoring the Dragons 22-8 in the paint led to an 18-point halftime lead that was just too big of a hole to climb out of.

Best Betting Angle

While Loyola Chicago is a nice story and they did look good in the first round, Illinois is an entirely different animal. For starters, Georgia Tech was forced to play without ACC Player of the Year, Moses Wright, due to Covid-19. The Yellow Jackets fought admirably without their leader but he was missed in every aspect of the game. Even with Wright, the Illini are just not Georgia Tech in terms of talent.

One noticeable metric that will be tough for the Ramblers to overcome will be rebounding. As mentioned, they were able to win the offensive rebounding battle leading to a 15-0 second chance point advantage. That is highly unlikely to happen against Illinois as no team in the nation has a better rebounding percentage. Look for Illinois to push the pace and make the Ramblers play from behind which will not end well for them.

The pick: Illinois -7 (-110)