VCU vs Loyola Chicago Picks and Odds (Jan. 10)

• VCU and Loyola Chicago meet in an Atlantic 10 game on Tuesday, January 10.
• VCU is a 2.5-point road favorite over Loyola Chicago at the Gentile Arena
• Read below for VCU vs Loyola Chicago odds, analysis and prediction

VCU (11-5, 2-1 Atlantic 10) is a 2.5-point road favorite over Loyola Chicago in an Atlantic 10 game at 5 pm ET Tuesday at Gentile Arena on the CBS Sports Network. The Rams have won six of their last seven games.

Loyola Chicago (6-9, 0-3 Atlantic 10) has lost four in a row after a three-game winning streak. The Ramblers have two four-game losing streaks this season, their first in the A-10 after leaving the Missouri Valley.

VCU vs Loyola Chicago Odds

Odds from FanDuel on Jan. 9. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook bonus code. 

VCU is a 2.5-point road favorite at Loyola Chicago in the first meeting of the two. Neither has met the oddsmakers’ expectations this season — the Rams are 5-10-1 ATS and the Ramblers are 3-12 AST. Only Tulsa (1-13) and Notre Dame (3-13) have a lower cover percentage that Loyola.

VCU has turned a corner recently. It is 3-1-1 ATS in its last five, 1-1-1 ATS in its first three league games. The total has gone over is seven of the Rams’ last 10. Loyola is 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS since an 18-point victory over Clemson on Dec. 10 as a 4.5-point underdog. The total has gone over in seven of the Ramblers’ last nine.

VCU Back to Full Strength

Junior point guard and lock-down defender 6′ Ace Baldwin missed five-conference  games because of a wrist injury, but since his return the Rams are back on track, having won five of six. Baldwin (13.3 points, 6.3 assists) had 19 points, eight assists and two steals in an 89-72 home victory over Davidson the last time out Saturday, and he had 19 points, six assists and four steals in the league opening victory over La Salle on New Year’s Eve. After a four-game injury absence, Baldwin had 28 points and four assists in a 70-65 victory over Vanderbilt on Nov. 30.

Foster Loyer vs Ace Baldwin, Jr.:

Foster Loyer:
1/18/2022: 4 AST, 7 TO, 0 STL
1/26/2022: 1 AST, 5 TO, 1 STL
1/7:2023: 3 AST, 9 TO, 2 STL

Ace Baldwin, Jr.:
1/18/2022: 7 AST, 0 TO, 5 STL
1/26/2022: 2 AST, 2 TO, 5 STL
1/7/2023: 8 AST, 3 TO, 3 STL

VCU leads 2-1, rematch 1/31/2023

— Iᴀɴ Rᴇɴɴɪɴɢᴇʀ (@VCUBRO) January 7, 2023

Baldwin, Michigan transfer forward 6’8 Brandon Johns (12.6 points, 5.6 rebounds) and returning forward 6’7 Jamir Watkins (10.9, 4.9) are getting help from other fronts. Senior David Shriver made six of VCU’s 15 3-pointers in the win over Davidson, the Rams’ most threes in a game since 2012-13.  With the expected starters intact In the last five games, the Rams averaging 80.8 points per game and shooting 50.5 percent from the field.

The Rams still play the harassing pressing defense popularized by Shaka Smart. They average 9.3 steals per game and 5.1 blocked shots per game, both in the top 30 of Division I, and opponents are averaging 17.6 turnovers per game. Watkins missed last season with a knee injury but has played in all 16 this year.

Loyola Chicago Struggling Early

Loyola won three of the Missouri valley’s last four automatic NCAA Tournament berths , but the Ramblers have not yet found their groove in the Atlantic 10, although the two mid-major conferences have been rated almost equal the last two seasons. The Ramblers, who lost five of their seven leading scorers from a 25-win team a year ago, have lost by double digits in each of their last four games, the last two on a road trip to Davidson and George Mason last week. Davidson ran up an 80-57 victory on Jan.  4.

😛 https://t.co/4eVM4TFUlk

— Philip Alston (@Phlick___) December 1, 2022

Former Cal U.-Pennsylvania forward 6’6 Phil Alston leads the Ramblers in scoring and rebounding (14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 50.7 shooting from the field) after averaging 21/11 in Division II, but he is the only one of four transfers making much of a splash.

Holdover guard Braden Norris (10.9 points, 4.3 assists) and freshman 6’7 Ben Schweiger (10.4 points) are the 2-3 scorers. Alston tied a career-high with 23 points against George Mason the last time out. Schwieger, who has started the last 10 games, had 17 points and was one rebound short of his first double-double against the Patriots.

VCU vs Loyola Chicago Prediction

VCU wins with defense, which is not be sexy but effective. As Baldwin goes, is seems, so go the Rams — they were 18-6 with Baldwin in 2021-22 and 4-4 without him. The return of Watkins is a plus. Alston has made the transition from Division II look easier than it is, but the Ramblers are scuffling. They shoot well, but turnovers have been an issue, which plays into VCU’s hands.

The Rams have a big game at A-10 favorite Dayton on Friday but should not get caught looking ahead

• Pick: VCU -2.5 (-120)
• Season CBK: 15-9 ATS