The No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago Ramblers (24-4) are favored (-2.5) to defeat the No. 9 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-8) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The contest tips off at 4:00 PM ET on TBS. Here are some insights into this Midwest Region contest for those filling out their brackets.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of March 16, 2021, 12:10 AM ET.
Betting Odds
| Favorite | Spread | Favorite Spread Odds | Underdog Spread Odds | Total | Over Total Odds | Under Total Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola Chicago | -2.5 | -108 | -112 | 126 | -110 | -110 |
Keys to the Game for Loyola Chicago
- Loyola Chicago has a 16-9-1 record against the spread this year.
- The Ramblers record against the spread as at least a 2.5-point favorite is above .500 at 16-7-1.
- Loyola Chicago often does not hit the over, only breaking the point total in 12 of 26 games (46.2%).
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Loyola Chicago Leaders
- The leader in scoring, rebounding and assists for the Ramblers is Cameron Krutwig, who tallies 15.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
- Braden Norris makes more threes per game than any of his teammates on the Ramblers, knocking down shots from downtown at a clip of 1.7 per contest.
- Lucas Williamson and Krutwig lead the Ramblers on the defensive end, with Williamson leading the team in steals averaging 1.4 per game and Krutwig in blocks averaging 1.2 per contest.
Keys to the Game for Georgia Tech
- Georgia Tech has a winning record against the spread, going 15-10 ATS (covering 60% of the time).
- When they are at least 2.5-point underdogs, the Yellow Jackets have not fared well, going 5-6 against the spread.
- In the majority of Georgia Tech’s games this season, the teams have combined to hit the over (14 out of 25 games, 56%).
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Georgia Tech Leaders
- Moses Wright has the top Yellow Jackets spot in two categories: scoring (17.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.1 rebounds per game).
- The Yellow Jackets assist leader is Jose Alvarado with 4.2 assists per game.
- The Yellow Jackets are paced by Michael Devoe from beyond the arc — he knocks down 2.3 shots from downtown per game.
- Georgia Tech’s Alvarado has the top spot on the team’s steals leaderboard with 2.9 per game and Wright is first in blocks with 1.7 per game.
Computer Picks
Pick ATS:
Yellow Jackets (+2.5)
Pick OU:
Over (126)
Prediction: Loyola Chicago 69, Georgia Tech 68
Predictions are calculated by a data-driven algorithm (raw power score) that ranks head-to-head matchup results within a closed network of games. Prediction confidence is determined by the delta between each team’s raw power score.
Last 5 Games
| Loyola Chicago | Georgia Tech | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 3/7/2021 | Drake | Win | 75-65 | 3/13/2021 | Florida State | Win | 80-75 |
| 3/6/2021 | Indiana State | Win | 65-49 | 3/11/2021 | Miami (FL) | Win | 70-66 |
| 3/5/2021 | Southern Illinois | Win | 73-49 | 3/5/2021 | Wake Forest | Win | 75-63 |
| 2/27/2021 | Southern Illinois | Win | 65-58 | 3/2/2021 | Duke | Win | 81-77 |
| 2/26/2021 | Southern Illinois | Win | 60-52 | 2/27/2021 | Syracuse | Win | 84-77 |
Against The Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
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