Someway, somehow, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers made it to the Final Four at the expense of the Kansas State Wildcats in the Elite Eight. In San Antonio, the Ramblers will face the Michigan Wolverines, a team with title aspirations of their own. At press, the Wolverines are picked to win this matchup by a total of 5-points and remain as second favorites (behind Villanova) to win the NCAA basketball championship at the sportsbook.Which between these two teams will book a spot in the nation finals? Read on for our preview of this game and register here to make your pick.
Betting Preview for the Michigan Wolverines vs Loyola-Chicago Ramblers NCAA Final Four College Basketball Game on March 31, 2018
Where: Alamodome, San Antonio
When: Saturday, March 31, 6:09 PM EST
Line: Michigan Wolverines (-5) vs Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (+5); Over/Under: 129 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: TBS
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines
Point Spread: (-5)
If it were not for the Ramblers, the Wolverines probably would’ve been the dark horse among the teams in the Final Four. Dark horse or not, the Wolverines are a dangerous team to face because of their steely defense, a product of their deliberate attempt at slowing down the game’s pace. They allowed just 51 field goal attempts to Florida State in Michigan’s 58-54 win in the Elite Eight. The Seminoles averaged over 60 shots per game, but could not just muster enough against the Wolverines, who are 326th on KenPom in terms of adjusted tempo. Moritz Wagner, Charles, Matthews, and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, meanwhile, form the nucleus of Michigan’s offense. Wagner scored 12 points against the ‘Noles, while Matthews and Abdur-Rahkman had 17 and nine, respectively. Back in the regular season, Michigan averaged 73.3 points per game with a 54.3 effective field goal percentage.
Betting on the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
Point Spread: (+5)
The Ramblers are not yet done. They extended their stay in the Big Dance by handing Kansas State a 78-62 beating on Saturday in a game that showed how truly capable Loyola-Chicago is. The Ramblers shot 57.4 percent from the field and hit 50 percent from deep. Kansas State’s defense is no joke, but the Ramblers have grown so confident of themselves that they believe they could pass any tests in front of them. That’s the biggest factor perhaps for Loyola-Chicago. More than their excellent floor-spacing couple with great defense, the Ramblers are riding a huge momentum no other team entering the Final Four could probably match. Speaking of defense, the Ramblers held K-State to only 34.8 percent shooting. Prior to that, they allowed no more than 68 points in their three previous assignments against talented offensive teams in Miami, Tennessee, and Nevada.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cinderella story continues as Loyola-Chicago takes down Michigan with a 71-68 win.
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