The Oregon State Beavers and the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers have an unlikely matchup in the Sweet Sixteen, but an intriguing one nonetheless. Which team will move on to the Elite Eight? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Oregon State Beavers vs Loyola Chicago Ramblers NCAA College Basketball Game on March 27 2021
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Monday, March 27, 2021, 2:40 PM ET
Line: Oregon State Beavers (+6.5) vs. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (-6.5) – view all 2021 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Oregon State Beavers (+6.5)
Record: 19-12 Overall / 10-10 Conference
It’s hard to pin down definite reasons as to why the Beavers have managed to reach the Sweet Sixteen round despite a shaky regular season. Oregon State simply got hot starting in the Pac-12 tournament, which they came out of nowhere to win and clinch a bid in March Madness. Oregon State is a whatever-it-takes kind of team that’s become dangerously unpredictable. After hitting 10 threes on 21 attempts in the first-round win over the Tennessee Volunteers (70-56), the Beavers went 6 of 20 from deep but still defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the second round, 80-70, mainly because of their defense that held Cade Cunningham to only 27.7 percent shooting from the field. Defense is the biggest driving force of late for Oklahoma State that has held their last two opponents to only 30.5 percent shooting from the floor and 23.6 percent from deep.
Oregon State is 13-2-1 against the spread in its last 16 games after covering the spread in the previous contest.
Betting on the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (-6.5)
Record: 26-4 Overall / 16-2 Conference
Are we sure the Ramblers should have been an eighth seed? Loyola-Chicago showed how legitimate it is as a championship contender by downing one-seed Illinois Fighting Illini, 71-58, in the second round. Illinois was among the highest-scoring teams in the nation in the regular season, as it was averaging over 80 points per game back then, but the Ramblers dismissed those numbers and held Ayo Dosunmo and company to only 0.88 points per possession. The presence of Cameron Krutwig in the middle for the Ramblers as a bruising post-operator and smart playmaker can throw the Beavers off balance just like he did against Kofi Cockburn in the Illinois game when Loyola-Chicago’s star finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and four streaks in 33 minutes. Loyola-Chicago finished the regular season with the best scoring defense in the nation, as it allowed just 56.1 points per game.
Writer’s Prediction
Loyola-Chicago wins, 65-58.
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