Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – March 21 2021

Sister Jean will have another Loyola-Chicago Ramblers game to watch after her team passed the test in the first round to set up a date with the No. 1 seed Illinois Fighting Illini. Will we see the Ramblers pull off a huge upset just like they did in 2018? Or will Illinois show why it is the top seed in the Midwest Region? Check out our preview of this game below.

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Betting Preview for the Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs Illinois Fighting Illini NCAA College Basketball Game on March 21 2021

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse

When: Sunday, March 21, 2021, 12:10 PM ET

Line: Loyola Chicago Ramblers (+7) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (-7) – view all 2021 NCAAB lines

TV Broadcast: CBS

Betting on the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (+7)

Record: 25-4 Overall / 16-2 Conference

The 2021 ACC tournament champions were no match for Sister Jean’s Loyola-Chicago squad, as the Ramblers sent the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets home in a 71-60 win on Friday. Lucas Williamson scattered 21 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Ramblers, who also got hot from deep. Loyola-Chicago went 11 of 27 on its 3-point attempts against the Yellow Jackets to extend the Ramblers’ streak of making at least 40.0 percent of their shots from behind the arc to four games, dating back to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. That fantastic outside shooting will be a weapon for Loyola-Chicago when it tries to score an upset against the Fighting Illini. That being said, Loyola-Chicago’s defense will be the more important key for the Ramblers. Loyola-Chicago owns the best scoring defense in the nation with just 55.8 points allowed per game.

Loyola-Chicago is 4-0 against the spread in its last four games overall.

Betting on the Illinois Fighting Illini (-7)

Record: 24-6 Overall / 16-4 Conference

Illinois went about its business and demolished the Drexel Dragons in the first round to the tune of a 78-49 score to also cover the spread as 22.5-point favorites. It was pretty much a case of too much Ayo Dosunmo and Kofi Cockburn for the Dragons, as the duo combined for 35 points. Illinois averaged 1.18 points per possession in that game despite shooting just 28.6 percent from deep. That cold shooting from long range may not last long for Illinois, which is 27th in the nation with a 37.5 3-point shooting percentage on the season. Plus, Illinois can always find ways to score other than launching long-range shots like simply giving the ball to Cockburn, who should be too problematic to solve down low for Loyola-Chicago, which doesn’t have the size to contend with the 7-footer. Cockburn is averaging 17.6 points per game on 65.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Illinois is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.

Writer’s Prediction

Illinois wins, 70-64.

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