Missouri Valley foes will collide when the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (10-12) play the Illinois State Redbirds (12-11) at Joseph J. Gentile Center. Action gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and will air on ES3.
The Ramblers defeated Indiana State 104-96 on Saturday. Montel James fueled the Ramblers, recording his third double-double this season with 28 points and 14 rebounds. The Redbirds, meanwhile, are coming off a bitter 84-81 loss to Missouri State on Saturday. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell led the team in scoring with 18 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Redbirds won the first game 54-52. In the loss, James had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Ramblers come into this game 10-12 Straight Up (SU) and 7-14 Against The Spread (ATS). Loyola Chicago has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .735.
Over on the other bench, the Redbirds head into the game with records of 9-12 ATS and 12-11 SU.
Following the Redbirds’ latest win over Loyola Chicago, their SU record against Loyola Chicago moves to 6-1 over their most recent meetings. However, with a 5-2 record, Loyola Chicago has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Loyola Chicago and Illinois State each held the edge in all three of these categories one time in the last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – IllSt, ATS Winner – IllSt
Notes
Loyola of Chicago is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Loyola of Chicago’s last 5 games.
Loyola of Chicago is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games.
Loyola of Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Loyola of Chicago is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Illinois State.
In its last game, Illinois State lost by a margin of three points. Loyola Chicago is 1-3 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Illinois State has a 4-2 record in close games.
The Loyola Chicago Ramblers average a field goal percentage of 43.1% this season. The Illinois State Redbirds have an underachieving record of 5-10 when opponents have a FG% of 43.1% or greater.
The Loyola Chicago Ramblers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (230th) than their effective field goal percentage (248th). The Illinois State Redbirds rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (297th) than their field goal percentage (314th).
The Loyola Chicago Ramblers make an average of 5.8 steals per game. The Illinois State Redbirds are 8-9 when they allow 5 or more steals.
