The No. 11 Loyola Chicago Ramblers (29-5) square off against the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers (26-8) in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at American Airlines Center. The game starts at 6:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 17, 2018.
Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs. Tennessee Volunteers ATS Prediction
In the First Round, the Ramblers topped the No. 6 Miami (FL) Hurricanes, 64-62. Loyola Chicago forced the Hurricanes into a turnover percentage of 22.6 (above their season average of 14.5). Miami (FL), meanwhile, had a better free throw rate (0.163 vs. 0.073). Donte Ingram played a pivotal role for Loyola Chicago with 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Volunteers had no trouble getting past the No. 14 Wright State Raiders in the First Round, 73-47. The Volunteers made 14 of their 16 free throws (87.5 percent) and held the Raiders to an offensive rebounding percentage of 26.2 (below the 31.5 mark opponents have averaged against Tennessee this season). With 15 points and 12 rebounds, Admiral Schofield put together a good outing for Tennessee.
Baskets could be hard to come by as two of the nation’s top defenses face off. Tennessee ranks 37th in defensive efficiency (98.4) and Loyola Chicago is 11th (94.7).
Admiral Schofield has averaged 19.6 points and 7.0 rebounds over the last five games for Tennessee.
Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs. Tennessee Volunteers Pick
Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Tennessee, ATS Winner – Tennessee, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Tennessee ranks 36th in blocks per game (4.5) while Loyola Chicago ranks 214th (2.5).
The Volunteers rank 108th in rebounds per game (36.4) while the Ramblers rank 281st (32.2).
Tennessee ranks 211th in three pointers attempted per game (20.4) while Loyola Chicago ranks 263rd (18.8).
The Volunteers are 19th in the NCAA with 10.8 assists allowed per game while the Ramblers are 52nd with 11.7 assists allowed per game.
Tennessee ranks 132nd in steals per game (6.3) while Loyola Chicago ranks 150th in steals allowed per game (6.4).
Bettings Trends:
The Ramblers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.4, down from 9.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Volunteers have scored an average of 71.4 points per game (2.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 62.0 points per game (3.8 below their season average).
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