College Basketball Mid-Major Betting Report: Breaking Down Loyola Chicago, BYU & North Texas

As the culmination of the college basketball regular season quickly approaches, multiple mid-major teams have a chance to earn at-large bids, while some of the lower-major teams must win their respective tournaments.

I will break down three squads that have strong shots at reaching the Big Dance — and eventually making noise if they indeed get there.

Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Loyola Chicago is approaching its favorite month of the year. This time, if it reaches the NCAA Tournament, it will be without Porter Moser (now at Oklahoma) and Cameron Krutwig (graduated).

Regardless, the Ramblers need to be taken seriously — yet again.

Strength

The Ramblers' biggest strength comes from beyond the 3-point line, as they are shooting 37.8% on the season.

This kind of success can propel a team through multiple rounds of the Big Dance, and given the postseason experience on this particular squad, it could become a reality.

The Ramblers have two talents who are as efficient as college players can be from downtown. Lucas Williamson and Braden Norris are shooting 41.2% and 43.1% from deep, respectively, this season, and each has over 120 attempts.

Here's an example of what Norris can do from the point guard position, even while covered tightly.

Ryan Schwieger, Aher Uguak and Tate Hall also are solid shooting options.

If Loyola can catch an opponent in the first round that lacks the defensive wherewithal to defend the deep shot, it could very well move onto the Round of 32.

Weakness

They are well-rounded on the defensive end, but they do not have the height to keep up with some teams. If they were to match up with Illinois again, Kofi Cockburn could burn them without Krutwig down on the block.

The same would go for Purdue and Zach Edey, or UConn and Adama Sanogo.

These are just a few examples, so the height disadvantage could be a hindrance to their success in the tournament this season.

The must-have app for college basketball bettors

The best NCAAB betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

BYU Cougars

At the moment, BYU finds itself on the outside looking in for the Big Dance.

It's now being reported that Seneca Knight is having issues with his hand, so the Cougars are taking another injury hit at an inopportune moment.

They control their own destiny, though, and with a noteworthy victory — or two — in the WCC Tournament, they could easily land back in the field of 68.

Strength

The Cougars can shoot 3s, as they drill 35.6% of their attempts from downtown.

Much of this success comes from Alex Barcello, as the veteran point guard is shooting over 46% from 3-point distance on the season.

This is not the Cougars’ only long-range option, though. Trevin Knell, Gideon George and Te’Jon Lucas all shoot above the 34% mark, as well.

Weakness

The Cougars have almost been in free fall against KenPom top-200 teams.

Also, they have lost five of their last seven games overall, and their only two wins have come against Loyola Marymount in overtime and Pepperdine, which they only beat by six points.

One of the reasons for this is they have faltered on the offensive end with turnovers. They rank ninth out of 10 teams in the WCC in turnover rate in conference play at 19.8%.

BYU will need to clean these mistakes up if it wants to make noise in the conference tournament. If the Cougars do not, they could be left out of the Field of 68.

North Texas Mean Green