NCAAB Odds, Pick for Creighton vs Loyola Chicago

Below, we have NCAAB odds and a pick for Creighton vs. Loyola Chicago.

Creighton is one of the best teams in the country. The Blue Jays have a high-powered, top-five offense and a top-30 defense. However, the defense does tend to lack in certain areas, as shown in their 92-84 shootout with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Needless to say, Creighton has the ingredients for a Final Four run, but its preference to play at a slow pace and other shortcomings could come into play against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers.

Loyola has lost two games out of the gate: one to Florida Atlantic and another to Illinois Chicago — the latter loss would hurt the Ramblers more in March, though. That said, this Loyola team has some quality backcourt experience and can slow the game down.

Find my betting pick and prediction for Creighton vs. Loyola Chicago below.

Creighton is 4-0 entering the Hall of Fame Classic. The Blue Jays take care of the ball and are also shooting above 70% on 2s with the help of Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman.

Creighton has an edge from beyond the arc because Loyola is allowing a 35.8% 3-point Attempt Rate while permitting opponents to also shoot over 37%. They have considerable 3-point depth as Trey Alexander, Scheierman, Steven Ashworth and a few others are all shooting over 37% on 3s.

Creighton will have an interesting mix in this game because Loyola launches a ton of 3s (42.1% 3-point Attempt Rate), while the Blue Jays are limiting opponents to a 19.1% 3-point Attempt Rate, the lowest in the nation. This will likely land somewhere in the middle, but a battle for 3-point attempts will show itself often in this game, as Creighton has a 54.9% 3-point Attempt Rate, which ranks second in all of college basketball.

However, rebounding might be the killer for Loyola in this game. Creighton is hauling in offensive boards at a 37.2% clip, ranking 34^th in the nation, while only yielding a 20.7% Offensive Rebound Rate to its opponents. Dating back to last year, Loyola ranks horribly in rebounding rates. Entering this matchup, the Ramblers rank 280^th in offensive rebounding and 147^th in defensive rebounding.

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Nontheless, Loyola has a few possible edges in this game. Sure, if Creighton gets hot from outside, it will have multiple threats when needed. However, Loyola is restricting opponents to 40.5% from inside the arc. The Ramblers haven't faced anyone of Kalkbrenner's caliber who can do it all inside, but the Ramblers have Miles Rubin, who has been impressive in the post at 6'10" as a freshman.

Loyola is used to playing at a slow pace, like Creighton does so far this season, which is an edge for the underdog Ramblers. They rank 227^th at 17.5 seconds per possession on defense with an Adjusted Tempo ranked 181^st. Creighton ranks 271^st in Adjusted Tempo and 335^th in seconds per possession on defense. Creighton also only is 359^th in Turnover Rate forced on defense, so this game will not be in transition much.

Finally, Des Watson, Greg Dolan and Braden Norris (not so far yet this season) all can get hot from deep. Since the Ramblers shoot often from outside and the Blue Jays are allowing teams to hit 34% from downtown, the Ramblers could present quite the mismatch.

Loyola Chicago may not be favored, but it has some advantages in this game that can lead to a cover. The Ramblers shoot 3s constantly, can defend the post and can match Creighton's slow tempo.

With that being said, the Ramblers should cover the 15-point spread and can be played to +12.5 at -110. Loyola Chicago is a well-rounded team that is not bad enough to lose by a landslide with Creighton’s weaknesses.

Pick: Loyola Chicago +15 (Play to +12.5)