FAU vs Loyola Chicago Odds, Picks | NCAAB Betting Guide

Below we have FAU vs Loyola Chicago odds and a pick, including an NCAAB betting guide for Wednesday, Nov. 8.

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers will have much more to look forward to in 2023-24. Drew Valentine overhauled this roster with some impressive transfers, and Braden Norris will return to man the point guard position.

They'll take on the Cinderella of the 2023 NCAA tournament — the Florida Atlantic Owls — on Wednesday in the Barstool Sports Invitational. FAU returns the bulk of its lineup that made the tournament run, so Dusty May looks to have a similar season.

That said, going into the season, most metrics have FAU a bit lower than the AP Poll does. With this game taking place at a “neutral” court (Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois), Loyola should have a slight edge.

The Owls come into this season ranked 37th in KenPom and 10th in the AP Poll. Bart Torvik has them 19th and Haslametrics.com has them 46th. All are below the AP Poll ranking, which shows that this was an overreaction to their improbable NCAA tournament run.

After all, the Owls almost lost to Memphis in the Round of 64.

This team is still well-rounded. The Owls finished the 2022-23 season ranked 22nd in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 34th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, per KenPom. They rank 32nd and 45th, respectively, going into this season.

They return Nick Boyd, Bryan Greenlee, Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis and Vladislav Goldin. This is still a four-guard scheme in the starting lineup.

In the age of transfers, May has kept his group together, which helps with chemistry, particularly at the beginning of the season. Jalen Gaffney, Giancarlo Rosado and Brandon Weatherspoon all return to the rotation, as well, after averaging over 15 minutes per game each.

Last season, FAU struggled with allowing 3s. Per Shot Quality, it ranks 108th in Open 3 Rate on defense going into the season. The Owls also rank 130th in defending Catch & Shoot 3s and 123rd in defending Off the Dribble 3s.

Loyola shot 3s efficiently in 2022-2023 and added multiple shooters to the mix.

This is one area of the game that may prove to be tighter than expected.

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Now, Loyola doesn't have the continuity that May’s bunch does. Norris and Philip Alston are the key returning pieces, as well as Tom Welch, Jalen Quinn, Ben Schwieger and Jayden Dawson off the bench.

Norris is a prototypical college point guard and his 37.3 minutes, 10.9 points, 2.6 boards, four assists and 1.1 steals per game are about as well-rounded as you can get at the guard position. He also almost shot 36% from deep.

Valentine added Greg Dolan (Cornell), Desmond Watson (Davidson), Dame Adelekun (Dartmouth) and Patrick Mwamba (Oral Roberts). Each averaged at least 7.5 points and 3.5 boards per game last season. Dolan, Alston, Adelekun and Mwaba all shot over 37% from deep, too.

This will allow the Ramblers to spread the floor and attack one of FAU’s concerns defensively.

The Ramblers ranked 287th in rebounding last season, but all of their offseason additions should supplement that need from 2022-23. Even still, FAU ranked 80th, so the Owls probably carry a slight edge.

That being said, it won't be as large of a difference as it would've been last season.

Loyola’s offense ranked 51st in Rim & 3 Rate, per Shot Quality, last season. It added more than it lost, and having Norris and Alston in the lineup will keep the team consistent.

The Ramblers added enough to make them a viable contender for the A-10 crown. Since they basically open at home, they should have the edge in this game and could cover the spread, surprising those who only watched FAU in the NCAA tournament last season. Also, FAU's Martin is a game-time decision for this matchup.

Take Loyola from +2 (-110) to +5 (-110). It could even win straight up.

Pick: Loyola Chicago +2 or Better

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