The Loyola Chicago Ramblers take on the Dayton Flyers in Dayton, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
Dayton is favored by 15.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2200. The total is set at 142.5 points.
Here’s my Loyola Chicago vs Dayton prediction and college basketball picks for January 16, 2026.
Loyola Chicago vs Dayton Prediction
My Pick: Dayton -16.5 or Better
My Loyola Chicago vs Dayton best bet is on the Flyers to cover. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Loyola Chicago vs. Dayton Odds
| Loyola Chicago Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16 -110 | 142.5 -110o / -110u | +1100 |
| Dayton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16 -110 | 142.5 -110o / -110u | -2200 |
- Loyola Chicago vs Dayton spread: Dayton -16
- Loyola Chicago vs Dayton over/under: 142.5
- Loyola Chicago vs Dayton moneyline: Loyola +1100, Dayton -2200
- Loyola Chicago vs Dayton best bet: Dayton -16.5 or Better
Loyola Chicago vs Dayton College Basketball Betting Preview
The injury report for this game is a mess, so tread lightly when betting on this A-10 showdown.
Still, I project the Flyers as over 19-point favorites, so I’ll bet them at -16 or better, or a three-point difference between the market and my projected score.
The Ramblers gave the Flyers everything they could handle a couple of weeks ago, losing by two after blowing a 15-point lead.
However, there are a couple of things that could flip in this second meeting.
First, obviously, is that home-court advantage is flipped.
Second, Loyola jumped out to an early lead after shooting 7-for-18 from 3 in the first half. The Ramblers folded in the second half, shooting 2-for-12 from deep.
Third, and of greater importance, the Ramblers started turning the ball over in the second half. Anthony Grant is going to mix in a ton of zone and press, two looks that Loyola has not handled well — there’s a reason why they rank last in the A-10 in turnover rate (24%).
Loyola turned it over 10 times in the second half, feeding Dayton 14 second-chance points. While the Flyers are banged up, Javon Bennett and De’Shayne Montgomery should be healthy, two high-end perimeter defenders in Dayton’s press — Montgomery nabbed seven steals in the first matchup.
At the same time, Justin Moore and Kayde Dotson are both listed as questionable for this game — at the minimum, they’re banged up.
That’s pretty important considering those two were the Ramblers' main source of offense in the first meeting, combining for 35 points with seven made triples. You need to create drive-and-kick buckets against Dayton’s ball pressure, and those are the only two Ramblers who can do that.
Even with Dayton’s frontcourt pieces on the bench, I think Loyola’s losses could be far more important. If the Flyers heat up the ball early and get out in transition — where Loyola is super vulnerable (1.27 PPP allowed, worst nationally) — they should flip the script in this rematch and win by 20.
My Pick: Dayton -16.5 or Better
