Dec 17, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Saint Joseph’s Hawks guard Lynn Greer III (5) controls the ball against Villanova Wildcats guard Brendan Hausen (1) in the second half at Michael J. Hagan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Oh how the mighty have fallen.
After a magical Final Four run in 2018 and two more NCAA Tournament appearances, the Loyola Chicago hype train has finally derailed. The team went 10-20 in 2022-2023 and struggled in its first season in the Atlantic 10. They face St. Joseph’s in the first round of the conference tournament, who they lost to twice in the regular season.
Here are the odds for the A-10 first round matchup:
Loyola Chicago vs. Saint Joseph’s odds, spread and total
Loyola Chicago vs. Saint Joseph’s prediction and pick
The Ramblers have actually taken money in this game, now the favorites after opening as small underdogs, but I can’t get to this number given the matchup advantages the Hawks have shown in this season series.
Saint Joseph’s is the most three-point happy team in the conference and the Ramblers perimeter defense has been poor in A-10 play, allowing a league high 37% three-point percentage. In the season series, the Hawks fired 62 three’s in two games and hit on 27 of them, a gaudy 43%.
Further, Joe’s was able to create havoc on the sloppy ball handling of Loyola Chicago, forcing 28 turnovers in the regular season meetings between the two teams. This has been a year long problem for the team as Drew Valentine’s group has the 13th highest turnover rate in the country.
In a game that’s being lined like a coin flip, the regular season series has shown all I needed to see to back Saint Joseph’s to end Loyola’s rough first season in the Atlantic 10.
Track all of Reed’s bets at Betstamp HERE!
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
