Loyola-Chicago vs Bradley 3/4/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 5-seed Bradley Braves will & 4-seed Loyola Chicago Ramblers will square off at the Enterprise Center this Friday afternoon in the Quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament.

The Bradley Braves finished their regular season with an overall record of 17-13 and earned the 5-seed in the MVC Tournament after finishing conference play with a 11-7 record. Bradley was led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 61^st in scoring defense, 36^th in defensive FG%, & 15^th in rebound margin while the offense was nothing more than average as the Braves come into this game ranked just 175^th in scoring offense & 139^th in FG%. Bradley finished their non-conference season with a 6-6 record with their top wins coming against Saint Joseph’s & UTEP. Bradley was strong throughout conference play which included wins over Northern Iowa & Drake, however, the Braves struggled a bit down the stretch has they come into the MVC Tournament splitting their last 4 games.

On the season, Bradley is averaging 71.2 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Braves are averaging 7.9 three-pointers per game on 34.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Bradley has been led by Terry Roberts (14.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.5 spg), Rienk Mast (11.6 ppg, 8.3. rpg, 1.4 apg), Malevy Leons (10.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 bpg), & Connor Hickman (6.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensviely, Bradley is holding their opponents to an average of 65.2 ppg on 40.3% shooting from the field. The Braves have a rebound margin of 7.1 and a turnover margin of -1.1.

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers finished their regular season with an overall record of 22-7 and earned the 4-seed in the MVC Tournament after finishing conference play with a 13-5 record. Loyola Chicago was strong on both ends of the court this season and come into this matchup ranked 90^th in scoring offense, 8^th in FG%, 7^th in 3P-FG%, 27^th in scoring defense, & 119^th in defensive FG%. Loyola Chicago finished with a 9-2 non-conference record with impressive wins over Vanderbilt, Arizona State, & San Francisco. Loyola Chicago suffered some tough losses in conference play, including a 102-96 OT thriller to Northern Iowa in their regular season finale, however, Loyola Chicago still comes into this game winning 6 of their last 9 games.

On the season, Loyola Chicago is averaging 62.9 ppg on 49.0% shooting from the field. The Ramblers are averaging 9.1 three-pointers per game on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Loyola Chicago has been led by Lucas Williamson (14.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg), Braden Norris (10.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.2 spg), Aher Uguak (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg), & Marquise Kennedy (8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Loyola Chicago is holding their opponents to an average of 62.9 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Ramblers have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of 1.5.

The Braves are 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Ramblers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games, however, are 3-1 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.

Bradley and Loyola Chicago split their regular season series as Bradley defeated Loyola Chicago by a 68-61 margin at home in early February while the Ramblers defeated the Braves by a 78-71 (OT) margin at home in early January.

Bradley is a solid defensive team, however, most of the Braves success this season came at home as Bradley was just 4-8 in road games & 1-3 at neutral sites. Loyola Chicago is surprising the 4-seed in the MVC, however, arguably is the top team in the conference and as the Ramblers have been more impressive on the offensive end this season compared to the Braves and that Loyola Chicago always seems to bring their best for the post-season, I’m taking Loyola Chicago to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!