Illinois State Redbirds vs Loyola Ramblers Prediction, 12/27/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Illinois State Redbirds vs Loyola Ramblers

Date: Sunday, December 27, 2020

Location: Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Illinois State (+14)

Joseph J. Gentile Arena is the venue where and the Loyola Ramblers (4-2) will take on the Illinois State Redbirds (3-3) on Sunday. Loyola opens this game as 14-point favorites. The total opens at 141.5.

Illinois State heads into this matchup with a mark of 3-3 this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.7 times per game and as a squad they commit 20.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Illinois State is grabbing 41.0 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 123 assists on the year, which has them ranked 68th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Redbirds are shooting 38.1% from downtown (56 of 147) and 63.4% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 91.3 pts per contest (10th in D-1) while connecting on 52.4% from the field. On the defensive end, the Redbirds are forcing 14.3 turnovers per game and they draw 19.3 personal fouls. The Redbirds defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 43.3% (179 of 413) and they surrender 38.2 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They rank 168th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 83 relinquished so far this year. They are giving up 28.9% on 3-pointers while they are 315th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (82.3).

The Illinois State Redbirds stepped onto the hardwood against the Chicago State Cougars and went home with a win by a final score of 91-62 in their last contest. Illinois State ended the game having earned a 50.8% field goal percentage (31 of 61) and knocked down 17 of their 36 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Redbirds buried 12 of 19 attempts for a rate of 63.2%. Regarding hauling in boards, they compiled 40 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 24 dimes for the contest while having 9 steals and 6 blocked shots. In reference to defense, Illinois State allowed the other team to go 50.8% from the field on 31 of 61 shooting. Chicago State distributed 6 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. On top of that, the Cougars snagged 30 boards (6 offensive, 24 defensive) and added 6 blocks. Chicago State finished the game at 76.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of 17 tries. They also made 5 of 20 tries from 3-point range.

Josiah Strong is one guy who played a role for this game. He had 17 points on 5 out of 9 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 32 mins and also totaled 6 rebounds. Strong finished 55.6% from the floor and recorded 6 assists. Another guy that was a contributor in this game for the Redbirds was DJ Horne. He collected 4 rebounds and totaled 2 dimes. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field for this contest by going 6-of-12 (22 points). At the conclusion of this game, Horne saw the court for 28 minutes.

Loyola has a mark of 4-2 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Ramblers are connecting on 53.0% from the field, which is 31st in the country. Loyola has accounted for 469 pts on the season (78.2 per contest) and they collect 33.7 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 18.2 times per game (30th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 13.2 times per game. The Ramblers have committed 16.2 fouls every game while shooting 65.2% from the charity stripe. The Ramblers on defense are ranked 45th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 62.0. They concede 10.2 assists and 27.3 boards every game, which has them ranked 47th and 5th in college hoops. The Loyola defense allows 35.7% on three-point shots (35 of 98) and their opponents are connecting on 73.3% of their free throw shots. They are forcing 12.7 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.6% from the floor (155th in D-1).

For their last game, the Loyola Ramblers took home the win by a final score of 92-55 against the St. Francis Fighting Saints. The Ramblers were able to pull down 23 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards totaling 27 in the game. They also blocked 3 tries while earning 6 steals in this game. The Fighting Saints were called for 16 personal fouls in this game which got the Ramblers to the free throw line for 21 shots. They were able to knock down 14 of them for a percentage of 66.7%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, Loyola made 12 out of 19 tries (63.2%). At the conclusion of this game, the Ramblers shot 33 for 48 from the field which gave them a percentage of 68.8%. The Ramblers permitted the Fighting Saints to knock down 21 out of their 51 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 41.2% in this contest. They wrapped up this game 31.3% from distance by going 5 of 16 and finished the game at 8 out of 10 from the free throw line (80.0%). In reference to rebounding, Loyola permitted St. Francis Illinois to pull down 17 in all (4 on the offensive side).

Tom Welch ended up being a factor for the Ramblers for this game. He converted 5 out of 7 in this contest for a field goal rate of 71.4%, which had him sitting at 17 points. Welch had 2 rebounds in his 27 mins and earned 2 assists for the game. Another guy who came through for Loyola was Tate Hall. He accumulated 10 points in his 24 minutes played by going 4 of 5 shooting in this game. Hall ended the game having shot 80.0% from the floor as well as collecting 2 assists and 2 boards.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Loyola (-14) and under 141.5 points

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