Loyola Ramblers vs Bradley Braves Prediction, 3/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Loyola Ramblers vs Bradley Braves

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Location: Carver Arena in Peoria, IL

TV: ESPN+

Carver Arena is the location where the Bradley Braves (22-11) will play the Loyola Ramblers (23-9) on Wednesday in the NIT.

The Loyola Ramblers faced St. Bonaventure and took a loss by a score of 75-74 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Ramblers ended up finishing with 24 and St. Bonaventure recorded 23 personal fouls. They buried 4 of their 18 attempts from three-point range. St. Bonaventure finished shooting 87.1% from the free throw line by making 27 of 31 shots. On top of that, St. Bonaventure snagged 42 rebounds (12 offensive, 30 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. St. Bonaventure doled out 8 assists and had 9 steals for the contest. When talking about defending, Loyola allowed the other team to go 36.7% from the field on 22 of 60 shooting. They also distributed 18 dimes in the matchup while forcing 16 turnovers and earning 8 steals. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they earned a total of 44 with 20 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Ramblers made 18 of 27 tries for a rate of 66.7%. Loyola wrapped up the contest with a 33.3% field goal percentage (25 out of 75) and converted 6 of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Philip Alston is someone who was a major factor in this game. He accounted for 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes played and snagged 8 rebounds. He finished the contest at 53.8% from the field and distributed 1 assist.

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Loyola heads into this game with a record of 23-9 for the season. They average 73.4 points per outing (182nd in the country) while hitting 45.3% from the floor. The Ramblers are shooting 35.7% on 3-point shots (268 of 750) and 68.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, Loyola is snagging 36.7 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 539 assists for the campaign, which ranks 23rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 12.8 times per game and as a group are committing 19.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Ramblers are forcing 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are surrendering 34.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 53rd in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (67.3). The Ramblers defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 40.0% (722 of 1,807) and they concede 33.6 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 37th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 358 surrendered on the campaign.

In their last game, the Bradley Braves walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 72-67 against Drake. In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, Bradley permitted Drake to grab 31 in all (7 offensive). They finished the game shooting 45.8% from 3-point land by shooting 11 of 24 and ended up shooting 21 of 27 from the charity stripe (77.8%). The Braves permitted Drake to convert 20 out of 54 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 37.0% in this contest. Overall, the Braves ended up shooting 23 for 52 from the field which had them at 44.2%. When talking about shots from beyond the perimeter, Bradley knocked down 8 out of their 22 tries (36.4%). They were able to make 13 of the free throw tries for a rate of 86.7%. Drake earned 14 fouls for this game which got the Braves to the free throw line for a total of 15 tries. They also gave up possession 10 times, while recording 4 steals for this contest. The Braves collected 21 defensive boards and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 24 in the game.

Connor Hickman pitched in for the Braves in this matchup. He knocked down 8 of 16 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accumulated 2 rebounds. He earned 21 points in his 32 minutes on the court, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes.

Bradley has a record of 22-11 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Braves are shooting 47.4% from the field, which ranks them 43rd in the nation. Bradley has earned 2,461 pts for the year (74.6 per contest) and they grab 34.8 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.4 times per contest (157th in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per game. The Braves are committing 16.8 fouls per game and they connect on 72.2% from the charity stripe.

The Braves on the defensive side of the court are 48th in the country in points given up per game with 67.0. They have forced 12.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.1% from the field (40th in the country). The Bradley defense allows 32.9% on shots from 3-point land (229 of 696) and opponents are making 72.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 11.5 assists and 32.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 67th and 64th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Bradley

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