VCU Rams vs Loyola Ramblers Prediction, 1/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs Loyola Ramblers

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: Gentile Arena in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Gentile Arena is the site where the Loyola Ramblers (9-4) will go up against the VCU Rams (10-4) on Saturday.

The VCU Rams faced St. Bonaventure and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 77-75 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Rams walked away with 15 and St. Bonaventure accounted for 11 personal fouls. They also knocked down 5 out of their 15 tries from 3-point range. St. Bonaventure shot 73.7% at the free throw line by converting 14 of 19 tries. In addition, St. Bonaventure collected 29 boards (11 offensive, 18 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. St. Bonaventure distributed 9 assists and had 6 steals for the contest. In relation to defense, VCU let their opponent shoot 50.0% from the field on 29 of 58 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and getting 4 steals. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they collected 32 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Rams knocked down 8 of their 9 shots for a percentage of 88.9%. VCU wrapped up the contest with a 48.3% field goal percentage (28 of 58) and converted 11 out of their 31 shots from beyond the arc.

Phillip Russell is a player who came through for this contest. He walked away from this one shooting 62.5% from the floor and also totaled 3 assists. He was on the court for 27 minutes played and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He recorded 26 points on 10 out of 16 shooting.

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VCU steps onto the hardwood with a record of 10-4 on the year. They are turning it over 12.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, VCU is pulling in 37.6 boards per contest and has racked up 222 dimes for the year, which ranks 64th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Rams are shooting 32.0% on shots from beyond the arc (133 of 416) and 70.6% from the free throw line. They average 77.4 pts per game (136th in Division 1) while shooting 44.9% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Rams are forcing their opponents into 15.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.0 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 29.8% on shots from downtown while they are 16th in college in points per game allowed (62.4). The Rams defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 39.5% (306 of 775) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per game as a group. They currently rank 28th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 131 surrendered on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Loyola Ramblers took a loss by a score of 71-68 when they played Murray State. The Ramblers were able to corral 19 defensive boards and 1 offensive rebounds totaling 20 in this matchup. They turned the ball over 16 times, while earning 6 steals for this contest. Murray State was called for 18 fouls in this matchup which took the Ramblers to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to convert 14 of those for a clip of 66.7%. With respect to shots from distance, Loyola made 4 of 12 attempts (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Ramblers went 25 for 40 from the floor which had them shooting 62.5%. The Ramblers allowed Murray State to bury 21 out of 43 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 48.8% for the game. They finished shooting 41.2% from distance by shooting 7 out of 17 and finished the game at 22 out of 33 from the charity stripe (66.7%). In reference to rebounding, Loyola allowed Murray State to collect 16 overall (3 on the offensive glass).

Miles Rubin pitched in for the Ramblers for the contest. He recorded 16 points in his 25 mins on the hardwood and had 2 assists for this contest. He buried 7 of 7 for this contest for a rate of 100.0%, and had 2 rebounds.

Loyola has a win-loss record of 9-4 so far this year. The Ramblers are responsible for committing 18.6 personal fouls per game and they go 65.0% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 16.7 times per contest (58th in college) and they are turning it over 12.4 times per game. Loyola has scored 1,004 points this year (77.2 per contest) and they pull in 36.5 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Ramblers are hitting on 47.7% from the floor, which is ranked 75th in the nation.

The Ramblers on defense are ranked 73rd in D-1 in PPG given up with 66.5. They are forcing 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (112th in D-1). The Loyola defense gives up 33.1% on 3-point shots (91 of 275) and their opponents are connecting on 69.8% of their foul shots. They allow 11.0 assists and 31.6 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 53rd and 59th in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take VCU

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