West Georgia Wolves vs Loyola Chicago Ramblers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1
Loyola Chicago won 9 games last season and scored 64.9 points a night. Its opener was dominant on the glass, but 16.5 points is a big ask for an offense with that recent history.
The Matchup
West Georgia visits Loyola Chicago on Thursday night at Gentile Arena in Chicago, with Loyola Chicago a 16.5-point favorite, a total of 143.5, on ESPN+. Loyola Chicago finished 9-24 last season, scoring 64.9 points a game and allowing 76.2. West Georgia finished 15-17, scoring 76.6 and allowing 79.1. Those are last season's numbers, and both rosters look different now.
Loyola's opener was a demolition on the glass. The Ramblers beat The Citadel 77-52 with 22 offensive rebounds, 44 points in the paint, and 21 points off 19 forced turnovers. Dayan Nessah scored 19 points with 9 rebounds, Jason Schofield grabbed 12 rebounds, 9 of them offensive, Guillaume Grotzinger handed out 11 assists, and Chris Jeffrey added 14 points off the bench.
West Georgia's opener was a 75-58 loss at DePaul, a harder test than anything Loyola has faced yet. Justin Redmond led the Wolves with 13 points off the bench on 3-of-5 shooting from three, Chas Lewless added 9 points with a team-high 5 assists, and Kenneth Chime grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds. The team numbers were grim: 33 percent shooting and only 7 free-throw attempts against DePaul's 30.
Key Factors
The glass is the whole fight. Loyola just turned 22 offensive rebounds into a rout, and Schofield alone took 9 of them. West Georgia was outmuscled at DePaul, committed 23 fouls, and lost its best rebounder, Chime, to foul trouble. If the Wolves cannot finish defensive possessions, no spread is big enough, because Loyola will keep scoring on second and third chances.
The other side of the ledger is Loyola's offense over a full season. The Ramblers scored 64.9 points a game last season and were outscored by more than 11 points a night, the worse differential in this matchup. A 16.5-point cover asks that offense to produce a margin it rarely approached against real competition, and West Georgia, for all its flaws at DePaul, scored 76.6 a game last season and has a bench shooter in Redmond who just made shots in a Big East building.
The counterpoint is West Georgia's shot quality. Lewless and Juaquin Dixon combined to shoot 8-of-32 at DePaul, the Wolves attempted only 7 free throws all night, and Loyola's pressure just forced 19 turnovers from The Citadel. If West Georgia's guards are that inefficient again, the Ramblers win the glass, win the turnover battle, and cover walking away. The bet is that Loyola's scoring ceiling keeps the margin south of the number.
Loyola Chicago should win at home, and its rebounding is a real problem for the road team, but this favorite scored too little for too long last season to be trusted with a margin this size, and West Georgia has just enough shooting off its bench to keep answering. Take the points with West Georgia Wolves +16.5 at -112.
Game Information
| Date | Thursday (11/5) |
|---|---|
| Start Time | 7:00 PM CT |
| How to Watch | ESPN+ |
| Venue | Gentile Arena, Chicago |
| Spread | Loyola Chicago Ramblers -16.5 |
| Total | 143.5 |
| Moneyline | Loyola Chicago Ramblers -1,450 |
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