Loyola Chicago vs. Oregon State Projected Odds: Our Spread, Total for NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

#8 Loyola Chicago vs. #12 Oregon St. Odds

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How Houston & Oregon St. Match Up

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What To Know About Loyola Chicago

Loyola’s defensive success is predicated on its “No Middle” philosophy and its tireless on-ball pressure in the half-court. The results are staggering, and it starts with Lucas Williamson. The MVC Defensive Player of the Year is one of the best lockdown defenders you’ll ever see, and he excels at taking away an opponent’s top scoring option.

Collectively, Loyola’s defense is elite in nearly every metric. The Ramblers don’t give up easy looks, rebound the ball at a high level and do it all without fouling, so it’s no surprise they rank No. 3 in Adjusted Deficiency, per KenPom.

They play at a very slow place and don’t give an inch on the defensive end of the floor. A transition-reliant team does not want to run into Loyola. The offense runs through crafty big man Cameron Krutwig in the post and is not easy to prepare for.

This is a bona-fide top-20 (potentially top-10) team in the nation with Final Four experience and an excellent coach. — Mike Calabrese

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What To Know About Oregon St.

The Beavers entered the Pac-12 Tournament as a 5-seed, winning three straight to become conference champions despite having some of the longest odds to do so.

The Beavers beat UCLA, Oregon and Colorado to bring their combined Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 record to 7-9. Oregon State shot 29-of-66 from beyond the arc in the Pac-12 Tournament, a stark contrast from 33% in conference play for a rank of 10th in conference. This will be coach Wayne Tinkle’s second trip to the dance with Oregon State since taking over in 2015, as the coach had three other trips with Montana.

Oregon State plays a unique shifting zone, giving opponents multiple looks and potential problems. One area the Beavers struggle is defensive free-throw rate with a national rank of 303rd. The Beavers do defend the perimeter with a defensive 3-point percentage that ranks 58th nationally, but a lack of presence in the paint could be problematic versus opponents that are dominant on the block.

Still, this is a team with a decent offensive free-throw rate and has a top-40 free-throw shooting percentage. The Beavers are getting hot offensively during the right time of year. — Collin Wilson