The Indiana State Sycamores are taking aim at their first winning season in six years as they battle the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers in a key Missouri Valley Conference matchup on Wednesday. The Sycamores (13-8), who are tied for fourth in the MVC at 6-4, are 9-0 at home, while the Ramblers (15-8), who are tied for second in the conference at 7-3 and one game behind Northern Iowa, are 3-4 on the road. Indiana State last posted a winning season in 2013-14 when it went 23-11.
Tip-off from the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind., is set for 6 p.m. ET. The Ramblers are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State odds, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 127.5. Before making any Indiana State vs. Loyola-Chicago picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. It also enters Week 14 of the 2019-20 season on a 33-15 run on all top-rated college basketball picks. Anybody who followed it during that span has seen some huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Indiana State vs. Loyola-Chicago:
- Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State spread: Loyola-Chicago -1.5
- Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State over-under: 127.5 points
- Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State money line: Loyola-Chicago -125, Indiana State +105
- LOYCHI: Loyola-Chicago is fifth in the nation in field goal percentage at 50.2.
- ISU: Indiana State is averaging 69.9 points per game.
Why Loyola-Chicago can cover
The model has taken into account that the Ramblers have won three straight games over Indiana State at Terre Haute and four straight overall. Loyola-Chicago is winning with defense and in its last five victories, the Ramblers have allowed an average of 49.6 points per game, while holding opponents to 39.2 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range. Loyola-Chicago is also 5-1 against the spread in its last six games as a favorite.
The Ramblers are led by junior center Cameron Krutwig, who leads the team in points (15.3), rebounds (8.2) and assists (4.4). He is averaging 17 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals in his last two road games in Missouri Valley Conference play, and ranks in the top six in the conference in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage.
Why Indiana State can cover
Even so, the Ramblers aren't a lock to cover the Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State spread. That's because the Sycamores have won three straight and five of seven overall. They are 161-150 in 10 seasons under coach Greg Lansing. He is just the second coach in program history to record at least 150 victories. Indiana State is also 4-1 against the spread in its last five home games against a team with a losing road record.
Junior guard Tyreke Key powers the Sycamores' offense, averaging 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Key is coming off a 27-point performance in a 78-68 win over Missouri State. He has scored in double figures in 10 of Indiana State's last 12 games, including a 31-point performance against Tennessee State on Dec. 18.
How to make Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, with the simulations predicting a balanced effort from the Sycamores and big contributions from the Loyola-Chicago bench. The model also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Loyola-Chicago vs. Indiana State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last three years, and find out.
