The No. 11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers continued their run, defeating the No. 7 Nevada Wolfpack, 69-68, on Thursday, March 22, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. Nevada failed to cover the 2.5-point spread. The game went under the total of 143.5.
Loyola-Chicago will move on to face the winner of Kentucky and Kansas State, who were set to square off later Thursday night.
Odds for that Elite 8 showdown will soon be released by BetDSI Sportsbook, but we anticipate Loyola-Chicago will remain an underdog. The Ramblers seem comfortable in that role.
Nevada defeated Texas and Cincinnati in two close games to advance to the Sweet 16. Loyola-Chicago also played in two competitive games in the tournament’s Rounds of 64 and 32. The Ramblers defeated Miami by 2 (on a last-second 3-pointer) and Tennessee by 1.
This matchup was back-and-forth. Nevada threatened to scrap back in the second half, but the Ramblers held on. Marques Townes led Loyola-Chicago with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
“Marques Townes was the best player on the court tonight,” said Loyola junior guard Clayton Custer after the game.
The Ramblers won the rebounding battle, 32-24. Loyola also had 15 assists to Nevada’s eight.
Nevada was given moderate odds to win the tournament, with BetDSI pegging the Wolfpack at +25000 to cut down the nets in San Antonio. Loyola-Chicago had much slimmer odds at +60000.
Here are the pre-tourney odds for every team:
Odds to Win 2018 NCAA Tournament
Villanova +400
Duke +550
Virginia +600
Michigan State +750
Michigan +1000
Purdue +1250
Arizona +1300
Kansas +1700
North Carolina +2000
Xavier +2200
Kentucky +2300
Cincinnati +2500
Gonzaga +2500
West Virginia +3500
Wichita State +4000
Texas Tech +4500
Tennessee +4500
Auburn +6000
Ohio State +7500
Rhode Island +10000
Missouri +10000
Florida +12000
Texas A&M +15000
Clemson +15000
Houston +15000
TCU +17000
Virginia Tech +17000
Alabama +20000
Seton Hall +20000
Butler +20000
NC State +21000
Arkansas +22000
Miami +22000
Nevada +25000
Providence +25000
UCLA +25000
Texas +28000
Creighton +28000
Florida State +28000
Kansas State +30000
Oklahoma +30000
Arizona State +35000
Syracuse +35000
New Mexico State +50000
Davidson +50000
St. Bonaventure +50000
Pennsylvania +55000
Loyola Chicago +60000
San Diego State +65000
Montana +75000
Wright State +75000
Stephen F. Austin +75000
South Dakota State +75000
Buffalo +100000
Texas Southern +100000
Radford +100000
Iona +100000
UMBC +100000
LIU Brooklyn +100000
NC Central +100000
UNC Greensboro +100000
Lipscomb +100000
CS Fullerton +100000
Georgia State +100000
Murray State +100000
