The NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 15th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18. No. 7 seed Ohio State will face No. 10 seed Loyola-Chicago in the first round on Friday. Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the Buckeyes and Ramblers in this year’s March Madness Tournament.
Once the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.
Game date: Friday, March 18th
Game time: 12:15 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
Odds: Loyola-Chicago -2
No. 7 Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes had a bit of a clunky year with a COVID-19 outbreak that caused for a mad dash in the final days of the regular season to make up games. The Buckeyes were among the Big Ten contenders till late in the regular season, and they lost four of their last five games heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State is completely led by their play on the offensive end, and they could be in real trouble with a bad day offensively because their defense can really struggle to get consistent stops. EJ Liddell will be relied upon a ton as the team’s top scorer especially with the number of injuries the Buckeyes have seen this season.
Record: 19-11, 12-8 BIg Ten
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 13
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 131
Against The Spread: 15-15
Over Total: 18-12
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +8000
No. 10 Loyola-Chicago
Sister Jean is back in the dance! Loyola has made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and has cemented itself as a strong mid-major program. The Ramblers don’t have a star but play fundamental basketball on both ends of the floor. They will be a tough out once again in March Madness. Drew Valentine’s first season in Rogers Park has been successful no matter how the run ends.
Record: 25-7, 13-5 MVC
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 42
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 22
Against The Spread: 13-17-1
Over Total: 14-17
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +15000