Despite the picks of many of the so-called experts in college basketball, Ohio State is a slight, slight favorite as far as the oddsmakers are concerned in its matchup with Loyola-Chicago in its first game of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
We’ll have more on this later in the week, but as it stands a few days prior to the game, the Buckeyes are a slight 1.5 point favorite to beat the Ramblers according to Tipico Sportsbook. The two will match up at approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT in Pittsburgh on Friday.
It’s neither team’s flash-in-the-pan moment. OSU has made — or would have made (2020 pandemic cancellation) — five straight NCAA appearances. Loyola, as you will recall, had a magical run to the Final Four in 2018 and followed that up with a Sweet 16 appearance during last year’s NCAA Tournament.
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We will keep an eye on this line as the week progresses because it has already moved slightly with other sportsbooks. The availability of some of OSU’s players that have been in and out of the lineup should have at least a modest effect on where the odds go.
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