At times this season Loyola Chicago has looked like the best team in the Atlantic 10. Yet, oddsmakers have ignored a clear rest advantage in today’s matchup against Saint Louis. The Ramblers will be stepping on the court for the first time in six days, while the Billikens played yesterday. That has to do with Saint Louis controlling both matchups this year against Loyola Chicago. They defeated them by 31 points on March 1st, and had Loyola on the ropes in the first matchup late before folding in the final minutes. Take the Billikens who probably are the most confident against Loyola then any other A-10 team.

The revenge angle gets a test here after that 98-67 Billikens blowout of the Ramblers back on March 1. Saint Louis seemed to be able to do anything it wished in that meeting just short of two weeks ago, hitting better than 58% from the floor and almost 53% beyond the arc. The Ramblers had no answers for Billikens G Gibson Jimmerson, who scored 33, or Josh Schertz's bespectacled Indiana State transfer C Robbie Avila, who kept getting to the FT line while scoring 28. Both hit Friday on an uptick and the Billikens got their feet wet in this event with a win over Davidson on Thursday, paced by G Isaiah Swope's 26 points. Play Saint Louis (A-10 at Washington, D.C.)

Loyola Chicago ranks 316th in Haslametrics' away-from-home metric. The Ramblers face a hot Billikens team in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. On March 1, Saint Louis destroyed visiting Loyola, 98-67. While the fourth-seeded Rambers have won seven of eight and own a big rest advantage, the fifth-seeded Billikens have more firepower, led by Robbie Avila, GIbson Jimerson and Isaiah Swope. In addition, true freshman Amari McCottry is emerging, scoring in double digits three times in the past six games. In Thursday's 83-75 win over Davidson, McCottry went 5 for 5 for 15 points.