Vegas Play of the Day: UNR vs. Loyola Chicago

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Thursday, March 22, 2018 | 12:35 p.m.

We’ve entered the fourth season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won back-to-back titles in the 2015-2016 and 2016-17 seasons, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015.

UNR minus-1 vs. Loyola Chicago: $1,050 to win $1,000

UNR has finally met its match when it comes to playing style, as Loyola Chicago also adheres to the analytically sound strategy of shooting a lot of 3's, taking a lot of shots near the rim and eschewing most midrange attempts. So UNR won't have the same built-in advantage over Loyola that it did over its more traditional first-weekend opponents, Texas and Cincinnati.

But the Wolf Pack will still have a significant talent advantage. Top scorer Caleb Martin was not that effective against Cincinnati, scoring 10 points and making just 2 of 7 from 3-point range, but the rest of the team was able to cover for his poor shooting day. Cody Martin picked up the slack with a team-high 25 points, and the Pack stunned Cincy with a late comeback.

If Caleb Martin is on his game — and it's tough to envision him having two bad performances in a row — it will be difficult for Loyola Chicago to match UNR's offensive output.

That's not to say Loyola is doomed. The Ramblers rank 19th in the nation in 3-point accuracy at 39.8 percent, exactly one spot ahead of No. 20 UNR at 39.6 percent, so whichever team makes the most long bombs will probably win. But this is another favorable matchup for UNR. Lay the points and cash in as the Pack roll on to the Elite 8.

Current Standings: Granger (17-14, $12,419), Keefer (28-23-1, $10,946), Brewer (24-23-1, $8,500), Grimala (13-18, $6,815)