Gambling NewsSports Betting News

Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview

One of the most heated basketball rivalries in all of college basketball will get its latest edition on Saturday as No. 3 Louisville travels to somehow still ranked Kentucky, which is 19th in the country this week.

Louisville comes back from the Christmas break having won two in a row since dropping its first game of the season to Texas Tech in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10. The Cardinals should also be primed for a huge post-holiday run as they are now completely healthy having had both David Johnson and Malik Williams back for eight games.

Given the 10 days off to get some quality practice time in, Louisville should be running as a fully cohesive unit on Saturday.

The Cardinals are, of course, led by All-American Jordan Nwora at 21 points and eight rebounds per game. Frontcourt mate Steven Enoch has come into his own this season, averaging 11 points and seven boards per game.

Kentucky comes into Saturday’s game loser of two in a row and has not beaten a top 100 Kenpom team since opening night against a shorthanded Michigan State team. The Wildcats were beaten by a very mediocre Utah team in Las Vegas and followed that up with a close loss to Ohio State three days later.

John Calipari’s bunch has a well-balanced attack with four players logging double-digit points per game and six players averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. Ashton Hagans leads the way with 13.9 points per game. The problem has been three-point shooting, as the Wildcats currently rank 330th in the nation in three-point shooting at 27.8 percent on the season.

Kentucky is a two-point favorite for this game, while the over/under has been set at 131.

Needing A Road Win

Louisville has not played a true road game since opening night, an 87-74 win over conference foe Miami. The Cardinals are 7-5 against the spread and 5-6-1 on the over/under.

However, Louisville is 5-1 ATS over its last six games, with its only loss being the game against the Red Raiders.

Hoping To Bounce Back

Kentucky comes into this game 4-7 against the spread and loser of four of its last five ATS. The Wildcats also went under in three in a row prior to their game against the Buckeyes.

The good news is that Kentucky has won two in a row against Louisville and leads the all-time series by a dominant 36-16 tally.

Pick and Prediction

What it all boils down to is Louisville is simply a better team in almost every aspect of the game. The Cardinals rank higher than the Wildcats in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and effective field-goal percentage on offense and on defense.

The Cardinals shoot better from deep and defend the three-point line better than the Wildcats. Both teams are slow in regards to tempo, and both are incredible athletic equating to quality defense on the ball and at the rim.

The under is the smartest play. Kentucky’s inability to shoot from beyond the arc has to make you think it will have a hard time keeping up with a team that can shoot it at an elite level. Take Louisville to cover and play the over.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also
Close