The Louisville Cardinals (10-3) will try to lengthen their five-game home winning streak in a matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers (8-6, 0-1 ACC) at KFC Yum! Center. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, 2018, and will air on ESPNU.
Louisville opened as a 16.5-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 137.5 points.
Pittsburgh Panthers at Louisville Cardinals ATS Prediction
The last time the Panthers played, they were topped by the No. 15 Miami (FL) Hurricanes, 67-53. Miami (FL) won the rebounding battle. The Hurricanes had nine offensive rebounds and 31 total rebounds, while the Panthers had four and 23, respectively. Shamiel Stevenson was the top scorer from either team with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
The Cardinals lost big to the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats in their last outing, 90-61. Kentucky made good use of their 30 trips to the charity stripe, converting on 24 of them (80.0 percent). Louisville, meanwhile, was 10-13 (76.9 percent). With 12 points and 11 rebounds, Raymond Spalding had a good performance for Louisville.
Louisville should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. Louisville ranks 52nd in the nation at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.8 percent), while Pittsburgh forces the 70th-fewest turnovers (17.5 percent). Also, the Panthers rank 252nd in offensive efficiency (101.4), while the Cardinals rank 47th in defensive efficiency (93.8).
Pittsburgh heads into the contest with records of 8-6 straight up (SU) and 5-4 against the spread (ATS). Games involving the Panthers have typically gone under the projected point total (88.9 percent).
Louisville is 10-3 SU, but they struggle covering the spread (3-7-1 ATS). In opposition of Pittsburgh, games involving the Cardinals have a slight tendency to go over the total (54.5 percent).
After the Cardinals won both meetings against the Panthers last season, these teams will battle for the first time this year. In the most recent contest, Louisville won 106-51. The Cardinals had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.672 vs. 0.284) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (43.8 vs. 19.0).
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Louisville Cardinals Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Louisville, ATS Winner – Pittsburgh, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Pittsburgh is 2-2 ATS with 4 unders and 0 overs.
Louisville is 3-4-1 ATS at home with 4 overs and 4 unders.
Louisville ranks 34th in rebounds per game (40.2) while Pittsburgh ranks 174th (34.9).
The Cardinals rank second in blocks per game (8.2) while the Panthers rank 115th in blocks allowed per game (3.8).
Louisville ranks eighth in assists allowed per game (9.8) while Pittsburgh ranks 117th (13.3).
The Cardinals average 7.2 steals per game, which ranks 60th in the nation. The Panthers rank 142nd in steals allowed per game (7.1).
Louisville averages 22.3 three pointers per game, which ranks 135th in the nation. Pittsburgh ranks 139th in three pointers allowed per game (22.3).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Pittsburgh is 2-1 ATS with 3 unders.
Louisville is 1-3 ATS with 3 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Panthers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.6, up from 0.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cardinals have scored an average of 77.6 points per game (0.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 69.0 points per game (2.5 above their season average).
