Another ACC showdown will be in the works on Wednesday evening as the Louisville Cardinals head to the Big Apple to take on the Syracuse Orange. With that said, we continue our college basketball odds series where we unveil our Louisville-Syracuse prediction and pick.
Fresh off of snapping a lengthy six-game losing streak by hitting the 100-point mark in a 101-92 high scoring affair against Florida State, the Cardinals will be seeking their third conference win of the season. Furthermore, the opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time since late November will be on the table. It hasn't been the type of season that the Cardinals would've liked to have, but there is still a chance to play the role of spoiler against the Orange.
Meanwhile, Syracuse's tournament chances are officially on life support. Although the Orange enter Wednesday's matchup with a 14-8 overall record, their 5-6 mark within the ACC ranks in the middle of the pack inside the conference. Clearly, there is plenty of work to be done for Syracuse to spice up their resume, and it starts against Louisville at home.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Louisville-Syracuse Odds
Louisville: +10.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +440
Syracuse: -10.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -610
Over: 153.5 (-115)
Under: 153.5 (-105)
How to Watch Louisville vs. Syracuse
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Louisville Will Cover The Spread/Win
Entering the final stretch of the regular season, could it be possible that Louisville may be finding an identity inside that locker room? It is possible, but Louisville still has a long way to go to get into winning shape by the time the ACC Tournament rolls around.
In order to cover the massive spread as underdogs on the road in a hostile environment, life is still that much sweeter following a win. Against the Seminoles, it was the Cardinals offense that came to life in the most surprising of ways. For a team that only averages 72.8 points per game, Louisville also only shot 27% from three in the ginormous victory. While this was also dumbfounding, give credit to the Cardinals paint play in which Florida State had no answer for Louisville forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. With a season-high 29 points on the night, it will be prove to be these type of unlikely performances that Louisville will desperately need to improve their lousy 1-6 record away from home.
Not to mention, but it will be vital for Louisville to not turn the basketball and play as clean as possible. Versus FSU, Louisville turned it over 16 times and are on average giving the ball away nearly 13 times per contest. If the Cardinals are sloppy from start to finish, then their chances of pulling off the upset will be non-existent.
Why Syracuse Will Cover The Spread/Win
Obviously, Syracuse is looking to discover who they are as a basketball program in the wake of Jim Boeheim's retirement, and while newly appointed head coach Adrian Autry having to fill some large shoes following one of the all-time greats, a slight ounce of growing pains was to be expected. In his first full-time season at the helm, Autry has showed plenty of moxie and confidence that he is the right man for the gig.
Despite the team's overall record not being up to standard, Syracuse sure does love playing front of the home fans. Just like many college basketball squads spread out across the country, the Orange excel at playing within the confines of their home arena. In fact, Syracuse is 10-1 at home this season, with their lone loss coming at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles which took place only a couple weeks ago. Regardless, possessing home-court advantage is a huge superiority factor for Syracuse's chances to send Louisville home packing.
For the most part, Syracuse isn't overly dominant in the paint, but they instead are extremely aggressive in the frontcourt where they average 9.1 steals per game. All in all, Syracuse may not be up to the task to defend consistently down low with Louisville's length, but using its guards to be pests defensively should be a main focus.
Offensively, Syracuse relies heavily on leading scorer Judah Mintz who is averaging a productive 18.2 points per game. In reality, Mintz hasn't scored at least 20 points in his last two games, so there is a chance that the sophomore guard is due for a big evening in the scoring department.
Final Louisville-Syracuse Prediction & Pick
Syracuse doesn't appear to be one of the nation's top 68 teams, but they are surely a better squad than Louisville. Combine this with the fact that the Orange are at home, and this pick becomes a no-brainer.
Final Louisville-Syracuse Prediction & Pick: Syracuse -10.5 (-115)
Follow Us
Subscribe