No. 3 Louisville Cardinals at Seton Hall Pirates
Wednesday, 1/9/12, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Louisville -11
Current Betting Line: Louisville -11
Opening Total: 138
Current Total: 138
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Louisville returns to the floor after a week off from competition, as it picked up its eighth consecutive victory with an 80-62 win over the Providence Friars as 18.5-point home favorites last Wednesday, while going OVER the posted total of 133. “Once our defense catches up to our offense, we have a chance to be a really special team,” stated Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino. The Cardinals are second nationally in turnover margin, which has led directly to 371 of their 1,097 points on the season, which can’t be ignored when making your NCAA basketball picks Wednesday night.
The Cardinals are expected to be without sophomore forward Chane Behanan for 10 days, as he suffered a left high ankle sprain in practice. He is averaging 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds on the season. Louisville has shot 50.1 percent from the field over its last six games, including 39.6 percent from three-point range. The team’s current scoring average of 78.2 is its highest in seven years. The program has the most road victories in the Big East Conference over the last six years, including six wins over ranked opponents.
Seton Hall had its seven-game win streak snapped in a 93-74 setback to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as 10-point road underdogs Saturday, while going OVER the posted total of 132.5. “It becomes tough to play in this league with just one power forward and one center,” commented Pirates head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates have been able to strike against opponents from beyond the arc, as they lead all Big East teams with 133 makes from 3-point range. Seton Hall is 19-10 ATS at home over the last two-plus seasons, with the UNDER going 17-10 in that situation.
The Pirates are led on the offensive end by junior forward Fuquan Edwin, who scored 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting against the Fighting Irish, while averaging 17.9 points per game on the season. Seton Hall is 5-11 all-time in this series, losing the last three meetings, including a 60-51 setback as one-point home underdogs last year.
Sports bettors will likely back the Cardinals due to their 8-2 ATS mark on the road, while the Pirates are 1-4 ATS after a spread loss.
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