Syracuse Orange at Louisville Cardinals, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
Saturday, February 12, 2011, 12:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Louisville -3
Current Line: Louisville -2.5
Opening Total: 137.5
Current Total: 137.5
Money Line: Louisville -140 / Syracuse +120
The 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals (18-6, 7-4 Big East) are expected to have some more depth on Saturday when they host the 12th-ranked Syracuse Orange after they simply ran out of gas in their last game at Notre Dame on Wednesday. The Cardinals (-2.5) are coming off a tough 89-79 overtime loss to the Fighting Irish but will likely have starters Rakeem Buckles and Gorgui Dieng back in the lineup as they go for their seventh straight win over the Orange.
Louisville has dominated Syracuse recently, going 7-1-1 against the spread in the last nine meetings, capped by six consecutive straight-up victories. The teams have squared off four times over the past two years, with the Cardinals winning three of those games by exactly 10 points. Last year, they swept the season series by a combined 16 points despite being an underdog in both games.
The Orange also faltered down the stretch against archrival Georgetown on Wednesday, allowing the Hoyas to go on a game-ending 15-3 run en route to a 64-56 victory. Syracuse had won six straight meetings at the Carrier Dome against Georgetown but has now lost five of seven following an 18-0 start. The Orange looked like they were back on track after winning two in a row and still played solid defense for the third straight game despite losing to the Hoyas.
Syracuse held Austin Freeman to 14 points on 6 of 15 shooting two games after limiting UConn’s Kemba Walker to a season-low eight points on 3 of 14 shooting in a 66-58 road victory. The Orange have given up an average of 57 points in their last three games after surrendering 74 or more in their previous four games during a season-high four-game losing streak.
Louisville had well defensively as well before losing at Notre Dame, allowing its previous four opponents to score an average of less than 63 points. That included a 79-78 road win in double overtime against the Huskies that was tied at 59-59 at the end of regulation.
After another game that went an extra session against the Irish, the Cardinals will be happy to have Buckles and Dieng back from injuries. Buckles has been out since breaking his left index finger leading up to a New Year’s Eve game against Kentucky while Dieng has missed the last four games following a concussion.
Rebounding could very well be the key in this matchup, as Syracuse was outrebounded by a 28-21 margin by Georgetown after holding the edge in the previous two games – both wins. The Orange were also outrebounded in three of their four losses during their recent skid. In addition, they will need a much better effort from junior point guard Scoop Jardine, who is averaging 6.3 points on 24 percent shooting in the last three games.
Now that you have read this Big East college basketball betting preview featuring Louisville & Syracuse, check out the NCAA basketball odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
