Bet On College Basketball: Louisville vs West Virginia
The Big East is once again loaded with quality teams. Louisville and West Virginia are in the middle of the pack, but they are pretty good teams.
NCAA Basketball Matchup: Louisville vs. West Virginia
12:00 PM EST
College Basketball Gambling Odds from BetOnline
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: West Virginia -3
Over/Under: 134.5
Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins are two of the best coaches in the nation. Both coaches have young teams with plenty of talent, but they both have some clear weaknesses. Let’s take a closer look at this Big East matchup.
Louisville has won five straight games.
The Cardinals beat UConn 80-59 this past Monday night. It was the Cardinals best performance of the season thus far.
Louisville has had some key injuries this year, but this is still a team with plenty of depth. Six players average at least 8.6 points per game for the Cardinals. Chane Behanan is starting to realize his potential, which has helped this team quite a bit of late. Behanan is a versatile forward who averages 9.6 points and 7.9 boards per game.
Russ Smith and Chris Smith form a nice tandem at the two-guard spot. Kyle Kuric is the team’s leading scorer. Louisville has been winning games with their terrific defense. Gorgui Dieng is a beast in the middle for Louisville, and he averages 3.4 blocks per game. The Cardinals allow opponents to shoot just 36.9% from the floor.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
Bob Huggins squad has had some rough losses this year. The team has lost three games in overtime. They’ve lost two others in regulation by a total of six points. The Mountaineers are just 16-9, and they really need a win in this game. Kevin Jones is the heart and soul of this team. Jones averages 20.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
He might not get the recognition of some others, but he deserves to be in the conversation for Player of the Year. Darryl Bryant is a scoring point guard who averages 16.9 points per contest. The problem with him is that he is shooting only 37% from the floor this year. Deniz Kilicli is a bit unconventional in the post, but he is a very solid player.
The Mountaineers defense has been disappointing this year. Opponents are shooting 44.2% from the floor against West Virginia.
Both teams will want this win, but the Mountaineers need it very badly. Look for West Virginia to pull out a nice win at home.
Prediction: West Virginia 68 Louisville 63
