NCAA Hoops Predictions – Louisville Cardinals vs West Virginia Mountaineers
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In the Big East, teams are chasing seeding leverage in the upcoming conference tournament.
Louisville Cardinals at West Virginia Mountaineers
Saturday, 12:05 PM ET
Odds: WV -3.5
Total: 129.5
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Big East Showdowns Close Out The Regular Season
It’s going to be a wild scene this weekend at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The beloved Mountaineers will play their Senior Day game and raise the roof in a home finale against a hated neighbor from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Louisville is the school that knocked off West Virginia in the 2005 Albuquerque Regional Final, stopping the Mountaineers in a classic overtime game for a spot in that season’s Final Four.
West Virginia can’t fully compensate for that loss in this game, but the Mountaineers would certainly love to make an upward move in the Big East standings and get a more favorable draw in the upcoming conference tournament in New York City.
A big key in this game will be Louisville’s thin bench. The Cardinals will be playing without forward Rakeem Buckles, who suffered an injury in January, returned to the lineup a few weeks ago, but then re-injured himself this past Sunday in a win over Pittsburgh.
The absence of Buckles will make Louisville a profoundly more limited team, especially at the offensive end of the floor.
West Virginia hangs its hat on defense under coach Bob Huggins, so expect the Mountaineers to shut down Louisville and win a hard-fought grinder that should be played in the 60s. The earlier meeting this season between the two teams resulted in a tense, low-scoring 55-54 home victory for Louisville back on January 26th.
Louisville had no answers for Mountaineers guard Joe Mazzulla as he carved up their defense for 18 points. The Mountaineers were also shorthanded for that contest as Casey Mitchell was forced to sit out the first of a three-game suspension.
If this is another close game, Louisville might have the edge. So far this season, they are 6-1 in games decided by four points or less. But this game may not be as close.
Of the two teams, West Virginia probably feels less secure about their NCAA Tournament berth than Louisville, so they should play with a little bit more urgency.
Take West Virginia, with the injury to Rakeem Buckles being the foremost reason for such a prediction.
NCAAB Betting Trends:
Under is 16-5 in WVA last 21 vs. Big East.
LOUVI are 5-2-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
Pick: West Virginia
