The No. 1 Louisville Cardinals look to stay perfect on the season and atop the ACC standings when they take on the Pittsburgh Panthers as conference play resumes on Friday. The Panthers (7-2, 1-0) have won five in a row and are coming off a 71-60 win over Rutgers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, while the Cardinals (8-0, 1-0) are 6-0 on their home court after dispatching fourth-ranked Michigan 58-43 on Tuesday. Tip-off from Louisville's KFC Yum! Center is set for 9 p.m. ET. Louisville leads the all-time series 17-6, but the teams split a pair of games last season. The Cardinals are 14.5-point favorites in the Louisville vs. Pittsburgh odds, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 125. Before making any Louisville vs. Pitt picks of your own, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Louisville vs. Pittsburgh. We can tell you that the model is leaning over, and has generated a strong against the spread pick that is hitting in well over 60 percent of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see it. Now, here are the betting lines and trends for Pittsburgh vs. Louisville:
- Pittsburgh vs. Louisville spread: Louisville -14.5
- Pittsburgh vs. Louisville over-under: 125 points
- Pittsburgh vs. Louisville money line: Pittsburgh +735, Louisville -1335
- Pittsburgh is averaging 65.8 points per game
- Louisville has won 13 of the past 14 meetings in the series
Louisville has seen plenty of success the past two decades, compiling winning records in each of the past 18 seasons and winning at least 20 games in 17 straight. The Cardinals have won 30 games five times since 2004-05. Under second-year coach Chris Mack, Louisville is 28-14. The Cardinals have earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons. They're currently 10-1 to win it all this year, according to the latest college basketball futures.
Offensively, Louisville is led by junior forward Jordan Nwora, who is averaging a team-high 21.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Against Michigan on Tuesday, Nwora poured in 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. That was after scoring 25 points in the Cardinals' Nov. 29 win over Western Kentucky.
But just because the Cardinals have been dominant this season, does not guarantee they will win or cover the Louisville vs. Pittsburgh spread on Friday.
That's because Pitt looks to be back on track this year following three straight losing seasons. Prior to that, the Panthers were among the nation's best teams, posting winning records in 16 straight years, including 13 with 20 or more victories and two with 30-plus wins. During that stretch, Pittsburgh also earned 13 NCAA Tournament bids.
Leading the Panthers' offense are four players averaging in double figures, including sophomore guard Trey McGowens (12.0 ppg), junior guard Ryan Murphy (11.9 ppg), sophomore guard Xavier Johnson (11.7 ppg) and freshman guard-forward Justin Champagnie (10.9 ppg). Johnson led the way in Tuesday's win over Rutgers with 20 points.
So who wins Pittsburgh vs. Louisville? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pitt vs. Louisville spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last three years, and find out.
