The No. 16 Louisville Cardinals will get their season started when they square off with the George Mason Patriots (1-0) at KFC Yum! Center. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 144.5 points with Louisville opening as an 18-point favorite. Action starts at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 12, 2017, and it can be seen on ESPN Full Court.
George Mason Patriots vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview
In the Patriots’ last contest, they edged the Lafayette Leopards, 67-65. Jaire Grayer was George Mason’s high scorer with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. George Mason played a nearly perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.145 and a turnover percentage of 15.0. Lafayette was 0.000 and 17.6, respectively, for those same stats.
Louisville made it to the Second Round last season as a two seed in the tournament, where they fell to the Michigan Wolverines. The Cardinals went 24-8 in the regular season.
Louisville should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. Since the 2016-17 season, Louisville ranks 28th in the nation at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.2 percent), while George Mason forced the second-fewest turnovers (14.6 percent).
The Patriots have had records of 21-13 straight up (SU) and 16-13-1 against the spread (ATS) since last season. George Mason games have had a tendency to finish over the projected point total since last season (63.3 percent).
The Cardinals, on the other hand, were 24-8 SU and 18-13-1 ATS last season. Of the Cardinals’ 32 games last year, 17 finished under the O/U total.
George Mason Patriots at Louisville Cardinals Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Louisville, ATS Winner – George Mason, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Cardinals rank 100th in steals per game (6.7) while the Patriots rank 238th (5.1).
- George Mason averages 40.1 rebounds per game, which ranks 12th in the nation. Louisville ranks 86th in rebounds allowed per game (33.5).
- Louisville averages 5.4 blocks per game, which ranks 10th in the nation. George Mason ranks 211th in blocks allowed per game (4.0).
- The Cardinals rank 22nd in assists allowed per game (10.8) while the Patriots rank 189th (13.7).
- Louisville ranks 92nd in three pointers allowed per game (19.8) while George Mason ranks 245th (22.7).
