ACC foes will battle when the Louisville Cardinals (16-7, 6-4 ACC) take on the Syracuse Orange (15-8, 4-6 ACC) at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville opened as a 6.5-point favorite, while the games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 132.5 points. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, February 5, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN.
Syracuse Orange vs. Louisville Cardinals ATS Preview
The Orange fell to the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers in their last outing, 59-44. With 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting, Tyus Battle was the games high scorer. Virginia held the Orange to an effective field goal percentage of 0.373 (below their season average of 0.473). Syracuse, meanwhile, had a turnover percentage of 11.3 (better than their season average of 16.6).
The last time the Cardinals played, they were beaten by the Florida State Seminoles, 80-76. Deng Adel was the games high scorer with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting. Florida State held the Cardinals to an offensive rebounding percentage of 15.4 (below their season average of 30.8). Louisville, meanwhile, had a better turnover percentage (14.6 vs. 15.0).
Points could be at a premium as a pair of the NCAA’s top defenses face off. Louisville ranks 42nd in defensive efficiency (96.6) and Syracuse is 24th (95.3). Also, the Orange rank 11th in offensive rebounding percentage (36.2 percent), while the Cardinals rank 297th in defensive rebounding percentage (68.1 percent).
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Cardinals won both matchups last season. In the most recent contest, Louisville won 88-68. The Cardinals played a nearly perfect game. They had an absurd effective field goal percentage of 0.647 and an absurd offensive rebounding percentage of 43.3. The Orange were 0.429 and 29.7, respectively, for those same stats.
Syracuse Orange vs. Louisville Cardinals ATS Prediction
Basketball Tip: SU Winner – Louisville, ATS Winner – Syracuse, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Cardinals rank second in blocks per game (7.0) while the Orange rank 107th in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
- Syracuse averages 7.8 steals per game, which ranks 27th in the nation. Louisville ranks 127th in steals allowed per game (6.4).
- Louisville ranks 20th in assists allowed per game (10.6) while Syracuse ranks 245th (15.7).
- The Orange average 39.0 rebounds per game, which ranks 38th in the nation. The Cardinals rank 247th in rebounds allowed per game (38.1).
- Louisville ranks 118th in three pointers allowed per game (21.4) while Syracuse ranks 246th (24.7).
Betting Trends:
- The Cardinals average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.0, down from 8.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Orange have scored an average of 59.0 points per game (9.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 55.4 points per game (7.3 below their season average).
