Tennessee Volunteers vs Louisville Cardinals NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/9/24
Planning on watching today’s Volunteers and Cardinals game? Catch the action at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY, as the Cardinals hosts this showdown at 12:00 ET on ACCN. The odds for this non-conference game currently have Louisville as the -1.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 154.5 points.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS LOUISVILLE CARDINALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Louisville Cardinals -1.5
This game will be played at KFC Yum! Center at 12:00 ET on Saturday, November 9th.
WHY BET THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 80-66 in favor of the Cardinals.
- Not only will Louisville pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -1.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 154.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 146 points.
Will the Volunteers Find a Way to Win in Louisville?
Tennessee opened their season with an 80-64 win over Gardner-Webb on Monday. Playing at home, the Volunteers were -27 favorites but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 144, just over the 141.5 O/U line.
Tennessee led 44-32 at halftime and added 36 more points in the 2nd half while allowing 32. Though they got the win, they’ll look to tighten up defensively moving forward.
Tennessee’s offense was clicking in their last game, putting up 80 points with a field goal percentage of 50.9% and an effective field goal percentage of 58.2%. They hit 62.5% of their two-point attempts, while connecting on 34.8% from beyond the arc, making 8 threes in total. At the free-throw line, they shot 76.2%, hitting 16 of 21 attempts.
Darryl Simmons II led the way with 22 points, shooting 4/10 from three-point range. Chaz Lanier added 18 points, hitting 4 of 6 from deep, while Jordan Gainey contributed 16 points on 7/9 shooting overall. Zakai Zeigler dished out 9 assists, though he struggled from three, missing all 6 of his attempts.
Despite Tennessee’s defensive struggles, allowing 64 points on 50% shooting, they managed to hold their opponent to just 8 offensive rebounds. The Volunteers gave up 62% shooting from two-point range, with the opposing team hitting 20 of 32 attempts.
From beyond the arc, Tennessee’s defense allowed 8 threes on 23 attempts, a 34% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 16 free throws at a 76% clip.
Will the Cardinals Defense Show Up at Home?
Louisville Cardinals Recent Game/Games
Louisville opened their season with a dominant 93-45 win over Morehead State on Monday. The Cardinals, playing at home, were -21.5 point favorites and covered the spread with ease. The total points for the game were 138, falling short of the 148-point O/U line.
Louisville took control early, leading 41-14 at halftime, and continued their strong play in the 2nd half, scoring 52 points while allowing 31.
Louisville put up 93 points in their latest game, shooting 45.1% from the field and 53.5% in effective field goal percentage. They hit 60% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 30.6% of their threes (11/36). At the free-throw line, they shot 64.3%, making 18 of 28 attempts.
The Cardinals dished out 21 assists and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. Kasean Pryor led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes, while J’Vonne Hadley added 15 points, hitting 3 of 5 from deep. Terrence Edwards Jr. and Reyne Smith each contributed 12 points, with Smith knocking down 4 threes at a 44.4% rate.
Louisville’s defense gave up 45 points while allowing the opponent to shoot 45% from the field, with 32 made baskets on 71 attempts. Inside the arc, they were 21/35, hitting 60% of their two-point shots.
From three-point range, the opponent shot 11/36, making 30% of their threes. They also went 18/28 from the free-throw line, shooting 64%. Louisville allowed 14 offensive rebounds.