Louisville has the higher ranking but must go on the road for this showdown. Virginia not only has the home court advantage but has also been a tad better in the conference. Both are aiming for the top of the standings but there are many teams pushing for it with so many top-tier squads facing off.
The ACC has great games seemingly each week and this one should be added to the list.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Monday, February 6, 2017, at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Monday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Louisville is 18-4 straight up and 15-5 against the spread. The Cardinals have played four true road games this season and have covered in three of them. Louisville has been the favorite the majority of the time and is 12-4 against the spread when giving points. The Cardinals may be the underdog in this one and has covered in three of four games in that role.
Virginia is 16-4 straight up and 13-6 against the spread. The Cavaliers have played in nine home games and have covered in five of them. Virginia is 10-6 against the spread as the favorite on the year and has covered in all three games as the underdog.
Player to Watch
Donovan Mitchell – The sophomore guard for Louisville enters this matchup on the heels of two monster games and will look for another strong performances against the Cavaliers. Mitchell scored a career-high 29 points in the Cardinals’ 106-51 win over Pitt on January 24th and finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in the team’s win over NC State on January 29th.
Mitchell is the team’s leading scorer this season, averaging 14.8 points per game. These breakout performances came after the youngster was held to a season-low six points in Louisville’s 73-68 loss to No. 10 Florida State on January 21st.
The sophomore has scored 20 points or more in five of Louisville's last ten games. Included in that stretch is his 25-point performance against No. 16 Indiana.
Key Stat
53.4. That’s how many points opponents are averaging per game against this Virginia defense. The team ranks No. 1 in the nation for points against.
The Cavaliers have held 15 opponents to 54 points or below this including holding four opponents to less than 40. Virginia defeated Virginia Tech 71-48 on February 1st and also defeated No. 14 Notre Dame 71-54.
Despite the team’s recent loss to No. 1 Villanova, Virginia kept things close, falling by just two points and held the top team in the nation to just 61 points. Louisville is averaging 78 points per game coming into this matchup.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
It’s clear both of these teams are among the nation’s best and are jockeying for high seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Virginia beat Louisville 61-53 earlier this season on the road, which should give it plenty of confidence for this matchup.
Devon Hall had 10 points and the Cavaliers controlled that game from start to finish, using its tough defense to suffocate the Cardinals. Louisville is a really good team and will aim to pull off the road upset, but that may be too much to ask.
Virginia has the defensive wherewithal to control this one at home and sweep the season series to add an important ‘W’ to the win column.
College Basketball Odds: Virginia 66, Louisville 62
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