The Miami Hurricanes showed well in the non-conference season, but have dealt with their fair share of struggles as the competition has improved in the ACC slate. The Hurricanes are barely hanging in the national rankings but can pick up a signature victory if they can knock off the Louisville Cardinals this week.
Miami is the inferior team but does have the home court advantage, which will be a big boost. The Hurricanes are hoping to claim the victory but are facing off against a Louisville team which has looked really good of late.
Miami could be favored but this is looking like a competitive showdown.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, January 24, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at the Watsco Center. This game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Louisville is 15-4 straight up and 9-8 against the spread. The Cardinals have played five games on the road this season and covered in three of them. Louisville is 3-2 this season as the underdog.
Miami is 14-4 straight up and 9-7 against the spread. The Hurricanes have played five times at home this season and have covered in two of them. Miami has covered in seven of 12 attempts at home on the season.
Key Stat
1. That’s the number of conference losses for Louisville on the season, which is the second-fewest in the vaunted ACC. That is fewer losses than Duke, North Carolina, Miami and others. Only Virginia has done a better job early on in the conference action.
However, Louisville still figures to be the underdog in this matchup against the Hurricanes. The Cardinals had a hectic offseason which included the firing of legendary coach Rick Pitino amidst a scandal.
Louisville has been able to right the ship of late and will be an interesting wild card team in conference play.
Player To Watch
Dewan Huell —Miami has a lot of balance, as seven different players average more than 8.0 points per game this season. If there is a go-to guy, it may be Huell, the sophomore forward. He leads the team with an average of 13.6 points per game while adding 6.7 rebounds per contest.
Huell is shooting a sparkling 61.7 percent from the floor and the Hurricanes would love to feed him often since he gets such high-percentage looks. While Huell’s production can wax and wane depending on the game, he is usually one of the main options.
Louisville usually plays a tough brand of defense and will aim to control Huell in this matchup.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
The Cardinals are in a nice groove as they enter this matchup on a four-game winning streak. All the games have been close, and if Deng Adel has a big game they may be able to squeak out another one.
However, Miami is playing at home and should have a good chance to emerge victorious. The Hurricanes already have three losses in conference play and can’t afford another one if they are hoping to push for the regular season conference crown.
Both teams have solid starting units and benches, so this one figures to be close throughout. Keep a close eye on the spread. If Louisville is getting too many points, they figure to be the right choice to cover this spread even though Miami is likely to come away with the win.
The scoring total could be interesting. Both teams have pretty good defenses so this could be a lower score than most games. Even so, consider the “under” as the teams could have trouble putting the ball through the hoop.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Miami 73, Louisville 70
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