The No. 20 Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1, 2-0 ACC) meet up with the No. 25 Louisville Cardinals (7-1, 2-0) in an ACC showdown at the KFC Yum! Center. The tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Virginia Tech-Louisville college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Virginia Tech is No. 20 and Louisville No. 25 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Virginia Tech at Louisville: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:25 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Virginia Tech +185 (bet $100 to win $185) | Louisville -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Virginia Tech +5.5 (-115) | Louisville -5.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 131.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Virginia Tech at Louisville: Three things to know
- Virginia Tech gritted out an 80-78 win at home vs. Miami as 8-point favorites Dec. 29. The Hokies were outshot from everywhere on the floor, had fewer rebounds and assists but won the turnover battle 19-11 thanks to tallying a season-high in steals (12). Virginia Tech had its most recent scheduled game vs. Virginia canceled due to a positive COVID test on the Cavaliers’ staff.
- The Cardinals went into Boston College and crushed the Golden Eagles 76-64 as 6.5-point favorites Saturday. Louisville’s defense smothered Boston College, holding them to 33.3% field-goal shooting (24.2% from three) and six assists while out-rebounding the Golden Eagles 43-30.
- Louisville has beaten Virginia Tech in four straight meetings (4-0 ATS) and is 7-0 vs. the Hokies since joining the ACC in 2014. However, the Cardinals have a lot of new faces in the fold as four of the highest scorers from the last Virginia Tech-Louisville game are no longer on the team.
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Virginia Tech at Louisville: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Virginia Tech 65, Louisville 59
Money line (ML)
I lean VIRGINIA TECH (+185) for a quarter-unit because I plan on taking them plus the points, and it’s my general basketball gambling strategy to sprinkle on an underdog’s money line when betting them to cover.
Against the spread (ATS)
GIMME VIRGINIA TECH +5.5 (-115) for 1.5 units. This is mostly a fade the market play since Louisville is a more popular basketball program. According to Pregame.com, more than 70% of the money is on Louisville yet the Cardinals’ spread is getting cheaper. That tells me that bookmakers are comfortable taking pro-Louisville money.
Also, the head-to-head trends are more common knowledge than people realize, and trust me, the bookmakers know the recent history between these two sides. However, Virginia Tech retained 60% of its scoring from last year’s team and Louisville just 25% (according to Sports-Reference.com).
The Hokies are ready to get off the schneid against a Louisville team that’s dominated them since entering the ACC
Over/Under (O/U)
This bad boy is going UNDER 131.5 (-110). Virginia Tech is 305th out of 344 charted schools in pace of play, and Louisville is 325th. Each are above average in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but the execution on offense will have pinpoint for this to go Over if these teams are going to play as slow as they usually do.
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