Syracuse at Louisville odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Wednesday’s Syracuse Orange at Louisville Cardinals odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks, tips and predictions.

Atlanta Coast Conference foes clash when the Louisville Cardinals (11-4, 6-3 ACC) host the Syracuse Orange (12-6, 6-5) Wednesday at KFC Yum! Center. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Syracuse-Louisville college basketball odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

Syracuse at Louisville: Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at noon ET.

  • Money line: Syracuse +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Louisville -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
  • Against the spread/ATS: Syracuse +4.5 (-110) | Louisville -4.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under: 140.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Syracuse at Louisville: Three things to know

  1. Louisville was a little shaky in ACC play prior to its 16-day layoff due to COVID-19 issues. The Cardinals lost three of their last five games, all vs. conference opponents, and went 2-3 ATS over those games. The Cardinals have a massive edge in rebounding as they rank 20th in rebounds per game whereas the Orange are 304th in opponent’s offensive rebounding percentage.
  2. The Orange have been marginally better lately, going 3-2 straight up but 1-4 ATS over their last five games. They were drubbed by at least 17 points in road losses against then-No. 6 Virginia and Clemson.
  3. Louisville-Syracuse is turning into an annual February ACC classic as the last seven meetings have taken place in February. The Cardinals won four of those contests including a 90-66 whooping they put on Syracuse last season as 8.5-point home favorites.

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Syracuse at Louisville: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Syracuse 71, Louisville 63

Money line (ML)

lean SYRACUSE (+165) for a tiny wager because taking the Orange to cover the spread is a much better play. If you have a big enough bankroll then sprinkle on Syracuse’s money line.

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Against the spread (ATS)

This is a good matchup for Syracuse despite getting crushed last season by Louisville. First, the top five scorers for the Cardinals in last year’s Louisville-Syracuse game are either no longer with the program or inactive while the three top scorers for Syracuse are playing in this year’s game.

Second, Syracuse likes to get out in transition where it can get easy looks—the Orange are 26th in percentage of transition field-goal attempts—and Louisville is 199th in opponent’s effective field-goal percentage in transition.

Finally, the hallmark of Syracuse Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim’s career is his 2-3 zone and Louisville doesn’t have a style to break it. The Cardinals rank 304th in 3-point attempt rate and 263rd in 3-point percentage.

BET SYRACUSE +4.5 (-110) heavier than or instead of the money line.

Over/Under (O/U)

Both teams are bad 3-point shooting teams and have a defensive scheme that should make it difficult for their opponent to score. Also, Louisville is one of the slower-paced teams in the nation (313th in pace) and its rebounding edge will help the Cardinals play at their pace.

GIMME UNDER 140.5 (-110) for a quarter-unit.

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Syracuse at Louisville odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Friday’s Syracuse Orange at Louisville Cardinals sports betting odds and lines, with college football betting picks, tips and predictions.

The Syracuse Orange (1-7 overall, 1-6 ACC) visit the Louisville Cardinals (2-6, 1-6) in an ACC game under the lights at Cardinal Stadium Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Syracuse-Louisville college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

Syracuse at Louisville: Betting odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:13 p.m. ET.

  • Money line: Syracuse +650 (bet $100 to win $650) | Louisville -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100)
  • Against the spread/ATS: Syracuse +19.5 (-110) | Louisville -19.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under: 55.5 (O: -1060 | U: -115)

Syracuse at Louisville: Three things to know

  • Syracuse was off last week but is riding a five-game losing streak into this contest at UL. Over that stretch, SU has scored more than 21 points just once. The Orange head into Friday’s tilt averaging just 18.2 points per game (113th FBS).
  • Louisville lost 31-17 at Virginia Saturday, and the Cardinals head into this one having lost two in a row and six of their last seven. Over those seven games, the Cardinals have been gashed for 207.6 rushing yards per game. For the season, UL ranks 94th against the rush (196.5 yards per game).
  • Cardinal Stadium operations staff would do well to make sure all the scoreboard bulbs are fresh for this one. Orange-Cardinals games of recent vintage have been high-octane affairs. The winning team has scored over 50 points in each of the last four meetings in the series; 323 combined points were tallied over those four games.

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Syracuse at Louisville: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Louisville 38, Syracuse 24

Money line (ML)

The analysis on this one — on the ML, ATS and O/U plays — is 100% price-related. The Syracuse offense is a legitimate bottom-quartile bunch in any kind of measure. It is an SU offense, though, that is due some upside regression in the red zone (Syracuse ranks 121st in FBS, scoring on just 64.7% of its red-zone opportunities). The Louisville defense has been gashed by big plays but is an otherwise capable group and one better than what’s indicated by recent troubles.

The Orange defense has credible numbers in preventing big plays, and that’s a key to staying within a couple of scores of UL. Still, the Cardinals are a worthy favorite — at -375 or -13 points. TAKE SYRACUSE +650 for the possibility of better than a 6-to-1 return on your investment.

Against the spread (ATS)

The Orange have logged two ATS wins by comfortable margins over their last three games. This one may not be as comfortable, but SU is the lean: BACK THE ORANGE +19.5 (-110).

Over/Under (O/U)

The Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the Orange and Cardinals. Overall, the upside of the number is 7-0 over Louisville’s last seven games as a favorite.

Recent possession numbers for both SU and UL are slightly lower than what we should expect Friday night. The last three meetings between the Orange and Cards have averaged 29.3 total possessions per contest. A PLAY ON THE OVER 55.5 (-106) IS RECOMMENDED.

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Additional college football coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

Alabama football / Auburn football / Florida football / Georgia football / LSU football / Michigan football / Michigan State football / Notre Dame football / Ohio State football / Oklahoma football / Tennessee football / Texas football / USC football / Wisconsin football

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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