Louisville vs. Pittsburgh Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Jan. 11

Pitt couldn’t hold up against the best in the ACC earlier this week in a loss at Duke, but the team will look to reaffirm its status as a team towards the top of the league with a win at home against Louisville.

The Cardinals have been much improved in Pat Kelsey’s first season, and off five impressive wins in a row that includes two top 50 teams in the eyes of KenPom in North Carolina and Clemson. Can the Cards score a signature victory on the road now?

Here’s our betting preview for this Saturday showdown.

Louisville vs. Pittsburgh Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

Louisville: +4.5 (-102)
Pittsburgh: -4.5 (-118)

Moneyline

Louisville: +172
Pittsburgh: -205

Total: 148.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Louisville vs. Pittsburgh How to Watch

Date: Saturday, January 11
Game Time: 12:00 PM EST
Venue: Peterson Events Center
How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
Louisville Record: 11-5
Pittsburgh Record: 12-3

Louisville vs. Pittsburgh Key Players to Watch

Louisville

Chucky Hepburn: The Wisconsin transfer will be tasked with slowing down the talented Pitt backcourt, but also providing more offense as ACC play goes on. Hepburn has been mired in a two-game slump, shooting 20% from the field over the last two games. Despite a pair of wins, Hepburn’s shooting will be needed on the road against Pitt.

Pittsburgh

Ishmael Leggett: The senior guard struggled against Duke, making only two of 15 shots, after a monster effort against Stanford in which he poured in 21 points. Leggett is averaging nearly 17 points per game to go with six rebounds on nearly 50% shooting, he’ll try to guide Pitt to a bounce-back win.

Louisville vs. Pittsburgh Prediction and Pick

Kelsey’s first season with the Cardinals has featured a resurgent campaign from the group, but the roster may not be fully equipped to run his offense that led to CAA success for the head coach at Charleston.

The Cardinals are shooting the 3-point shot at a top 10 clip this season, but are shooting 29% as a team. The team is over-leveraged on its perimeter shooting, but it’s been an inefficient path to offense.

Meanwhile, the Panthers offense should face little resistance against Louisville. The Cardinals defense is focused on creating turnovers, top 70 in the country, but the Panthers have several guards capable of handling the rock and are 35th in effective field goal percentage.

Pitt is in a good spot to get back on track with far easier paths to offense against a limited Louisville defense.

PICK: Pittsburgh -4.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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