Louisville & Pittsburgh NCAA basketball pick

Sportsbooks opened Pittsburgh as a two-point favorite, with early ‘steam’ on the Panthers lifting the number quickly to three.  NCAA basketball odds makers first set the ‘total’ at 127, remaining unchanged after initial betting action was mixed.



Cardinals fall short at Marquette

Louisville logged a third loss in four games with Monday’s 74-63 defeat as a 4.5 point road dog against the Marquette Golden Eagles.  The Cardinals connected just 4-of-10 free throws, while Marquette hit 16-of-18 at the charity stripe.

Cardinals forward Chane Behanan logged his second double-double in four contests, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds.  Louisville’s Russ Smith piled in 20 points and four steals, while mate Peyton Siva notched a team-high eight assists.

The battle’s combined 137 points jumped above the closing ‘total’ of 134.5, lifting the ‘over’ to 3-1 in the Cardinals’ last four games.  Louisville edged out Marquette in boards, 37-32, while both foes united to drain 15-of-45 beyond the arc.

Panthers’ slide continues in Syracuse

Pittsburgh’s latest defeat came in Monday’s 71-63 setback as a 13-point road dog against the Syracuse Orange.  The Panthers were held to 39.3 percent field shooting, while sinking a meager 12-of-23 from the foul line.

Panthers starters Ashton Gibbs and Lamar Patterson notched 10 points each, with Gibbs tacking on a pair of steals.  The duo’s bench mate Dante Taylor logged a season-high 11 boards, while adding one of his squad’s two blocks in 17 minutes of action.

The contest’s combined 134 points ducked below the closing ‘total’ of 135.5, bringing the ‘under’ to 6-1 in the Panthers’ last seven games.  Pittsburgh sizably outrebounded the Orange, 38-24, while falling victim to Syracuse’ 11 blocks.

Back the ‘under’ at “The Pete”

Saturday’s tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. (ET), with ESPN providing the national television coverage.

This sports betting handicapper is backing the ‘under,’ looking for a tight affair in this Big East Conference battle.  The ‘under’ is 2-1 in the last three meetings between these foes, with the sole ‘over’ ticket cashed in an overtime duel.

Pittsburgh has allowed a stingy 64 PPG in its last two contests at home, holding the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Cincinnati Bearcats to 40 percent field shooting.  Louisville has put up a matching 64 PPG in its last four road spots, heading into Petersen Events Center connecting from the field at 40.7 percent away from home.

Louisville’s Russ Smith ranks second in the Big East for steals (2.5 SPG), while mate Gorgui Dieng is the conference’s top shot blocker (3.3 BPG).  Dieng logged one block in Louisville’s 62-59 win over Pitt last February, with the Cardinals holding the Panthers’ Gibbs to a 3-for-11 day from the field.

Pittsburgh and Louisville have also had subpar seasons at the foul line, ranking 12th and 13th, respectively, among the Big East’s 16 squads.  Look for more missed free throws in this clash, giving the money to ‘under’ backers in a smashmouth scrimmage.