Louisville basketball faces its next road test tonight, heading into a tough SEC arena for the second time in 13 days. The Cardinals, buoyed by a 9-1 record and two recent wins, travel to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers inside the Food City Center. Louisville seeks to prove its strength in this marquee matchup, while the Volunteers, on a three-game losing streak and holding a 7-3 record, look to rebound at home.
Louisville lost at Arkansas back on Dec. 3 after a poor first half, and will look to make a statement tonight and secure that road win in a tough environment. While the Volunteers are going to try to get back in the win column, snap this three-game losing streak, and climb up the AP Polls.
With a huge December game like this, the line has changed a good amount overnight and not in a good way for the Cards. So, let’s break down the final odds before tipoff and make a prediction for the game.
Louisville basketball vs Tennessee odds
Entering this game, the Cardinals were 1.5-point favorites and had a 57.8 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN Analytics. While ESPN Analytics didn’t change FanDuel’s line for the game, the line did change, and now the Cardinals are 1.5-point underdogs, making Tennessee the slight favorites for this crucial game tonight.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of 6am ET on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Spread: Tennessee -1.5, Louisville +1.5
Moneyline: Louisville +100 Tennessee -120
Over/Under: 157.5
Prediction
The Cardinals have revenge on their mind for many reasons for this game and will try to earn a marquee win on the road. Louisville looks not only to get that win over Tennessee after being beaten handily a season ago, 77-55 in the second game of the season, but also to show the nation they are better than they were two weeks ago when they lost at Arkansas.
Pat Kelsey will look to send a message tonight and will have this team amped up for tipoff. After a drastically slow start on the road against Arkansas, expect this team to jump out hot like it did against Indiana and Memphis. The Cardinals' 3-point shooting has been red hot recently, splashing 31 3-pointers on 47 percent shooting from downtown over the last two games.
Louisville has to be the aggressor again tonight and slow down 5-star forward Nate Ament and senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie. The Cardinals will continue their red-hot 3-point shooting and will be led by Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely tonight. Louisville is going to earn its big-time road win tonight, but it will be a close game and in dramatic fashion.
Prediction: Louisville 86 Tennessee 80