Louisville basketball defeated the USF Bulls in a thrilling game yesterday, marking the Cardinals' first NCAA Tournament win since 2017. The Cardinals went as much as 14 in the first half and extended it to 23 in the second half, and now, after an 83-79 victory, Louisville will move on to the round of 32.
Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball finally end painful 8-year drought with USF win
The Cardinals will now play Michigan State on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. local time, and with Louisville without Mikel Brown Jr. for the sixth straight game, the open line is in favor of the Spartans. However, when looking at the line, many might have expected Michigan State to be a heavy favorite, but the Vegas oddsmakers are leaving the door open, and giving the Cardinals fans some hope.
Louisville basketball-Michigan State opening odds
Late last night, the opening line was released for the round of 32 showdown between the Cardinals and the Spartans. The Vegas oddsmakers lean toward Tom Izzo and Michigan State’s way as the Spartans open up as 4.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel.
The Cardinals will try to secure a spot in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2015, but as it was announced earlier this week, the Cards will be without Brown once again. When Louisville has played teams outside the top 40 in KenPom’s ratings, the Cards have shown time and time again that they will take care of business, as they did against USF. However, that is a different story against teams inside the top 40.
Louisville is 1-7 against the current ranked teams and has lost by an average of 12.8 points in those seven losses. Louisville is 0-5 against teams in KenPom's top 20 ratings, and in three of those games, Louisville didn’t have Brown and lost by an average of 13.7 points. In all five of those games, the Cardinals lost by an average of 16.2 points. Â
Michigan State is ranked No. 9 in KenPom ratings, which hasn’t worked out well for Louisville, but the Cardinals are playing some of their best basketball right now, and with a berth to the Sweet Sixteen on the line, hopefully the Cardinals are able to stay hot.
Vegas is sending a message to Louisville fans that there is a path Louisville can not just keep this game close, but can win this game.
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