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

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

The Cardinals have improved greatly in Pat Kelsey’s first season and with an impressive five straight wins including two top 50 teams in the eyes of KenPom in North Carolina and Clemson. Can the Cardinals pull off a signature road win now?

Here’s our betting preview for this Saturday matchup.

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money line

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

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

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

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Ishmael Leggett: The senior guard struggled against Duke, making just 2 of 15 shots, after a monster effort against Stanford in which he scored 21 points. Averaging nearly 17 points per game, along with six rebounds and nearly 50% shooting, Leggett will try to lead Pitt to a bounce-back victory.

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 the offense that brought the head coach CAA success in Charleston.

The Cardinals are shooting top-10 three-pointers this season, but they are shooting 29% as a team. The team is over-leveraged in its perimeter shooting, but it has 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 rank 35th in effective field goal percentage.

Pitt is in a good position to get back on track with much easier paths to attack against a limited Louisville defense.

PICK: Pittsburgh -4.5

Game odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.

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