Why Louisville basketball is the scariest team in the ACC by Presley Meyer After a disappointing loss to Pittsburgh, Louisville basketball has responded with a 4 game winning streak in the ACC, looking as good as anybody in the country. Your Louisville basketball Cardinals are now 5-1 in the conference play and tied for 1st in the ACC. With a win on Saturday against Pitt, Louisville can expect another jump in the rankings and will most likely be in the top 20 to finish out January. Just like we all expected, right? It can’t be overstated how good of a job Coach Mack is doing right now. The word around the country is that Louisville Basketball is back and all the credit in the world should go to this staff and these players for tuning out the noise and balling out. We also had possibly the greatest student section theme of all time (this is a fact not an opinion) on Thursday. This Thursday night. It’s Derby in January 🐎🐎🐎 Dress accordingly and you could win free Kentucky Derby Tickets! #BeatNCstate pic.twitter.com/ra16NQA22h — The Ville’ns (@UofLVillens) January 22, 2019 It was Derby Night for the students, and it was pretty cool. Never thought I would see people wearing fascinators, pink bow-ties, or in the words of Jacob Lane “my dad’s oversized suit” in the Yum Center but it was a sight to behold for sure. Shoutout to @EthanSprowles for rocking his dads oversized suit for #DerbyNight @UofLVillens — Big Red Louie (@TheBigRedLouie) January 25, 2019 Hey now, it was not my dad’s sportcoat nor was it oversized. But nonetheless, this was funny. All jokes aside, this was a really good win for the Cardinals that took a lot of grit and a full team effort. I’ve said this a few times this season, but this was another game that I’m not sure we would’ve won last season. NC State was giving us everything, and absolutely refused to go away. They hit some insanely clutch shots and out rebounded Louisville. But we were able to make some huge stops and force turnovers in crucial moments. I’m not sure anybody expected this from Christen Cunningham when he became Chris Mack’s first commit, but he has been absolutely awesome. Whether it’s been his passing, his scoring, or his great leadership, CC has arguably been the MVP of this team. We also saw a great scoring game from our frontcourt. Malik Williams had 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks with a pair of 3-pointers. While Steve Enoch had 10 points and 4 rebounds with a pair 3-pointers as well. If those two can continue to knock down the 3 consistently, this team will be even more dangerous as we get closer to March. While Nwora had an off shooting night, it was great to see so many guys pick it up and find a way to win. It’s been very encouraging to see such a balanced scoring attack from this team. They have shown that they can win games with almost anybody. Proud of our student section tonight, the Yum was ROWDY — Ethan Sprowles (@EthanSprowles) January 25, 2019 I’m proud to say that Thursday night was probably the loudest and rowdiest I’ve heard the Yum get in a while. It felt good to hear that place get as loud as we all know it can. I’m proud of the turnout from the students on Thursday night and happy with the enthusiasm. I really felt like we were an impact in that game and it seems like the players think so as well. Ya'll made the difference tonight — need you again on Saturday #CardNation!!! ✊ pic.twitter.com/gkGoAGRxi5 — Malik Williams5️⃣ (@leek_willi) January 25, 2019 I know people have been talking about the crowds all year. They’ve been getting better and better, last night was a big step. So if you haven’t made it out to the Yum yet this season, I highly encourage you to come back to the Yum. This is a special season and a great group of guys. Coach Mack really does have something special going on, and Louisville Basketball is being revived right before our eyes. You’re gonna wish you were able to say that you were a part of that. Come be a part of it in the Yum with us. These guys deserve our support. We need the Yum filled again. Same goes for Jeff Walz’s top-5 squad as well! They play Pitt on Sunday at 2 and have a big one against UConn next Thursdsay! Let’s fill the Yum. How fun was last night? Let’s keep up the energy! #BeatPitt pic.twitter.com/30f7K169QQ — The Ville’ns (@UofLVillens) January 25, 2019 We’ll see you all on Saturday at 2:00 pm when we get revenge against Pittsburgh. Go Cards.<doc-sep>Thursday night was a monster one for Louisville basketball, and not just because the CC Headquarters Cardinal Snow Globe improved to 4-0 in 2019. Playing for the first time as a ranked team this season, the U of L men’s team took care of No. 21 NC State, 84-77. Playing for the billionth (or 19th) time as a ranked team this season, the Cardinal women took care of No. 22 Florida State in Tallahassee, 68-49. The simultaneous top 25 showdowns forced some Louisville fans to choose. Others simply got more resourceful. So how rare is it for both the Cardinal men’s and women’s teams to dispatch of a top 25 opponent on the same day? According to stats icon Kelly Dickey, Thursday night is the first time it’s ever happened in the regular season. If you include the postseason, the only other time the occurrence has happened was on March 31, 2013. That was the day that Louisville men whipped up on Duke in the Elite Eight (the Kevin Ware game) and the women stunned top-seeded Baylor in the Sweet 16 (the Shoni Schimmel stare down game). Not bad company for Thursday night to be in.<doc-sep>
Panthers vs. Cardinals Prediction The Louisville Cardinals have cracked the top 25 following wins in five of their first six Atlantic Coast Conference games. Will 23rd-ranked Louisville get the win at home today to keep its strong play going? Game Snapshot 625 Pittsburgh Panthers at 626 Louisville Cardinals Saturday, January 26, 2019 KFC Yum! Arena at 2PM ET TV: ACCNE Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page. Public Betting Information According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Cardinals are a 10.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 141.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 51 percent of public bets are being placed on host Louisville. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates. Panthers drop home game to Duke Pitt lost by a count of 79-64 at home versus the second-ranked Blue Devils Tuesday night to fall to 12-7 overall and 2-4 in the ACC. The Panthers trailed 44-25 at halftime and could not climb back. Trey McGowens led the way for Pittsburgh with 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He added two rebounds and two steals. Terrell Brown contributed 12 points plus six boards and two blocked shots. Jared Wilson-Frame added 12 points and five caroms. The Panthers shot 22-of-53 from the floor, 3-of-15 from 3-point range and 17-of-20 at the free throw line. Cardinals win fourth straight Louisville earned an 84-77 home victory Thursday night over North Carolina State to move to 14-5 overall and 5-1 in conference action. Christen Cunningham led the way for the Cardinals with 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting plus 9-of-11 at the free throw line. He added four rebounds and four assists. Malik Williams tallied 14 points, four boards and three blocked shots. Jordan Nwora contributed 13 points, six boards and four assists. Dwayne Sutton had 10 points and two caroms. Steven Enoch added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench. Louisville outscored the visitors 42-38 in the second half to put it away. Louisville shot 26-of-53 from the floor, 8-of-23 from 3-point range and 24-of-29 at the charity stripe. College Basketball Betting Trends Pittsburgh The Panthers are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall. Pittsburgh is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven road games. Louisville The Cardinals are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six Saturday games. Louisville is 15-6 ATS in its last 21 games versus an opponent with a road winning percentage of less than .400. Prediction: Pittsburgh is extremely good on the defensive end, but struggles offensively and that won't make things easy on the road against a Cardinals squad that has improved defensively lately while having a top-15 offense nationally. Look for the Cardinals to frustrate Pitt and continue its strong ACC season with a convincing win here. NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS -10.5