The Louisville Cardinals will attempt to stay in the race for the Big East crown this evening when they take on conference rival Providence. The Cardinals have lost two of their last four games but still remain within reach of first place Connecticut. Tonight's contest tips off at 7:30pm ET at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY and will broadcast live on ESPN2.
Providence vs Louisville College Basketball Picks at Sportsbook.com have the Friars listed as a huge +13 road underdog.
Louisville cruised into the month of February, having won nine straight games. The run produced a top five ranking in the AP Poll and had the Cardinals poised for a shot at the top spot in the Big East. However, February has not been kind to Rick Pitino's team as they have dropped two of the four games they have played this month.
Connecticut upended the Cardinals on the 2nd by a score of 68-51, but their loss on the 12th to Notre Dame was even more eggregious. The Fighting Irish had lost seven straight games before embarassing Louisville 90-57 in South Bend. Notre Dame hit over 53 percent from the field and 55 percent from the beyond the arc against the Cardinals lackluster defense.
Louisville, however, rebounded on Saturday night and took out its frustrations on a helpless DePaul squad. Pitino's troops hit 59 percent of their field goal attempts and 50 percent of their three point shots against the Blue Demons in the 99-54 beating. They also outrebounded DePaul 41-30 after the Irish out did them on the glass by a 46-25 mark.
The seventh ranked Cardinals are in fourth place in the Big East standings with a 10-2 conference record. They are 19-5 overall and 13-2 at Freedom Hall.
Providence sits in sixth place in the Big East with an 8-5 conference record and a 16-9 tally on the season. The Friars are coming off of back-to-back wins entering tonight's showdown with Louisville. They dispatched South Florida 77-62 on February 10th in Tampa, Florida and they followed that up with a 78-68 home win over Rutgers on the 14th.
The Friars are 3-4 in true road games this season, averaging 76.1 points per game away from the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, RI. They give up an average of 82.4 points per game to host teams.
Sportsbook.com's Providence vs Louisville College Basketball Picks:
Providence Friars +13 (-110)
Louisville Cardinals -13 (-110)
