Miami at Louisville Lines, Free Pick & TV Info

At No. 4, Louisville is the highest-ranked school in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Yet that league is so deep, the Cardinals might not even finish in the Top 4 and earn a double-bye in the conference tournament. That’s especially true if U of L is upset on Saturday at home by Miami. Louisville will be solidly favored in NCAAB lines.

Miami at Louisville Lines, Free Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Feb. 11, 2 PM ET Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville TV: ESPN2 Opening NCAAB Lines: Louisville favored by TBA

Why Bet On Miami?

Of Miami’s nine available scholarship players, four are freshmen who did not play for UM last season, and only three of the returners played significant minutes for the Canes. Miami’s lack of experience not only equates to minutes played, but also to experience at their current position. Every player on the team has a new role this season, except senior forward Kamari Murphy. Ja’Quan Newton was the 2015- 16 sixth man, and is now the Canes’ starting point guard. Davon Reed was a third option offensively as a junior, but is now a primary option. Miami has made six-or- more shots from three in every ACC game but one (FSU), after doing so in only eight of 12 non-conference outings. For the season, the Canes have shot better than 45 percent in 14 games, and five times in ACC play. UM’s defense has held opponents to shoot less than 30 percent from downtown in 10 games (three in ACC). Miami has forced double-digit turnovers in 17 outings. Of Miami’s eight remaining games, five are against teams ranked above the Canes in the current ACC standings: Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Duke and Georgia Tech. The one team ranked below Miami is Clemson. In Miami’s five games against AP top-25 teams this year, four Hurricanes are putting up stout numbers against the top teams in the nation. Davon Reed leads all scorers with 15.8 ppg, followed by Ja’Quan Newton’s 15.6 ppg and Bruce Brown’s 14.2 ppg. Kamari Murphy is pulling down 10.6 rpg in ranked matchups. The Canes are a good defensive team, ranking 32 nd in scoring defense (64.0), 11th in fewest fouls and No. 48 in field goal percentage defense (40.8%). UM is also No. 23 in rebound margin (6.7) and No. 94 in 3-point field goal defense (33.1).

Why Bet On Louisville?

The Cardinals are likely going to slide out of that No. 4 spot regardless of what happens here because they were stomped 71-55 at Virginia on Monday. That result came with an asterisk. Forward Deng Adel and center Mangok Mathiang were benched violating their team’s curfew last Saturday. U of L was already shorthanded with 11 scholarship players this season and two are currently out with recent injuries, including guards Quentin Snider (strained hip flexor) and Tony Hicks (broken bone in hand). A starter in 22 games and the Cardinals’ third-leading scorer (11.1 points per game), Adel has scored in double figures in the last five games, including a career-high 19 points at Boston College. He has averaged 13.8 points over the last five games while shooting 52.1 percent from the field (25-of- 48). Mathiang has averaged 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and shot 67 percent from the field over the last five games, scoring nine or more points in each game. Both should play here. Louisville led 34-32 at the half against the No. 12 Cavs, but a 3-pointer by London Perrantes got Virginia going on the big run to open a 54-39 lead. Freshman V.J. King scored a career-high 24 points for the Cardinals (19-5, 7-4), whose three-game winning streak was snapped. Donovan Mitchell added 16. However, the team got some good news on Tuesday as Snider, the starting point guard, has been cleared to practice again after missing six games with a strained hip flexor, a slight tear of the muscle. Snider, Louisville’s second-leading scorer, is expected to play Saturday against Miami, coach Rick Pitino said Wednesday. The Louisville native averaged 12.1 points, four assists and 2.6 rebounds through the first 18 games of the season, but he suffered his injury in Louisville’s 78-69 win over Duke on Jan. 14.Snider’s shooting percentage was rising by the game before his injury. He is shooting 50 percent from 3- point range and averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 assists in five ACC contests. This is the only scheduled meeting of the season between Louisville and Miami.

Miami at Louisville Free Pick: Louisville Cardinals

Take Louisville and go under the total regardless of number as this will be VERY low-scoring.