Louisville Notre Dame Betting – Depleted Cardinals Will Have Tough Time In South Bend
The Louisville Cardinals are holding their own in the Big East Conference to this point in the season, but as they travel to South Bend, Indiana this week, their injuries are mounting.
NCAA basketball betting: Louisville Cardinals @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Why To Bet On Louisville
The Cardinals are a scrappy and resilient team that just doesn’t know when to quit. Louisville had just endured a bad loss at Providence a few weeks ago, but the Cardinals somehow pulled out two razor-close wins over West Virginia (one point) and Connecticut (one point in overtime) in their next two contests. Louisville then lost a three-point game at Georgetown and lost star guard Preston Knowles to injury against DePaul, but UL managed to knock off the Blue Demons by a 61-57 count. This is not coach Rick Pitino’s most talented team at Louisville, not by a longshot. The Cardinals lack size and power near the basket, and they don’t have players on the perimeter who can get to the basket at will. Louisville has a few solid catch-and-shoot wing players on its roster, but only point guard Peyton Siva is somewhat adept at using dribble penetration to get to the rim. There’s no meal-ticket scorer on this club, although the erratic Siva showed signs of becoming that player in late January. Yet, for all of these sports betting concerns, the Cardinals keep winning. Online betting experts have to be staggered by the fact that Louisville, which has had eight players fall victim to injuries at some point of this season, is 7-3 in the Big East and well on its way to an NCAA Tournament bid. Just when you think Louisville is in big trouble, the Cardinals find a way to win in spite of their limitations.
Why To Bet On Notre Dame
Super Bowl betting analysts aren’t dumb. They know how badly Louisville is hurting at all spots on the floor. Freshman center Gorgui Dieng, still trying to come back from a concussion he suffered against West Virginia on Jan. 26, is negatively affected by the lights and noise that are part of a normal basketball experience. He will not play in this game. Neither will Rakeem Buckles (broken thumb) and Jared Swopshire (out for the season with a groin injury), two other talented performers for Louisville who will continue to watch from the bench for this game against Notre Dame. The Cardinals are simply a MASH unit. They have very little depth at the moment, so little that they were basically competing on even terms with DePaul – yes, that’s right, 6-16 (0-10 in the Big East) DePaul – this past Saturday night… at home.
Notre Dame is a solid, balanced team of veteran players who know how to fit into coach Mike Brey’s system. Last year, Notre Dame was more of a one-man team with center Luke Harangody, but this year, the Irish are much more a cohesive unit. This is exactly the kind of team that will give an injury-ridden Louisville squad a lot of problems.
How The Game Will Play Out
The Irish’s depth and defense will simply squeeze the life out of a frail Louisville team that is running out of players. Louisville is doing well this season, but right now, the Cards don’t have enough bodies. Notre Dame will win a war of attrition at home.
Louisville Notre Dame Betting Pick: Notre Dame
