NCAA Basketball Betting - Louisville Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (-9)
by BetUS Staff
Tonight, the Panthers (22-3) at 7pm EST. Games played on Mondays have been profitable for Pitt backers, as the Panthers are 6-1-1 ATS (against the spread) in their last eight Monday games. If Pitt is to produce another Monday paycheck 7-foot senior Aaron Gray must play big.
Gray is averaging a team-best 15.0 points per game and is shooting 58.6 percent from the floor, third in the Big East, and his strong play has helped the Panthers win five in a row and 12 of 13.
The center looks to lead the Panthers to their sixth consecutive victory. Gray overcame early foul problems Saturday to score 22 points and grab seven rebounds as Pittsburgh defeated Providence 74-68. The win kept the Panthers atop the standings in the Big East.
Big East action has been kind to Pitt supporters, where the Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last five vs. Big East. Overall, the Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
The Cardinals are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. Conference play has also been profitable for Louisville, where the Cardinals are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. Big East.
Pitt (-9) enters this contest as the favorite, which is good news if you play chalk teams. The Panthers are 8-3 ATS in their last eleven games as a favorite. When Louisville plays role of puppies they've struggled to bark. The Cardinals are 2-5 ATS in their last seven contests as an underdog.
Louisville has been a sound money-maker away from home recently. The Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last four roadies, and they own the same numbers vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
If Louisville is to take the cash against Pitt forward Derrick Caracter, who took over for center David Padgett following his injury on Saturday, will have to effectively shutdown Gray.
The status of Padgett, who averages 9.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, remains in question for tonight's matchup. Regardless of who suits up at center for the Cards, Louisville needs a better performance from leading scorer Terrence Williams. The forward is averaging 12.4 points per game, but has totaled only 22 on 8-for-32 shooting over the last three games, two of which were losses. Williams scored 25 points in a 61-57 defeat to Pitt back on Jan. 15, 2006. However, he was held to 11 points when the Panthers won 61-56 in the Big East tournament last March 8. Those meetings are the only ones between Louisville and Pitt since the Cardinals won the first matchup 64-42 during the 1947-48 season.
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