Bellarmine vs. Louisville Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, November 9 (Knights Can Cover on Road)
By Peter Dewey
One of the best mid-major darlings from the 2021-22 season will get a crack at an ACC powerhouse on Wednesday night.
The Bellarmine Knights, who are entering their third season in Division I, face another school in Louisville in the Louisville Cardinals and first-year coach Kenny Payne.
The Knights have been terrific in their first two seasons in Division I, compiling a 34-21 and finishing at least second in the ASUN in each season. However, they were robbed from an NCAA Tournament berth last year after winning the conference tournament since they were still in their transition.
Simply put, this team can play.
The Cardinals are hoping to turn the corner with Payne at the helm, but can they cover as major favorites on Wednesday?
Here are the latest odds:
Bellarmine vs. Louisville Odds, Spread and Total
Bellarmine vs. Louisville Prediction and Pick
There are concerns for both of these teams entering the 2022-23 season.
Payne is looking to rebuild a program that was terrible last season, finishing with a 13-19 record. The Cardinals have just five returning players from that roster and 10 scholarship players in total entering this season.
The biggest concern for Louisville may be at the guard position, as there is very little depth behind sophomore El Ellis (8.7 points per game last season). However, Payne did do a solid job in the transfer portal, nabbing former top-25 recruit Brandon Huntley-Hatfield from Tennessee.
With a lot of new faces and a new system, this team may take some time to gel.
As for the Knights, they lost their leading scorer from last season, Dylan Penn. The 6’3 guard averaged over 16.0 points per game for the Knights last season, but he transferred to Vermont this offseason.
That means the Knights are now down three starters from last season.
Juston Betz, the preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the ASUN, should lead the way for Bellarmine after leading the team in minutes last season.
The Knights are going to have to replace some key contributors, but this team has been frisky ever since moving up to D1. Last season, the tema hung tough with ranked teams like UCLA (13-point loss) and Saint Mary’s (nine-point loss).
Louisville may not be of that caliber just yet, so I think the Knights can cover this near double-digit spread.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.