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North Carolina vs. Louisville Prediction and Odds (Fade the Cardinals with Williams Suspended)

By Matt De Saro

The North Carolina Tar Heels have the luxury of facing the Louisville Cardinals without their best player on both ends of the court.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have the luxury of facing the Louisville Cardinals without their best player on both ends of the court. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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The North Carolina Tar Heels hit the road tonight with the goal of protecting their current three-game winning streak. UNC won’t have the easiest time with this due to a date with the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center tonight.

The Tar Heels are 15-6 overall and rank third in the ACC with a 7-3 mark in conference play. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have been struggling against ACC opponents and are 5-6 in conference play. They are also losers of six of their last seven games, with their lone win coming against Boston College. The team suffered another loss recently as it was announced that head coach Chris Mack was to be fired after he got caught up in an extortion scandal involving former assistant Dino Gaudio.

That being said, the Cardinals put up a fight against the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils in their first game with interim GC Mike Pegues.

Here are the odds for this matchup between ACC rivals and former powerhouses, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

North Carolina vs. Louisville Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

  • North Carolina -3.5 (-110)
  • Louisville +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • North Carolina -170
  • Louisville +145

Total: 145.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

North Carolina vs. Louisville Prediction and Pick

While the Cardinals hung tough with Duke without their head coach on the bench, they will be even more shorthanded tonight without Malik Williams on the court. The Cardinals announced yesterday that their leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker were suspended for tonight’s game due to behavior that does not conform to Louisville standards. This puts Louisville in a very tough spot against an equally tough opponent in UNC. While they are not as good as Duke, the Tar Heels present another game in which I expect the Cardinals to struggle. 

The Tar Heels are led by the one-two combo of Armando Bacot and Caleb Love. The former is averaging 16.3 points per game and more than 12 boards while shooting almost 58 percent. The latter is shooting over 43% from downtown and is averaging 15.3 PPG for UNC. 

It is a real shame that Williams will be out for this game because It really limits what the Cardinals are capable of. The Tar Heels will dominate the glass and pull away thanks to the second-change points they will generate. 

Pick: North Carolina -3.5 (-110)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE

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