It is still early on in the college basketball season, but considering that only four of the top-10 ranked teams in the country are still undefeated, head coach Rick Pitino has to be proud of what his fourth-ranked Louisville Cardinals have done so far. The Cardinals overcame their only challenge from a nationally ranked opponent so far when they were able to hold off the Vanderbilt Commodores in overtime at the KFC Yum! Center, and with two more tough challenges in the No. 16 Georgetown Hoyas and No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats right around the corner, Louisville will attempt to remain focused this week against unranked Western Kentucky as 10-point sports betting favorites.Western Kentucky Hilltoppers @ Louisville Cardinals (4)
Friday December 23, 2011 – 7:00 PM ET
KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
College Basketball Betting Line: Lousiville Cardinals – 10
The Hilltoppers come in to this game on the heels of consecutive losses, and while they haven’t played a nationally ranked opponent yet this season, they did lose back-to-back meetings against VCU by a combined 28 points.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Western Kentucky
This game won’t be as much about winning and losing as it will be keeping it respectful for Western Kentucky, a Sun Belt team that has struggled just to remain out of the basement in the Sun Belt conference early on. After registering three wins in four games as they entered the month of December, Derrick Gordon and the Hilltoppers have dropped back-to-back games by at least eight points, and will have a tough time rebounding against the toughest challenge on their schedule so far.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Louisville
Pitino has liked what he has seen from his team early on, particularly with senior Kyle Kuric, who leads the team in points per game with 12.7, and junior Peyton Siva, who is second in scoring and first in assists with averages of 10.6 and 6.8. There is a lot to like about a Cardinals’ team that has been able to score points while taking care of business at their own end of the floor, especially on the board where they rank 12th in team rebounding. Louisville is one of a handful of unbeaten teams remaining in the top-25, but there is no doubt that they will be tested over the next couple of weeks, so they will need to remain focused.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
The pay head bookies have the Cardinals listed as 10-point favorites, and as long as they don’t get caught looking ahead to their back-to-back games against Georgetown and Kentucky they should be fine. Unlike with some of the other surprise losses we have seen early on this year, Louisville appears to be at an even keel, and ready to take every game one at a time along with what comes with it. The Cardinals have a chance to gain some momentum and confidence heading in to their tough doubleheader, and they likely won’t give up that chance if taken on betonline.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Louisville Cardinals - 10
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