Louisville Cardinals vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, 3/4/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisville Cardinals vs Virginia Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Location: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Louisville Cardinals (4-26) are hitting the road to John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday where they will go up against the Virginia Cavaliers (22-6).

The Louisville Cardinals took the court against Virginia Tech and went home with a loss by a final score of 71-54 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Cardinals finished with 15 while Virginia Tech accumulated 11 fouls. They buried 10 of 29 attempts from 3-point land. Virginia Tech finished the game at 76.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 13 of their 17 attempts. Additionally, Virginia Tech had 36 rebounds (17 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Virginia Tech dished out 16 dimes and had 7 steals for this game. Concerning defense, Louisville allowed their opponent to shoot 37.5% from the field on 24 of 64 shooting. They also dished out 5 assists for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 5 turnovers and earning 3 steals. When discussing getting rebounds, they earned 36 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Cardinals made 4 of their 9 tries for a rate of 44.4%. Louisville finished the game having earned a 42.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 57) and knocked down 2 of their 14 three-point shots.

El Ellis is someone who was a major factor in this contest. He ended up going 40.0% from the field but finished the game without a dime. He played for 36 mins played and collected 2 rebounds. He finished with 14 points on 6 of 15 shooting.

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Louisville comes into this game with a record of 4-26 for the season. They are turning it over 15.2 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 16.4 fouls every game. As a team, Louisville is collecting 32.6 rebounds per contest and has tallied 281 assists so far this season, which ranks 361st in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Cardinals are connecting on 33.2% on shots from downtown (192 of 579) and 73.7% from the free throw line. They have an average of 64.1 points per outing (341st in Division 1) while going 42.2% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Cardinals are able to force 10.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.8 personal fouls. They give up 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 327th in college basketball in PPG allowed (75.7). The Cardinals defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 46.8% (819 of 1,750) and they concede 33.3 rebounds per contest as a group. They currently rank 328th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 450 surrendered this season.

In their last game, the Virginia Cavaliers walked away with a victory by a final of 64-57 against Clemson. Regarding cleaning the glass, Virginia allowed Clemson to pull down 30 in all (6 offensive). They finished 31.8% from three-point range by going 7 out of 22 and ended up going 4 of 5 from the free throw line (80.0%). The Cavaliers allowed Clemson to bury 23 out of 55 tries from the field which had them at 41.8% for the matchup. In all, the Cavaliers ended up shooting 22 for 54 from the floor which had them shooting 40.7%. In relation to shots from 3-point land, Virginia made 5 of 19 tries (26.3%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 68.2%. Clemson was called for 17 fouls in this game which took the Cavaliers to the charity stripe for 22 shots. They also gave up possession 8 times, while getting 10 steals for the game. The Cavaliers were able to snag 24 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for this contest.

Armaan Franklin ended up being a major contributor for the Cavaliers in this matchup. He converted 5 out of 11 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and tallied 4 rebounds. He scored 12 points in his 30 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist.

Virginia has a record of 22-6 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Cavaliers are shooting 44.5% from the field, which has them ranked 187th in college hoops. Virginia has accumulated 1,902 pts so far this year (67.9 per game) and they grab 32.3 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 15.8 times per game (24th in college basketball) and they turn it over 8.7 times per game. The Cavaliers commit 14.0 personal fouls every game and they go 69.7% from the charity stripe.

The Cavaliers on defense are ranked 10th in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 60.5. They are forcing their opponents into 12.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.9% from the field (71st in college basketball). The Virginia defense gives up 34.6% on 3-pointers (201 of 581) and their opposition knocks down 74.8% of their free throw shots. They have given up 11.6 dimes and 32.0 total rebounds per game, ranking them 100th and 62nd in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Virginia

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