Virginia Tech Hokies vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction, 3/5/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Tech Hokies vs Louisville Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Virginia Tech Hokies (16-13) are hitting the road to KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday where they will take on the Louisville Cardinals (8-21).

The Virginia Tech Hokies faced off with Wake Forest and took home the win by a score of 87-76 in their last game. Virginia Tech walked away from the game having earned a 59.6% FG percentage (34 out of 57) and made 9 out of their 21 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Hokies knocked down 10 of their 14 attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. When talking about rebounding, they earned 26 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 20 assists for the game as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In the matter of defending, Virginia Tech allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 29 out of 58 shooting. Wake Forest doled out 16 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. Additionally, Wake Forest grabbed 27 rebounds (5 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Wake Forest finished shooting 63.6% at the free throw line by making 7 of 11 tries. They made 11 of 25 tries from three-point range. Regarding personal fouls, the Hokies ended up finishing with 14 while Wake Forest accumulated 14 personal fouls.

Hunter Cattoor is one player who was a contributor for this contest. He shot 60.0% from the field and also dished out 2 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and also snagged 3 rebounds. He notched 26 points on 9 out of 15 shooting.

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Virginia Tech heads into this matchup with a mark of 16-13 for the year. They average 74.6 pts per game (153rd in the country) on 46.6% from the field. The Hokies are hitting 35.5% on 3-pointers (238 of 671) and 79.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Virginia Tech is pulling down 32.0 rebounds per game and has tallied 442 dimes so far this year, which is 83rd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 11.2 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 15.8 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Hokies are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers per game and they draw 16.7 personal fouls. They are surrendering 34.3% from 3-point land and they are 133rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (70.6). The Hokies defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 45.2% (750 of 1,658) and they surrender 31.8 rebounds per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 151st in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 372 relinquished for the season.

When they last played, the Louisville Cardinals walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 82-76 when they faced Syracuse. The Cardinals were able to collect 25 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 34 in the game. They turned it over 13 times, while getting 8 steals in the game. Syracuse was called for 18 personal fouls in this game which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for a total of 20 shots. They were able to make 16 of them for a percentage of 80.0%. Pertaining to shots from distance, Louisville converted 4 out of their 19 attempts (21.1%). When the game finished, the Cardinals went 28 for 64 from the field which had them shooting 43.8%. The Cardinals allowed Syracuse to make 26 out of 45 attempts from the field which had them shooting 57.8% for this contest. They finished shooting 62.5% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 5 of 8 and finished the contest at 25 out of 39 at the charity stripe (64.1%). In relation to team rebounding, Louisville allowed Syracuse to get 30 in all (2 on the offensive side).

Michael James pitched in for the Cardinals in the game. He had 18 points in his 38 mins on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist. He converted 7 out of 15 for this contest for a field goal rate of 46.7%, and added 8 rebounds.

Louisville has a win-loss record of 8-21 for the season. The Cardinals have committed 16.9 fouls per game while shooting 74.3% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 11.2 times per game (322nd in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.7 times per game. Louisville has 2,094 pts for the season (72.2 per game) and they grab 34.9 boards per game. As an offense, the Cardinals are shooting 43.4% from the field, which ranks 260th in college hoops.

The Cardinals defensively are ranked 336th in Division 1 in PPG surrendered with 78.9. They are forcing 11.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.2% from the floor (346th in the nation). The Louisville defense concedes 37.0% on three-point shots (247 of 667) and their opposition makes 72.9% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 15.6 assists and 34.7 boards per game, which is ranked 345th and 176th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Virginia Tech

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