The Syracuse Orange (15-14) will visit the Louisville Cardinals (20-9) on Tuesday night, going head-to-head in Kentucky. The ACC showdown will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN’s ACC Network.
The Cardinals are 12.5-point home favorites with -950 Moneyline odds, and the total has been set at 157.5 points. Here is a preview of the conference matchup, featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Syracuse at Louisville Preview, Prediction
Syracuse Preview
While the Orange went 0-3 at the Players Era Festival back in November, their only other nonconference loss was a one-point defeat to Hofstra. They also overcame a three-point loss to Clemson in their ACC opener by winning three straight and improving to 12-5. An overtime loss to Boston College sparked a four-game losing streak in late January, however, and they are still just 3-5 since that skid ended. All three of Syracuse’s wins over the past six weeks have come at home, while they have lost six consecutive road contests.
Sophomore big man Donnie Freeman leads the Orange with 17.3 points per game, while his 6.9 rebounds per game rank second to William Kyle III’s 7.3 boards a night. That pair mans the starting frontcourt, leaving JJ Starling, Nate Kingz and Naithan George to manage the backcourt. George averages a team-high 5.4 assists per game to go along with his 10.3 points per game. Kingz is the most prolific shooter of the bunch, averaging 11.6 points per game thanks in large part to his 37.4% three-point percentage. Then there’s Starling, who is putting up 12.0 points per game.
Syracuse averages the third-most blocks per game in the country, but their 63.9% free throw percentage is the third-lowest.
The Orange rank No. 77 in the updated KenPom ratings, owning the No. 79 offense and No. 95 defense. As for the NET rankings, Syracuse comes in at No. 79, going 1-9 against Quad 1, 3-3 against Quad 2, 4-2 against Quad 3 and 7-0 against Quad 4. Tuesday’s game at Louisville constitutes a Quad 1 matchup.
Louisville Preview
The Cardinals have had a tough time on the road this season, going 3-7 in true away games compared to their 17-2 record in home and neutral site contests. Luckily for Louisville, Tuesday’s game against Syracuse is at the KFC Yum! Center. No. 1 Duke and No. 13 Virginia are the only teams that have bested the Cardinals there this year, while Kentucky, Memphis, Boston College, Virginia Tech, SMU, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech have all lost in Louisville. So while the Cardinals have lost three of their last four, they have won five straight at home.
Louisville will be without freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. on Tuesday due to a back injury that limited him against Clemson. He is averaging 18.2 points and 4.7 assists per game. Adrian Wooley put up 17 points starting in Brown’s absence last Saturday. The Cardinals still have senior Ryan Conwell to run the offense, as the former South Florida, Indiana State and Xavier transfer is putting up 18.4 points a night while hitting 35.0% of his 9.5 three-point attempts per game. Veteran guards J’Vonne Hadley and Isaac McKneely are averaging 11.3 and 10.8 points per game, respectively, while converting on 39.5% of their combined 9.2 three-point attempts per game. German big man Sananda Fru holds down the frontcourt with 9.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
The Cardinals’ 77.4% free throw percentage is good for No. 25 in the country and No. 2 in the ACC. They also take and make more triples than anyone else in the conference, on top of ranking No. 2 in assists and No. 3 in rebounds.
Per the latest KenPom ratings, the Cardinals rank No. 17 on offense, No. 27 on defense and No. 19 overall. They come in at No. 17 in the NET, going 6-9 against Quad 1, 4-0 against Quad 2, 8-0 against Quad 3, and 2-0 against Quad 4. Tuesday’s game versus Syracuse constitutes a Quad 3 matchup.
Syracuse at Louisville Pick, Best Bet
Bart Torvik‘s model projects Louisville to win by 14.2 points. However, that does not account for Brown’s absence. The Cardinals went just 4-4 when Brown was out in December and January, with both of their home losses coming during that stretch. And yet, all four of those wins came by over 12.5 points.
The Orange’s elite interior defense probably won’t be much of a factor against a Cardinals offense that lives and breathes on the perimeter. Even with Brown out, Conwell, McKneely and Wooley should be able to get up plenty of triples. Neutralizing Fru and Khani Rooths simply won’t be enough to knock off Louisville.
On the other hand, the Cardinals have only covered a -12.5-point spread twice in their last eight games. The Orange, meanwhile, have only lost by more than 12.5 points five times through 29 games. Two of those losses came by exactly 13 points, too while top-10 NET teams Duke and Iowa State accounted for two of the others. Louisville is hardly playing at that level, and that was before Brown went down.
Look for Louisville to win on Senior Night, but their up-tempo offense probably won’t be explosive enough without Brown to truly run away with this one.
Best Bet: Syracuse +12.5 (-108)
Syracuse at Louisville FAQs
What time is Syracuse at Louisville?
Tip-off for Syracuse vs. Louisville is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 3.
What is Syracuse men’s basketball’s record?
Entering Wednesday’s game at Louisville, Syracuse men’s basketball is 25-14 overall and 6-10 in conference.
What is Louisville men’s basketball’s record?
Entering Wednesday’s game vs. Syracuse, Louisville men’s basketball is 20-9 overall and 9-7 in conference.
Where are the Syracuse Orange in the ACC men’s basketball standings?
Going into its game at Louisville, Syracuse is in 13th place in the ACC men’s basketball standings.
Where are the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC men’s basketball standings?
Going into its game vs. Syracuse, Louisville is in seventh place in the ACC men’s basketball standings.
