The Louisville Cardinals kick off a new era in their college basketball program when Kenny Payne coaches his first game Wednesday evening when against the Bellarmine Knights.
The Cardinals program will be in search of stability above all else to start heading into the season, as it has been nothing but drama for what seems like forever. The NCAAB schedule does not really offer much in terms of marquee matchups during the first week, but it gives us an idea of how teams may handle their transition into a new era.
Louisville had to suffer through the numerous scandals of Rick Pitino and an underachieving season under interim coach David Padgett. They then made one of the most praised hires in recent memory of any school when they lured Chris Mack away from Xavier, only to experience more drama over four seasons as Mack went just 39-32 in ACC play, according to NCAA basketball stats.
It’s a new day for the Bellarmine Knights as well as coach Scott Davenport will need to replace his three leading scorers from last season; Dylan Penn, CJ Fleming, and Ethan Claycomb accounted for over 40 points per game.
When you include the loss of reserve Garrett Tipton, you end up with around 45 points that need to be replaced on a team that averaged just shade over 70 per game.
Without further ado, let’s make a Bellarmine vs Louisville prediction for betting.
Bellarmine vs. Louisville
- Date and Time: November 9, 2022, 9:00 p.m.
- Location: Louisville, Kentucky
- Venue: KFC Yum! Center
- How to Watch: ACCN
As far as college basketball matchups go, this isn’t exactly sexy, but the history is closer than you might think. When making Bellarmine vs Louisville prediction, understand the game between these two teams on Wednesday night will be the first time these two programs have met since the 2006-07 season. The Cardinals are a perfect 12-0 against the Knights and have won by double digits in ten of those matchups.
The largest margin of victory for the Cardinals in this matchup was 58 points back in 1971, while the smallest was just six points in 1963. The matchup in 2006 is the only time the two programs have played in the last 45 years.
Last Game Record
The last time these two programs met was while Rick Pitino was in his fifth season at the helm. The Cardinals were led by Terrance Williams and Juan Palacios, who both scored 16 points in the 12-point victory. Bellarmine was led by Dzalfo Larkai and Matt Otte, who each scored 14 points.
Bellarmine was not even a division one school at the time, but Louisville never led by more than 14 points in the game.
This is both programs’ opening game of the season.
Bellarmine vs. Louisville Analysis
If you simply guy by the names on the front of the jersey, this game is most certainly a mismatch. However, this is not a typical year for the Louisville Cardinals, and it will reflect in Louisville basketball odds for the season.
The Cardinals typically finish high in the college basketball standings, but Malik Williams, Samuell Williamson, Noah Locke, Dre Davis, and Jarrod West are all no longer with the program.
That doesn’t mean that Louisville is without talent, as the current roster boasts five former top 100 recruits, as well as forward Jae’lyn Withers. The bad news is that even with that talent and 20 points and ten rebounds from Withers, the Cardinals lost their first exhibition game in over 20 years a week ago when they fell to Lenoir-Rhyne.
As stated above, Bellarmine is not in much better shape, having to replace so much production. The official roster has nine freshmen and sophomores but does still boast Juston Betz, a stat sheet stuffer that averaged seven points, seven rebounds, and three assists per game last season.
You may conclude that simply from a talent standpoint, Louisville should easily cover this spread, but as stated above, they have already lost to a non-Division one opponent, albeit in an exhibition setting.
If El Ellis is able to take a big step forward along with third-year player JJ Traynor, this Cardinals team could have some potential, but both players need to prove some things first. Keep this in mind when making you’re looking at college basketball odds and making a Bellarmine vs Louisville prediction.
Fortunately for both squads, there are no college basketball injuries these teams are dealing with early in the season.
College Basketball Odds Breakdown
Bellarmine Knights
Bellarmine is +13.5 on the spread, which you can get at -110. As for the moneyline, you can grab the underdogs at +550 for an excellent payout.
Louisville Cardinals
There isn’t much value in taking the Louisville moneyline at -800. However, you can pick them to cover a 13.5 spread for -110 odds.
The over/under in this game is 137.5, for -110 odds.
Bellarmine vs. Louisville Pick and Prediction
- Louisville -13.5 (-110).
- Under 137.5 (-110): Both teams are extremely inexperienced and will take some time to find their bearings. The Cardinals only scored 47 points in their exhibition with Lenoir-Rhyne.
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