Louisville vs Virginia Tech Odds, Pick
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+14.5 -110 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | +700 |
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-14.5 -110 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | -1100 |
The Louisville Cardinals already matched their win total from a season ago and will look to improve on that against Virginia Tech in the ACC opener.
This game may look uninteresting to some, but we still have plenty to learn about both teams.
Here's Louisville vs. Virginia Tech odds and a pick for Sunday.
Louisville Cardinals
Three of Louisville's four wins have come against mid-major opponents, and Louisville narrowly navigated them.
New Mexico State didn't have its top player, Femi Odukale, and Bellarmine played without elite shooter Ben Johnson.
Louisville's offense often looks disjointed. The offense isn't actually running anything, but is instead just seeing who can make the best one-on-one play. The only time Louisville looks decent on offense is when freshman Ty-Laur Johnson is leading the unit. He tossed six assists in 18 minutes against Bellarmine.
One of the major issues in Louisville's offense is a complete lack of shooting. Skyy Clark's drives into the lane, creates open jumpers on drive and kicks, but the team lacks shooters to finish those possessions. JJ Traynor is Louisville's lone player shooting above 35% from deep. Mike James is shooting just 29% from deep, but drilled 35% of his perimeter jumpers a season ago.
The good news? Louisville put up strong fights against Texas and Indiana, proving it can compete against more talented opponents. However, the Cardinals also consistently plays down to the other opponents.
Louisville defends the arc well, allowing opponents to shoot just 30% from deep. Louisville can use its size and athleticism to slow down the Hokies' perimeter shooting and force difficult 2-point jumpers. That's the path to competing here.
Virginia Tech Hokies
It's tough to figure out if Virginia Tech is good. It opened the season with a 5-1 mark that included notable victories over Boise State and Iowa State, but also had a questionable loss to South Carolina. However, two consecutive losses prior to this contest make the stakes much higher than they should be.
Virginia Tech's offense isn't the elite offense we're accustomed to seeing. Losing Rodney Rice right before the season zapped much of the potential athleticism and guard-scoring depth. Even without athleticism, Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor provide backcourt stability.
On paper, Virginia Tech's roster could be better for Mike Young's preferred style of play. He loves teams with one dominant post guy (he has it in Lynn Kidd) and a bunch of shooters surrounding the big. Pedulla and Cattoor can shoot, but Tyler Nickel is the third-best shooter. MJ Collins is 0-7 from deep this season and didn't play against Auburn.
This just isn't the type of team Young typically wins with. Maybe things will get figured out, but Virginia Tech was non-competitive against physical, athletic teams like Auburn and Florida Atlantic.
Louisville vs. Virginia Tech
Betting Pick & Prediction
Virginia Tech struggles against athletic teams, and Louisville has plenty of issues, but athleticism isn't one of them. Louisville can dominate the glass and create second-chance opportunities inside. The main reason I'm backing the Cardinals is their 3-point defense. Virginia Tech can't drive past Louisville players one-on-one unless there's severe defensive miscommunication.
