The Louisville Cardinals (6-4) travel to face off against the Kentucky Wildcats (9-1) on Saturday, December 14th. This game will be played at Rupp Arena in Lexington and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 5:15 ET.

Louisville Cardinals vs Kentucky Wildcats

The Cardinals Are Coming Off A Win

Louisville improved to 6-4 on the season with a 77-74 win over UTEP on Wednesday. The Cardinals, who were -14.5 favorites, didn’t cover the spread. The combined points of 151 exceeded the O/U line of 144.5.

Louisville trailed 36-32 at halftime but turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring UTEP 45-38 to secure the win at home.

The Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win

Kentucky improved to 9-1 on the season with a 78-67 win over Colgate on Wednesday. The Wildcats were heavy favorites at home, but they didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game ended up at 145, falling short of the 155.5 O/U line.

Kentucky led 38-36 at halftime and pulled away in the second half, outscoring Colgate 40-31.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Louisville’s offense put up 77 points in their last game, shooting 39.7% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.8%, largely due to their struggles from beyond the arc, where they hit just 6 of 34 attempts (17.6%). Inside the arc, they were much more efficient, connecting on 70.8% of their two-point shots.

The Cardinals also made 25 of 34 free throws (73.5%) and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. Terrence Edwards Jr. led the team with 22 points, while Corey Camper Jr. added 19. Ahamad Bynum was a standout from three-point range, hitting 4 of 5 attempts.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Kentucky put up 78 points in their last game, shooting 42.9% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 50%, and they hit 51.3% of their two-point attempts. At the free-throw line, they connected on 61.5% of their shots, going 8-for-13.

The Wildcats grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and dished out 15 assists. Koby Brea and Parker Jones each scored 17 points, with Brea hitting 5-of-8 from three, and Jones shooting 4-of-7 from deep. Amari Williams and Otega Oweh also contributed 15 points, with Williams shooting 75% from the field.

Cardinals Team Defense

Louisville’s defense gave up 74 points in their last game, with their opponents shooting 39% from the field. They allowed 17 two-point baskets on 24 attempts, a 70% conversion rate.

From beyond the arc, Louisville held their opponents to 6/34 shooting, just 17%. They also sent them to the free-throw line 34 times, where they made 25 free throws, a 73% rate. Louisville gave up 16 offensive rebounds.

Wildcats Team Defense

Even though Louisville gave up 74 points, they held their opponent to just 39% shooting from the field. The Cardinals were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where they limited the other team to just 6 made threes on 34 attempts, a 17% success rate.

Louisville sent their opponent to the free-throw line 34 times, where they converted 25 attempts for 73%. The Cardinals also allowed 16 offensive rebounds in the game.

Cardinals vs Wildcats Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Louisville has an ATS record of 2-3 while averaging 71 per game. The team went 1-4 overall in these games.
• Kentucky has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 76 points per game while allowing 74. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Cardinals have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
• Against the spread, the Wildcats have put together of 1-4 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 4-1 straight up.

Cardinals vs Wildcats Prediction

For a point-spread bet in this Wildcats vs. Wildcats matchup, we’re leaning towards the Wildcats at -10.5. Although our projections show the Wildcats winning 74-73, we suggest placing your bet on the Cardinals for the point-spread.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 159.5 and given that our model is projecting 147 points between the teams, we like the under.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.