Louisville Cardinals vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, Odds and Tips

After surprising victories for both teams, the Louisville Cardinals and the West Virginia Mountaineers meet in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Louisville decimated a talented Indiana team and West Virginia defeated the country’s third-ranked team, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, in overtime. It was assumed that these programs were in a rebuilding process at the start of the season, but so far they have far exceeded expectations and this should be an entertaining contest. West Virginia has a few advantages in this matchup, the first being their ability to control the tempo. The Mountaineers did a great job of limiting Gonzaga’s transition options on Wednesday, and if they can slow down the nation’s most potent offense, they can certainly do the same for this Louisville team. It looks like coach Darian DeVries’ plan is to get into the tournament, and in Javon Small and his son Tucker DeVries, he has quality offensive players who can make big plays in the half court.

Another advantage the Mountaineers have in this contest is that they prevent the Cardinals from making a large number of 3-point shots. Coach DeVries emphasizes limiting attempts from beyond the arc while preventing catch and shoot opportunities, and he has the perimeter personnel to execute his game plan. Javon Small, Sencire Harris and Toby Okani are well above average at ball defense, and the big duo of Amani Hansberry and Eduardo Andre will hold their own at guarding Louisville’s stretch bigs. Their attack point defenses should make it difficult for Louisville to execute its offense, which thrives on versatility. That number started at West Virginia -2.5 and has since changed to where they are 3 point underdogs. This seems like too much of a reversal and I’m willing to go against the market here. In these non-conference neutral field games, finding an edge within the matchup is crucial, and this looks to be a solid result for West Virginia on Thanksgiving Day.

Louisville vs. West Virginia Prediction: West Virginia +3 (-110) available at time of publication. Playable under this number.

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