South Florida didn’t just win the American Conference Championship. The Bulls were dominant in the league.
USF, led by head coach Bryan Hodgson, is 25-8 overall going into the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls went 15-3 in league play before the AC tourney and kept the momentum going, winning the conference championship against Wichita State by 15 points.
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But will USF, a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, sustain that momentum against No. 6-seeded Louisville in the first round of March Madness?
The Cardinals are 23-10 overall. They went 11-7 in ACC play.
But they’ve lost four of their last eight games. They lost their last one against Miami 78-73 in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Louisville vs. USF Odds
USF is a +5.5 college basketball betting odds underdog against Louisville, with the Over/Under being 165.5 points as of this writing.
The moneyline for Louisville is -225, while it’s +185 for USF.
Louisville vs. USF On TV
The matchup between Louisville and USF will be televised on TNT. The game will tip off at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 19.
The contest is taking place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Louisville vs. USF Prediction
I predict South Florida will win and therefore cover the 5.5-point spread. I also project this game will go Over 165.5 points.
I like how South Florida is playing right now, much more than Louisville.
Wes Enis leads the Bulls with 16.8 points per game scored, but the Bulls have been well-rounded on offense. Izaiyah Nelson (15.7 PPG and 9.6 rebounds per game), Joseph Pinion (14.2 PPG and 1.7 steals per game), Josh Omojafo (11.5 PPG and 5.3 RPG), and CJ Brown (11.1 PPG and 4.8 assists per game) have all been involved on the offensive end.
USF is tied for 27th in the country with a 3.1 turnover margin and is 24th with 14.73 fast-break points per contest. The Bulls are also top 50 in rebounding margin and field goal percentage allowed.
USF plays well enough on both ends of the floor, can put up points quickly, and doesn’t need to rely on a single player to win. I’m expecting the Bulls to thrive here and maybe even go on a run in this NCAA Tournament.
