Navy vs. Louisville Odds
| Navy Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+14 -110 | 135 -105o / -115u | +700 |
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-14 -110 | 135 -105o / -115u | -1125 |
Each of these programs has been a part of sizeable upsets through the first two games of the season. The Midshipmen took down the Virginia Cavaliers, defeating them by eight as 15.5-point underdogs. As for the Cardinals, they went ice cold against Furman, and it cost them as they ultimately lost in overtime as nine-point favorites.
Now the teams clash in Louisville as the Cardinals host the Midshipmen. This will be Louisville's third consecutive home game to open this season. More importantly, this will be the third of six games that the Cardinals will be playing without their head coach Chris Mack as he is serving a suspension.
Will this be the get-right game that the Cardinals need, or will the Midshipmen make more magic and upset yet another top-tier team?
Navy Leaning on Experience
The Naval Academy, much like all service academies, doesn't exactly recruit like other Division-I programs. Its athletes are recruited to serve their country after playing ball.
Though that means that players are staying all four years, building cohesion and gaining experience. Those experienced players are the ones who have been leading Navy so far this season.
Senior guard John Carter Jr. has been getting it done on the offensive end. He is currently the team's leader in scoring, rebounds and minutes played per game. Carter was huge in Navy's win against Virginia as he shot 62 percent from the field and was the leading scorer in the game.
Navy is not a one-man band though. Fellow guard, junior Sean Yoder, has been and will be a consistent source of offense. Yoder was another solid contributor against the Cavaliers. He piled in 16 points and shot over 85 percent from the field.
For that opening-game success by the upperclassmen of Navy, their high-percentage shooting came crashing down against Virginia Tech. Navy was dominated in every facet of the game and shot a dismal 12 percent from three-point range.
The metrics point to another poor performance as the Cardinals are a good defensive team, ranking 52nd in defensive efficiency, and have held opponents to 32 percent when attempting two-point field goals.
The Midshipmen's opportunities will likely be limited on the offensive end as Louisville is 25th in defensive second-chance conversion rate.
Louisville Welcomes Talented Transfers
The Louisville Cardinals are one of the many teams that opted to retool through the transfer portal.
Their premier addition has been senior transfer, Noah Locke. Locke came over from Florida where he flashed tremendous shooting potential as he led the Gators with a 57.3 three-point percentage. His game has translated well in Louisville so far this season as he leads the team with an average of 18 points through two games.
Locke was joined by two more key graduate transfers, Jarrod West and Mason Faulkner. Both come with decorated resumes as West was a Conference USA second-team selection at Marshall.
He led the conference in assists and was great defensively, ranking 11th in the nation in steals. West has assumed a starting role with the Cardinals and has picked up where he left off at Marshall.
Faulkner has become a key bench piece for Louisville, as he was a two-time All-Southern Conference selection who stuffed the stat sheet as a senior at Western Carolina.
Those transfers join two Cardinals who are poised to break out. Super senior Malik Williams and sophomore Samuell Williamson have produced early on as starters. Williams has been dominant on the glass, averaging 11.5 rebounds while adding in at least one block in each game this season.
Williamson took a big step last year and has proved he can get it done all over the stat sheet against Southern. He posted 14 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from three.
Navy vs. Louisville Betting Pick
Louisville will have a large advantage at both ends of the floor. I expect it to close out on Navy's shooters and dominate on the boards.
But I wouldn't take the Cardinals at their current price, and would need -10.5 to pull the trigger.
Pick: Pass, need Louisville -10.5 or better
