The North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, Ky. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. EST on ACC Network.
Louisville is favored by 1 point on the spread with a moneyline of -118. The total is set at 164.5 points.
Here’s my UNC vs. Louisville predictions and college basketball picks for January 1, 2025.
UNC vs Louisville Prediction
My Pick: UNC ML +105 (Play to -110)
My UNC vs Louisville best bet is on the Tar Heels moneyline, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
UNC vs Louisville Odds
| UNC Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 164.5 -110o / -110u | -102 |
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 164.5 -110o / -110u | -118 |
- UNC vs Louisville spread: Louisville +1
- UNC vs Louisville over/under: 164.5 points
- UNC vs Louisville moneyline: Louisville -118, UNC -102
- UNC vs Louisville best bet: UNC ML +105 (Play to -110)
Spread
UNC should win this game, so I'll just take it moneyline.
Moneyline
I'm playing the Tar Heels to -110.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: UNC ML +105 (Play to -110)
UNC vs Louisville College Basketball Betting Preview
Coming into the season, there were high hopes for the Cardinals. Many said that Louisville was back based on a new era, featuring Pat Kelsey on the sidelines and a plethora of veteran transfers.
But in a matter of two months, Louisville has had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
The Cardinals had a highly anticipated home game against Tennessee in the second game of the season and were run out of the gym from the tip, 77-55.
Louisville then finished second in the Battle 4 Atlantis, a huge accomplishment considering the field consisted of Arizona, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, Indiana and others.
The lows returned with injuries, though, as Kasean Pryor and Koren Johnson were both lost for the season due to injuries, crushing the Cardinals' depth, defense and talent level.
Meanwhile, UNC has been disappointing in its own right, as it currently sits at just 8-5 overall.
The good news is the Tar Heels are coming off two straight wins, including a monumental victory over UCLA at Madison Square Garden.
For the sake of this matchup, the Cardinals won't be able to truly take advantage of the Tar Heels' biggest weakness — especially without Pryor. That weakness is their interior play, as UNC is having trouble (and that's putting it nicely) without the services of Armando Bacot.
Also, I believe the Tar Heels are just the better team in this spot, even though this game is being played at the KFC Yum! Center.
Louisville has struggled against the best teams on its schedule. Besides their showing in the Bahamas, the Cardinals didn't come close to beating Ole Miss, Duke and Kentucky, losing by an average of 14 points.
And when it comes to players stepping up in big spots, I trust RJ Davis more so than anyone on Louisville's roster. Guards matter most in college basketball, and the Tar Heels have more depth in the backcourt than most teams in America (Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau, in addition to Davis).
Give me the Tar Heels as 'dogs.
