Louisville at Wake Forest Spread, Free Pick & TV Info

It’s unlikely that No. 8 Louisville will catch North Carolina for the ACC regular-season title, but if the Cardinals can win out they should be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Louisville visits Wake Forest on Wednesday – the Deacons are on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble and will be home betting underdogs in the college basketball spreads.

Louisville at Wake Forest Spread, Free Pick & TV Info

When: Wednesday, March 1, 9 PM ET Where: Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem TV: ACC Extra Opening NCAAB Lines: Louisville favored by TBA

Why Bet On Louisville?

The Cards (23-6, 11-5) stomped Syracuse 88-68 on Sunday. Deng Adel, who came off the bench for only the third time all season, scored 17 points, including 11 after halftime. He was repeatedly able to attack the rim in the open court and draw fouls when the Orange starting pressing full-court in the second half. It was Adel’s best scoring performance since he had 18 points against Miami two weeks earlier, when he also came off the bench. The other time he came off the bench, Adel also played well, scoring 15 points against Pittsburgh on Jan. 11. Seeking a second-place tie with Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Cardinals rode a 14-4 run entering the break for a 15-point lead that grew to 23 early in the second half. Ray Spalding, who averaged just 2.3 points over the past 10 games, registered his second career double-double and first of the season in totaling 18 points and 11 rebounds in his sixth start of this campaign. He also had two steals and one block. Anas Mahmoud pitched in eight points, nine rebounds, four steals, two assists and one block in 25 minutes. As a team, U of L scored 38 points in the paint, 15 second-chance points from 13 offensive rebounds and was 14 of 21 on dunks and layups. Donovan Mitchell led with 25 points. Louisville moved to 15-1 at home this year and improved to 114-15 all-time at the KFC Yum! Center, now in its seventh season as the home of the Cardinals. Louisville has a 57-18 record (.760) in February over the last nine years (since 2007-08), winning 23 of its last 31 games in the month. Louisville shot 56.9 percent from the field, connecting on 33-of- 58 field goal attempts, marking the seventh time this year the Cards have connected on more than 50.0 percent of its attempts from the floor. Louisville is 7-0 in those contests. U of L improved to 20-2 this season when outrebounding its opponent after finishing with a 33-25 edge on the glass against Syracuse.

Why Bet On Wake Forest?

The Deacons (16-12, 7-9) have been off since last Wednesday when they stormed back from a 19-point deficit, pulling ahead in the final minute to earn a 63-59 win over Pitt. That margin ties the record for the largest deficit overcome in program history. Wake Forest previously overcame 19-point margins to beat Florida State in 1999 and Davidson in 1984. The Demon Deacon defense forced the Panthers to miss 17 of their last 18 field goal attempts, including all of their final nine shots. Pitt shot just 16.7 percent (4-of- 24) in the second half after a 41.4 percent (12-of- 29) effort in the first half. After trailing 36-17 with 2:51 left in the first half, Wake Forest outscored Pitt 46-23 to close out the game and earn the come-from- behind win. John Collins racked up 22 points on 10-of- 16 shooting and 13 rebounds, becoming the first Deacon to score 20 points in 11 straight games since Charlie Davis did so between the 1969-70 and 1970-71 seasons. It also marked his seventh 20-point, 10-rebound effort, most since Tim Duncan had 11 in 1996-97. As of Monday morning, CBS Sports’ latest NCAA tournament bracket projection included Wake Forest as one of the last four teams in the 68-team field. ESPN’s bracket projection listed Wake Forest as one of the first four teams to miss out on selection. Wake Forest is the 12th-most efficient offense in Division I college hoops this season. The Demon Deacons average 81.6 points per game and play the second-fastest tempo in the ACC. “They’re an explosive offensive basketball team,” Cards coach Rick Pitino said.

Louisville at Wake Forest Free Pick: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Only meeting between U of L and Wake this season – I think Deacons could win outright so take the points.