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The Louisville Cardinals will take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday in an ACC clash. Louisville is an abysmal 2-13 on the year, and they lost their fourth straight on Tuesday to Syracuse. The Cardinals weren't expected to be amazing this year, but they've definitely underperformed. Wake Forest are 10-5, but they lost their previous game to a solid North Carolina team. These schools split their two games last season, but for today's contest, Wake Forest are tabbed as pretty big favorites despite being on the road.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Odds
Odds Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Louisville Cardinals Match Details
Fixture: Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Louisville Cardinals
Date & Time: Saturday, January 7, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: KFC Yum! Center
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Louisville Cardinals Key Stats
Wake Forest averages 106.1 points per 100 possessions, which is slightly higher than the D1 average, and they allow 100.9 points per 100 possessions, which is also slightly better than the average D1 school. Demon Deacons senior guard Tyree Appleby leads the team in scoring (18.3 PPG) and dishing (5.7 APG), and he shoots an impressive 46.2% from deep on 4.3 attempts. After spending the previous two seasons at Florida, Appleby has been huge for Wake Forest in his first year in Winston-Salem. Three other Wake Forest players average in the double digits, and overall the offense is pretty guard-heavy. Defensively, the Demon Deacons fared better earlier in the season, as lately, they've allowed opponents to shoot high percentages.
Louisville has been terrible on offense outside of senior guard El Ellis, who averages 17.7 points per game. Ellis also leads the team in assists (4.5), but it's very concerning that no other Cardinal even averages one assist per game. Their next highest scorer, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield averages only 8.1 points, but he does lead the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game. As a team, the Cardinals score only 89.4 points per 100 possessions, and they shoot an awful 40.7% from the field. On defense, Louisville lets opponents shoot 46.9% from the field, one of the highest marks in the country, so all around, the Cardinals have been poor.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Prediction
Louisville is just 2-7 at home, and they're also 2-7 ATS at home. Recently though, the Cardinals have covered each of their previous three games despite three straight losses. Still, Wake Forest is more talented overall, and the fact that Louisville really just has one reliable scorer gives the visitors a huge edge. Even though it may not be the deciding factor, Louisville is 0-7 ATS in day games with one push, which is an indicator that they haven't been able to get going with earlier start times. Back Wake Forest here to win and cover, as they've covered each of their last.
Prediction: Wake Forest -9 (-110)
