UTEP vs Louisville Prediction College Basketball Picks 12/11/24

The UTEP Miners are visiting the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday, December 11th at the KFC Yum! Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a UTEP Miners vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction.

Louisville Cardinals Preview

The Louisville Cardinals have a 5-4 record this season and are coming off a 65-76 loss to Duke. The Cardinals are 4-5 against the spread, and 1-8 in over/under while having a 3-3 home record. Louisville has three consecutive losses and is 6-0 to the under in their last 6 games.

Offensively, Louisville is averaging 76 points per game, which ranks 182nd in the nation. Defensively, they are allowing 68.1 points per game (111th). The Cardinals shoot 42.8% from the field (273rd) and 28.2% from beyond the arc (340th). The Cardinals shoot 70.7% from the free throw line (193rd) and are grabbing 38.7 rebounds per game (87th).

Chucky Hepburn leads Louisville in scoring this season, with an average of 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and a team-high 4.6 assists, while Reyne Smith adds 12.6 points and 3.1 rebounds. Louisville will play against Kentucky, Florida State, and Eastern Kentucky following this one.

UTEP Miners Preview

The UTEP Miners have a 6-2 record this season and are coming off an 88-72 win over Seattle. The Miners are 4-2 against the spread, and 3-2-1 in over/under while having a 1-1 road record. UTEP is 5-1 in their last 6 games.

Offensively, UTEP is averaging 75.8 points per game, which ranks 186th in the nation. Defensively, they are allowing 65.4 points per game (51st). The Miners shoot 46.7% from the field (110th) and 39.7% from beyond the arc (19th). The Miners shoot 74% from the free throw line (112th) and are grabbing 29.1 rebounds per game (358th).

Otis Frazier leads UTEP in scoring this season, with an average of 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-high 3.5 assists, while Corey Camper adds 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.

Why the Louisville Cardinals will win

• Louisville has won four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Louisville has won the first half in four of its last five night games at KFC Yum! Center.

Why the UTEP Miners will win

• UTEP has won five of its last six games.
• Louisville has lost each of its last three games.
• UTEP has won the first half in five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

UTEP Miners vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction

In this UTEP Miners vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction, Louisville is coming as -14.5 home favorites. Louisville is slightly better offensively, scoring 0.2 points more than UTEP, while UTEP is better defensively, allowing 2.7 points less. Both teams have been superb defensively this season, as they both almost crack the top 100 of the nation, allowing 133.5 points per game combined, while they are also below average offensively. Louisville is struggling with their shooting this season, as they are in the bottom 100 of the nation in field goal percentage and bottom 30 in 3-point percentage. I don’t expect a lot of scoring in this game, so I’m taking the under.