Line: Louisville -8.5, Total: 124.5 (current NCAA Tournament spreads and totals)
Louisville Record: 24-8 ATS: 12-18-1 OVER/UNDER: 12-16 Overview: Louisville limps into this year’s NCAA Tournament from a betting perspective, covering the spread in only two of its last eight games. Without a go-to scorer on the roster, games featuring the Cardinals have also been low-scoring, as nine of their last 12 contests have been UNDER the total. Louisville shouldn’t inspire much confidence as the higher seed in an early-round game — Rick Pitino’s squad covered the spread as the favorite only three times in 11 non-conference games and is 2-4 ATS in the Round of 64 over the last six seasons.
Team page: Louisville
UC Irvine Record: 21-12 ATS: 16-11-3 OVER/UNDER: 7-14-1 Overview: The Anteaters cashed in all three of their Big West tournament games in route to the conference title to finish with an impressive record at the bet window. Against Tournament-level competition this season, they lost 71-54 as 15.5-point underdogs at Arizona, but won outright in OT as 9.5-point dogs at Oregon. This is UC Irvine’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Team page: UC Irvine
Handicapping tools: Matchup analysis | Power ratings | ATS standings
The Linemakers’ lean: We have no lean on the side, but you may find value as our ratings say Louisville should be an 11.5-point favorite. UC Irvine is 14-7-1 to the UNDER this year and the Cardinals are 9-3 to the UNDER in their last 12. The lean in this matchup is to the UNDER.
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h/t OddsShark for historical ATS data
