CBB: Louisville at Syracuse (1:00 PM ET, ESPN)

ESPN continues its fairly regular coverage of Big East basketball with a trip to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., for a showdown between Louisville & conference leader Syracuse. The Cardinals have been a solid team on the road many years, but have falt

2010-02-12

ESPN continues its fairly regular coverage of Big East basketball with a trip to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., for a showdown between Louisville & conference leader Syracuse. The Cardinals have been a solid team on the road many years, but have faltered this season and now find themselves on the proverbial “bubble”. The Orange are in position to start thinking about a top seed for the Big Dance. The chances of Louisville coming alive for an upset don’t look good for Sunday, but as always, the pointspread figures to be the great equalizer. Get the latest price on the game on the Sportsbook.com LIVE ODDS page before deciding on your wagers.

Louisville (15-9, 7-12 ATS) has not met lowered expectations from a season ago, facing a slate loaded with landmines. The Cardinals have been on the short side of a number of road games in the Big East, however Rick Pitino isn’t about to lay all the blame on his players. “I’ve had it with the officiating (in the conference). That’s why I’m not going to say anymore. I’ve had it.”—Coach Pitino. He’ll hope the zebras won’t be an issue on Valentine’s Day, with his club 14-5 ATS in February games over the last three seasons. He of course, has been a huge distraction himself this week, buried amidst the controversy of the NBA’s Nets’ coaching opening.

Syracuse (24-1, 15-6 ATS) caught many prognosticators off guard in November, yet this club has methodically gone about its basketball business and keeps winning games. The Orangemen have suffered a couple of sleepy starts in recent weeks, but showed their talent and grit in overcoming Georgetown and DePaul. If Syracuse is really Final Four material, over the next month have to be less risky when handling the ball, trying to make too many ESPN highlight plays. Facing a pressing Louisville squad could be a step in the right direction for a team that is 13-5 ATS playing a team with a winning record this season.

The Orange is 2-5 and 1-5-1 ATS vs. the ‘Ville in the last 12 years, so who knows, maybe an upset is possible. The StatFox Power Ratings shows Louisville will need to overcome a projected line of Syracuse by 10.

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