Minnesota vs. Louisville Basketball Betting Picks for First Round

The year’s NCAA basketball betting action is taking off now that the 2019 NCAA Tournament has kicked off. Once the First Four matchups are in the bag, March Madness betting players will be able to wager on the 1^st round of matchups. One of the more intriguing pairings has to be this Thursday’s Minnesota vs. Louisville basketball matchup. So what kind of turnout can we anticipate? Let’s check up on the sportsbook odds to find out.

Minnesota vs. Louisville Basketball – Thursday, March 21^st    

When: 12:15 pm ET

Where: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Indiana

TV: CBS

Stream: CBS Sports

NCAA Basketball Betting Odds:

Team	SP/RL	TOTAL	ML
Minnesota U	+5½ (-110)	135 (-110)	+200
Louisville	-5½ (-110)	135 (-110)	-240

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Minnesota Golden Gophers           

The Golden Gophers turned in a 21-13 record this season. Despite that success Minnesota struggled in Big Ten play, posting a 9-11 record in conference play. In the end this led to a lackluster 7^th place ranking in the Big Ten. And in the conference tournament, the Golden Gophers were able to make a respectable push to the semifinals. However, there they would be embarrassed 76-49 at the hands of No. 10 Michigan. Closing the season on that note, Minnesota is undoubtedly looking for redemption here. So how do they match up against Louisville? All in all the numbers don’t necessarily favor Minnesota here. This is because the Golden Gophers are putting up 70.8 offensively and are allotting 69.2 defensively. The Cardinals on the other hand, are scoring 74.5 per matchup and are giving up 67.8 to their opponents. These numbers are unquestionably disadvantageous for Minnesota.

Players to Watch: Amir Coffey (16.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg), Jordan Murphy (14.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2.7 apg), and Daniel Oturu (10.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 0.5 apg).

Louisville Cardinals    

The Cardinals flew as high as they could this season and settled on a 20-13 record once the dust cleared. Additionally the program posted a 10-8 record in ACC play this season which led to a 6^th place ranking in the conference. And in the conference tournament, it came as no surprise to see UNC eliminate Louisville in the quarterfinals 83-70. Despite coming off a loss, Louisville is confident they can get the job done here. The NCAA basketball betting odds are favoring Louisville slightly here which was to be expected all in all.

Players to Watch: Jordan Nwora (17.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 apg), Dwayne Sutton (10.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 apg), and Christen Cunningham (9.8 rpg, 2.2 rpg, 4.9 apg).

Minnesota vs. Louisville Basketball Betting Predictions

Trends

• Louisville is 9-7-2 ATS as a favorite through 18 games this season
• Louisville is 16-2 SU as a favorite through 18 games this season
• The TOTAL has UNDER in 10 of Louisville’s 18 games when pegged as the favorite
• The TOTAL has gone UNDER in 11 of Minnesota’s 16 games when pegged as the underdog
• MINN is 9-7 ATS as an underdog through 16 games this season
• MINN is 6-10 SU as an underdog through 16 games this season

Minnesota vs. Louisville Basketball Betting Picks

So which side should legal betting fans take in this Minnesota vs. Louisville basketball matchup? All things considered, Louisville is your safest bet here. They’re putting up slightly better numbers after all. On top of that, the above listed betting trends make it clear that they’ve got more in their favor here. Sign up today to make your online betting prediction!

Score Prediction: 79-72 Louisville.