College basketball fans may feel as though the Bellarmine Knights and Louisville Cardinals are two programs heading in different directions when they open the season against each other on Wednesday night. The Knights are coming off an Atlantic Sun championship last season, while the Cardinals will be led by new head coach, Kenny Payne. Bellarmine finished last season 20-13, but isn't eligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament until 2025, while Louisville is trying to make it back to the big dance this season for the first time since 2019.
Tip-off from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Cardinals are favored by eight points in the latest Bellarmine vs. Louisville odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 135.5. Before locking in any Louisville vs. Bellarmine picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bellarmine vs. Louisville and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Louisville vs. Bellarmine:
- Bellarmine vs. Louisville spread: Louisville -8
- Bellarmine vs. Louisville Green over/under: 135.5 points
- Bellarmine vs. Louisville money line: Bellarmine +340, Louisville -440
- LOU: Finished 1-4 overall and 2-3 against the spread to end last season
- BELL: Knights finished 8-2 overall and 9-1 ATS in final 10 road games last year
- Bellarmine vs. Louisville picks: See picks here
Why Bellarmine can cover
The Knights certainly enter the matchup with the look of the more dangerous team. Even though Bellarmine's top three scorers from last season have graduated, it had a crop of promising young players make contributions last season. Sophomore forward Curt Hopf averaged 22.9 minutes per game last year, in which he came away with seven points and 4.2 rebounds per outing.
Senior guard Alec Pfriem will be expected to keep the offense organized on the floor. He averaged 7.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2021-22. The Knights were an average three-point shooting team last season but were one of the nation's most efficient offenses from inside the arc. Last year, Bellarmine made 56.9% of its two-point field goal attempts, which was the eighth-best mark in all of college basketball.
Why Louisville can cover
The Cardinals are hoping Payne can breathe some life into a stagnant program that failed to get to .500 last season. Payne played his college basketball at Louisville before moving on to coach at Kentucky, Oregon, and the New York Knicks. The Cardinals should expect a quick culture change with only three seniors on this season's roster.
Leading the way for the Cardinals is senior guard El Ellis. As a junior last year, he scored 8.7 points in 20.5 minutes per game. Transfer forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield comes to the team from Tennessee after opportunities never really materialized for him last season. He was one of the top recruits in the 2021 class and will get another chance to show the potential he flashed as a prospect coming out of high school.
How to make Louisville vs. Bellarmine picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 142 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 70% of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Bellarmine vs. Louisville? And which side of the spread hits well over 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $1,200 on its top-rated college basketball spread picks over the last six years, and find out.
