Louisville Cardinals vs SMU Mustangs Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Louisville vs SMU NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Dallas.

Louisville vs SMU Prediction

Planning on watching today's Cardinals and Mustangs game? Catch the action at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX, as the Mustangs hosts this showdown at 9:00 ET on ACCN. The odds for this Atlantic Coast conference game currently have SMU as the -1.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 156.5 points.

Louisville vs. SMU Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Louisville Cardinals at SMU Mustangs
Where: Dallas at Moody Coliseum
Date: Tuesday, January 21st
Betting Odds SMU -1.5, LOU -106 | SMU -116 O/U 156.5

Cardinals Preview: Can the Cardinals Lock in a Road Win?

Louisville Cardinals Recent Game/Games

Louisville improved to 14-5 on the season with an 81-67 win over Virginia on Saturday. The Cardinals, who were -15 point favorites at home, didn’t cover the spread, but the game’s total points of 148 went over the 129.5 O/U line.

Louisville led 39-28 at halftime and scored 42 points in the 2nd half while allowing 39. Although they didn’t cover the spread, the Cardinals’ offense was strong, and they’ll look to build on this win moving forward.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Louisville put up 81 points in their last game, shooting 43.3% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 48.3%. They struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 6 of 23 attempts (26.1%), but connected on 54.1% of their two-point shots (20/37). At the free-throw line, the Cardinals were impressive, making 23 of 27 attempts (85.2%).

Elijah Saunders and Reyne Smith each contributed 19 points, with Saunders adding 10 rebounds. Smith knocked down 4 threes, shooting 36.4% from deep. James Scott also grabbed 10 boards, shooting 71.4% from the field. J'Vonne Hadley was perfect from three, hitting his only attempt, and finished with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting.

Cardinals Team Defense

Louisville's defense gave up 67 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 43% from the field, hitting 26 of their 60 attempts. Inside the arc, the Cardinals allowed 54% shooting, as the other team connected on 20 of 37 two-point shots.

From three-point range, Louisville held the opposition to 26% shooting, with just 6 made threes on 23 attempts. The other team also went to the free-throw line 27 times, making 23 of those for 85%. Louisville gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Mustangs Preview: Can the Mustangs Lock in a Home Win?

SMU Mustangs Recent Game/Games

SMU improved to 14-4 on the season with a dominant 117-74 road win over Miami on Saturday. Entering the game as -5.5 favorites, the Mustangs not only covered the spread but also helped push the total points well over the 156.5 O/U line, with the teams combining for 191 points.

SMU took control early, leading 60-26 at halftime. They continued their strong play in the second half, scoring 57 points while allowing 48.

Mustangs Offense Breakdown

SMU's offense was on fire in their last game, putting up 117 points with a field goal percentage of 69.2% (45/65). Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 80%, thanks to shooting 77.5% (31/40) on two-pointers and 56% (14/25) from beyond the arc.

The Mustangs dished out 28 assists, with Boopie Miller contributing 10 of them to go along with 18 points. Matthew Cleveland led the team with 31 points, despite going 0/3 from three-point range.

Mustangs Team Defense

SMU's defense gave up 74 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 46% from the field. They allowed 52% shooting on two-point attempts, as the other team went 22/42 from inside the arc.

From three-point range, SMU held their opponent to 28% shooting, with just 4 made threes on 14 attempts. The other team also went to the free-throw line 22 times, converting 18 of those for an 81% success rate. SMU gave up 8 offensive rebounds.

Cardinals vs Mustangs Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Louisville has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 4-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 82 points per game while allowing 71. The team also performed well vs the spread at 5-0.
Across their three previous home games, SMU has an ATS mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-1 while averaging 79 points per game.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Louisville has an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 3-7 straight up.
As the betting favorite, the Mustangs have an ATS record of 2-1 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 3-0.