Halftime Report
Fortunes may be turning around for Louisville after losing three in a row. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Pepperdine 39-25.
If Louisville keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 5-6 in no time. On the other hand, Pepperdine will have to make due with a 5-8 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Pepperdine Waves @ Louisville Cardinals
Current Records: Pepperdine 5-7, Louisville 4-6
How To Watch
What to Know
Pepperdine has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Louisville Cardinals at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Pepperdine, who comes in off a win.
Last Saturday, the Waves were able to grind out a solid victory over the Tritons, taking the game 68-62.
Pepperdine’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Boubacar Coulibaly, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Houston Mallette, who scored 19 points.
Meanwhile, Louisville’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They took a 75-63 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Red Wolves. Louisville didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Despite the loss, Louisville got a solid performance out of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points Huntley-Hatfield has scored all season.
Louisville struggled to work together and finished the game with only five assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
The Waves’ victory bumped their record up to 5-7. As for the Cardinals, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 4-6.
Pepperdine is hoping to beat the odds on Sunday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a five-game streak of failing to cover when playing as the underdog.
While only Pepperdine took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking forward, Louisville is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 2.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Pepperdine is playing as the underdog, but their 1-5 record against the spread as such isn’t exactly encouraging.
Odds
Louisville is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Pepperdine, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 146.5 points.
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