Louisville Cardinals NCAA Basketball Betting
Chris Mack arrived at a Louisville program in the depths of recovery from the Rick Pitino resignation and the hint of scandal that came with that. Mack arrived from a highly successful run with the Xavier Musketeers. Many observers wondered about his sanity in leaving his successful program behind for one that was facing an uncertain future and steep climb. But Mack has been thriving since his arrival, clearly exceeding expectations. Last year, his second at Louisville, he had the Cardinals ranked as high as number one in the land en route to a 24-7 record and what would have been a high seed in the NCAA Tournament wiped out by the pandemic. This season was something of a letdown as The Ville finished in the middle of the ACC pack. Still, most college basketball community members believe in Mack based on his Xavier success and overall coaching ability. Gamblers found the Cardinals frustrating and hard to pin down for 2020-21. The tournament committee found The Ville not good enough for a Big Dance Invite. Louisville was the first team out of March Madness. The Cardinals subsequently declined an invite to the National Invitational Tournament.
The 2020-21 Louisville Cardinals finished with a record of 13-7 straight up, 9-9-1 against the spread, and 10-9 over the total. The Cardinals posted an Atlantic Coast Conference record of 8-5, which was good for 7th place. The Ville has failed to cover three of their last five games, with three of those five tilts going over the total. National metrics showed that the Cardinals ranked, out of 350 teams, 251st for scoring offense, 190th for field goal percentage, 294th for 3-point field goal percentage, 150th for free throw shooting percentage, and 19th for offensive rebounding. Defensively Louisville ranked 68th for points allowed, 116th for field goal percentage against, 29th for 3-point field goal percentage against, and 126th for defensive rebounding.
On January 13, Louisville peaked with a record of 9-1 and a national ranking of 16th. From there, however, the Cardinals hit a rough patch of four wins and six losses. The Ville fell out of the national rankings by January 30 after a 1-3 stretch, never to return. They also had two weeks from February 3 through February 17 where they could not play due to pandemic-related issues. Their last game was a 70-56 debacle of a loss to one of the worst Duke Blue Devils teams in recent memory at the ACC Tournament. It likely cost the Cardinals a Big Dance invite.
Chris Mack compiled a .689 win percentage at Xavier, leading the Musketeers to eight tournaments in nine years. In two of his final three seasons, Xavier finished with a final ranking inside the national polls' top ten. He produced three Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight run during his time at Xavier.
Senior guard Carlik Jones led The Ville with 16.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He has been a regular in the lineup all four seasons of his career. Last year Jones averaged 20.0 points per contest for a career best. The first three years of his college career were spent at Radford, where he earned Big South Player of the Year in 2020. Jones decided to transfer as a graduate to play for Louisville this season. Jones scored in double digits every game but one this season.
Sophomore guard David Johnson was another key performer for the Cardinals. Johnson averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. This was his first year as a regular starter for Louisville. Johnson scored in double digits in five of the last eight games.
Forward Jae'lyn Withers is a freshman that saw considerable playing time this year. Withers averaged 10.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. He scored in double digits in three of his final four games.
Chris Mack will spend the offseason evaluating why his program was so wildly inconsistent. A great example of what frustrated fans and gamblers was that Louisville beat Duke in their two regular season games, only to get blown out in their ACC tournament matchup.
Louisville Cardinals Seasons (2000)
| SEASON |
RECORD |
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULT |
| 2020-21 |
13-7 |
- |
| 2019-20 |
24-7 |
Tournament Cancelled |
| 2018-19 |
20-14 |
First Round |
| 2017-18 |
22-14 |
- |
| 2016-17 |
25-9 |
Second Round |
| 2015-16 |
23-8 |
- |
| 2014-15 |
27-9 |
Regional Final |
| 2013-14 |
31-6 |
Regional Semifinal |
| 2012-13 |
35-5 |
National Champions |
| 2011-12 |
30-10 |
Final Four |
| 2010-11 |
25-10 |
Second Round |
| 2009-10 |
20-13 |
First Round |
| 2008-09 |
31-6 |
Regional Final |
| 2007-08 |
27-9 |
Regional Final |
| 2006-07 |
24-10 |
Second Round |
| 2005-06 |
21-13 |
- |
| 2004-05 |
33-5 |
Final Four |
| 2003-04 |
20-10 |
First Round |
| 2002-03 |
25-7 |
Second Round |
| 2001-02 |
19-13 |
- |
| 2000-01 |
12-19 |
- |
NCAA Basketball Teams
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