NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Thursday, Jan. 14, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Arena: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
The Pittsburgh Panthers have entered ACC play undefeated, but have yet to face any teams in the top half of the conference standings. With just one loss on the season, Pittsburgh will look to prove they deserve a spot in the top 20, as they go on the road to face the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals on Thursday night.
The Cardinals are coming off of their first “bad” loss of the season, falling to the Clemson Tigers 66-62 on the road. The good news for Louisville is that the Tigers are a much better team than their record suggests. The bad news is that the Cardinals have still yet to win a game over a ranked team.
Louisville was expected to be in a transition season, and needs to win against a top ACC opponent like Pittsburgh in order to solidify their place in the 2016 NCAA tournament with the far more difficult portion of their schedule yet to come.
Both of these teams are in the same boat in terms of national perception. With the likes of the Duke Blue Devils, Virginia Cavaliers and North Carolina Tar Heels hogging the national headlines out of the ACC, Louisville and Pittsburgh continue to rack up solid wins. A victory on Thursday could vault one into the top-15 conversation and send the other on a downward spiral.
That being said, the Panthers and the Cardinals should both make the 2016 NCAA tournament. Solid records and decent wins highlight both resumes, and there should be no reason for either of these teams to finish beyond eighth in the ACC.
On Thursday night, however, Pittsburgh faces the best defense it has seen all season. Louisville only allows 58.4 points per game, and although the Panthers’ offense is great, Rick Pitino and Co. come out on top at home.
Prediction: Louisville 68, Pittsburgh 65
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