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The Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats regularly meet during the regular season, but they haven’t met in the NCAA tournament since 1984. They’ll clash in this year’s Final Four.
2012 NCAA Final Four – Game 1 Preview
National Semifinal: Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats – Saturday, March 31
Sports betting line: No line
Why Louisville Will Win
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When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you must take into account the pressures and dynamics associated with fierce rivalries. One of the things that makes college basketball in general (and the NCAA tournament in particular) so difficult to win is that the motivation levels differ so markedly from game to game. Teams that are lacking in confidence in one game can then be transformed the next game if they’re lucky enough to survive. Teams can and do approach certain games in a state of fear and paralysis, only to live another day and exhibit the very fearlessness that was so absent the night before. This very much describes the journey the Louisville Cardinals have taken in this year’s NCAA tournament, at least at times.
Louisville barely skated by New Mexico in the round of 32, playing a very shaky brand of basketball but doing just enough to hang on in the end. The Cardinals, having emerged from the first weekend of the tournament intact, regathered their strength and their energies and put together a convincing performance in the Sweet 16 round against Michigan State, smacking around the top-seeded Spartans by 13 points, 57-44. Louisville was far more comfortable playing as an underdog four seed against a number one seed than it was as a favored fourth seed against fifth-seeded New Mexico. In the West Regional final against seventh-seeded Florida, Louisville reverted to the edgy, unsettled team it was against New Mexico.
The Cardinals were blitzed in the first 30 minutes and trailed by 11 points midway through the second half. However, they rallied and managed to dig out a 72-68 win when Florida’s three-point shots stopped falling. Now, Louisville gets a chance to take on its archrival, Kentucky. The Cardinals won’t have pressure in this game. They know they’re playing with house money. They have absolutely nothing to lose and should exhibit supreme confidence on the court in the Louisiana Superdome. One great performance, fueled by all this confidence, is very attainable for Louisville. The path to victory very much exists.
Why Kentucky Will Win
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The college basketball betting experts who follow the sport on a regular basis do not need to offer a lengthy dissertation on why Kentucky will win. The Wildcats have a starting five comprised of NBA-level players – some of them will declare for the draft after this season, while a few will probably stick around for one more season and then turn pro. Anthony Davis is the best player in the sport, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the hardest-working player in all of college basketball. Louisville will play hard, but it will not be able to match the skill level Kentucky can put on the court.
Who Will Win
This is not going to be a blowout, but in the end, Kentucky’s superior talent is simply too much to ignore. Louisville coach Rick Pitino will devise a good game plan, but Kentucky’s dynamic starting five plus key reserve Darius Miller will outlast the Cardinals in a good, tough game.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Kentucky CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.
