Louisville vs. Western Kentucky prediction: Cardinals will stay lost Wednesday

It’s hard to imagine a worse stretch for the Louisville men’s basketball team, which has lost its first nine games of the season on the heels of its worst campaign in 21 years. It could get even more dire on Wednesday in a dangerous spot against visiting Western Kentucky. 

In just about any other season, this matchup would profile as a blowout in the Cardinals’ favor. This team, though, isn’t up for the challenge. It opened the season with three straight losses against non-major schools before losing its next six games by an average of 25.2 points per game, with none decided by fewer than 19 points. 

The game will be broadcasted Wednesday live on ESPN2 at 9 p.m ET.

Louisville vs. Western Kentucky prediction

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The primary issue, if you can isolate just one, is it’s inept offense. Louisville ranks outside of the top 300 in offensive efficiency and is turning it over an embarrassing 24.4 percent of the time. A majority of those turnovers are unforced, a product of stagnant ball movement and a crippling lack of experience. 

Betting on College Basketball?

It’s the polar opposite story for the Hilltoppers, who rank in the top 25 in the percentage of assisted baskets (61.7 percent) and 3-point percentage (39.6 percent) and are one of the more experienced teams in college basketball. They also boast the exact same average height as Louisville (78.9”), which is just about the only advantage the Cardinals have over any opponents this season. 

All of that has carried Western Kentucky to a 8-1 record entering Wednesday, and I’d expect the Hilltoppers to continue Louisville’s winless spiral in this one. 

Louisville vs. Western Kentucky pick

Western Kentucky -7 (BetMGM)