NCAAW: #21 Syracuse vs #16 Louisville Odds, and Picks (Feb 1)

• Syracuse went 1-1 in two ranked games last week, defeating Notre Dame, 79-65.
• Louisville continued to surge, defeating Pittsburgh 77-58, and improving to 18-3.
• These two teams last met on January 29, 2023, in a game that Louisville won 79-67.

The women’s college basketball season is heating up! This game features a crucial ACC matchup between the Syracuse Orange and the Louisville Cardinals. Both teams currently rank among the ACC’s top squads.

How to Watch

• Where: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, KY
• When: Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 7 p.m ET
• Channel: ACC Network

Odds

Preview

Syracuse continued their impressive play last week. They faced off against two top-20 teams, defeating #15 Notre Dame on the road before coming up short against #19 Virginia Tech back home. The Orange sit comfortably inside the projected NCAA Tournament field, expected to end a 2-year tourney drought. G Dyaisha Fair has been their offensive leader. She is averaging career highs in 3pt % and FT % this season.

Louisville currently leads the ACC in the standings with a 7-1 conference record. Despite that, they remain ranked just #16, 11 spots behind the ACC’s top ranked team, NC State. The Cardinals lower ranking is a result of a softer strength of schedule to start the season, but that is about to change. Their next 4 games, and 5 of the next 6, will come against ranked teams. They’ll aim to start off right with a win over Syracuse.

Prediction

Both Louisville and Syracuse have exceeded expectations so far this season, surging to a 35-6 combined record. They should match up pretty evenly, which makes it even more interesting that they play each other twice in the next month. For this first matchup, I like Louisville’s chances of getting the win at home.

NCAAW Picks:

• Louisville 74, Syracuse 68 ()