Louisville vs Florida Elite Eight Odds: NCAA Tournament Predictions

A year ago, none of the higher seeds in the Elite Eight covered the spread.

And only one of them even won a game.

When Louisville and Florida clash in the West Region final Saturday, the lower-seeded Gators are actually favorites against Rick Pitino's Cardinals.

"While Louisville is now 11-0 SU in the Sweet 16, they have not been friendly for bettors in the Elite Eight, where they are 0-3 ATS recently," said Mark Presley of OddsShark.com.

Louisville opened as a small 1-point underdog and that line has held up at most shops tracked by OddsShark.com. But their performance in stomping Michigan State Thursday cannot be overstated.

Florida, meanwhile, has been a terrific tournament bet and, with three straight covers in 2012, is now 9-2 ATS in their past 11 Madness outings.

Predicted Score: 79-75 Florida

ATS Pick: Gators -1

How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Gators rank No. 104 in NCAA Division 1 with 35.8 per game. That compares with Louisville’s No. 27 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Louisville is college basketball's No. 200-ranked team at 5.9 per game, while the Gators rate No. 1 with 9.7 per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Florida owns the country's No. 184-rated mark, allowing 70.2 points per game on the highway. Louisville, on the other hand, rates No. 194 in scoring at home.

In their last action, Florida was a 68-58 winner against Marquette. They covered the 1-point spread as underdogs. Bradley Beal scored 21 points, leading the Gators to a 68-58 victory over Marquette at US Airways Center on Thursday.

Louisville won its last outing, a 57-44 result against Michigan State, on Thursday. They covered in that game as a 5.5-point underdog. The Cardinals got 15 points from Chane Behanan.