SMU Mustangs vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs Louisville Cardinals

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Louisville Cardinals (14-6) are welcoming the SMU Mustangs (15-5) at KFC Yum! Center on Saturday.

The SMU Mustangs played Florida State and notched a win by a score of 83-80 in their last contest. SMU ended the game with a 44.4% FG percentage (28 of 63) and knocked down 10 of 30 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Mustangs buried 17 of their 23 tries for a percentage of 73.9%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 36 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 17 assists in this matchup while forcing 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When discussing defense, SMU allowed the other team to go 42.3% from the field on 30 of 71 shooting. Florida State doled out 16 assists and had 6 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Florida State collected 38 boards (15 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Florida State walked away from this one shooting 66.7% when shooting free throws by making 10 of their 15 tries. They knocked down 10 of 32 attempts from downtown. Concerning fouls, the Mustangs finished with 15 and Florida State recorded 19 fouls.

Jaron Pierre Jr. is someone who was a contributor in this contest. He finished the game at 61.1% from the floor and also earned 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes played and also grabbed 5 boards. He was able to score 28 points on 11 of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

SMU heads into this contest with a mark of 15-5 this season. They turn the ball over 11.6 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 17.2 fouls per contest. As a unit, SMU is grabbing 38.4 rebounds per contest and has tallied 356 assists on the season, which has them ranked 45th in college in terms of passing. The Mustangs are connecting on 36.6% from downtown (158 of 432) and 76.9% from the free throw line. They average 87.3 points per game (18th in college) while hitting 49.4% from the floor.

Defensively, the Mustangs are able to force 13.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.8 fouls. They are 302nd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 323 surrendered for the season. The Mustangs defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 42.8% (534 of 1,249) and they concede 34.6 rebounds per game as a team. They are conceding 32.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 274th in college in PPG allowed (77.0).

In their last game, the Louisville Cardinals took a defeat with a final score of 83-52 against Duke. The Cardinals earned 16 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 21 in this matchup. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 6 steals for the contest. Duke committed 12 fouls in the game which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for 13 shots. They were able to bury 9 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 69.2%. When it comes to three-point shots, Louisville knocked down 11 out of their 34 tries (32.4%). When the game finished, the Cardinals finished 16 out of 54 from the floor which had them sitting at 29.6%. The Cardinals permitted Duke to convert 31 out of 61 tries from the floor which left them shooting 50.8% for the game. They went 34.8% from behind the 3-point line via 8 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 13 out of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). When talking about rebounding, Louisville permitted Duke to pull down 44 overall (15 on the offensive glass).

Ryan Conwell ended up being a factor for the Cardinals for the game. He earned 18 points in his 37 mins on the court and tallied 3 dimes for the game. He buried 7 of 14 in this game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

Louisville has a win-loss record of 14-6 on the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cardinals are hitting on 46.2% from the field, which ranks them 138th in the country. Louisville has accounted for 1,720 pts so far this season (86.0 per contest) and they collect 40.7 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.5 times per contest (34th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.6 times per contest. The Cardinals are responsible for committing 19.2 fouls per game and they go 76.9% from the charity stripe.

The Louisville defense allows 33.5% on 3-point attempts (164 of 489) and opponents are connecting on 70.7% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 11.7 dimes and 34.2 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 60th and 167th in D-1. The Cardinals on the defensive end are ranked 95th in the nation in points given up per game with 70.3. They have forced 12.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.9% from the floor (27th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Louisville

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.