Wednesday college basketball odds: No. 11 Louisville at Rutgers

After a shocking three-game losing streak that started when Louisville was No. 1 in the nation, the Cardinals have turned it around with two straight losses and opened as 10.5-point favorites on Wednesday at Rutgers. Check our current odds.

Louisville beat No. 25 Marquette 70-51 on Sunday. Russ Smith scored 18 points, Peyton Siva added 14 and Louisville shot 52 percent to run away from Marquette. The Cardinals’ reserves helped out by outscoring the Golden Eagles’ 19-10 — 21 points below their average coming in. That contribution helped snap Louisville (18-4, 6-3) out of an early funk and the Cardinals went on to their most decisive victory since they started 4-0 in the league and beat opponents by average of 18.5 points per game.

Louisville is second nationally in turnover margin (+6.6). The Cards have forced an average of 19.2 turnovers a game, scoring 527 of their 1624 points off turnovers (32%). They rank No. 1 nationally in steals, averaging 11.2 per game. U of L has collected double digit steals in 18 of its 22 games. Two Cards rank among the national leaders: Smith (2.2/game, 31st nationally) and Siva (2.1, 42nd).

Rutgers has been off since losing 62-54 at Cincinnati on Jan. 30. Cincinnati blocked eight shots, forced 21 turnovers and held the Scarlet Knights to 24 points in the second half. Myles Mack scored 15 points to lead the Scarlet Knights (12-8, 3-6), who have lost four in a row with an offense that can’t find any consistency.

The Scarlet Knights have an 8-3 record at home this season. Rutgers is No. 64 in the ratings percentage index and No. 92 in the Sagarin Ratings through games of Feb. 3. Louisville has won 10 of its 11 previous matchups with Rutgers (six straight wins), including a 78-66 Uof L victory in the KFC Yum! Center last season as Chane Behanan scored a season-high 23 points.

WagerWeb.com trends: Cardinals are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big East. Scarlet Knights are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 vs. Big East. Scarlet Knights are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS win.