McCamish Pavilion - Atlanta, GA
Tip-off: Monday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Louisville -4.5

No. 17 Louisville looks to win its second straight game when it heads to Atlanta Monday and takes on Georgia Tech.

No. 17 Louisville just barely avoided losing a third straight game with a 55-53 home victory over Miami as a 9-point favorite. The Cardinals are just 2-3 SU in their past five games and they’ve failed to cover in three straight contests as well. Offensively, this team has struggled about as badly as it possibly can. Louisville has shot the ball under 40% from the field in four of its past seven games and the team must find a way to get things going on the offensive end. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, lost 89-60 as an 11-point underdog in North Carolina on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets have now lost three of their past four games both SU and ATS and they allowed North Carolina to shoot 62.3% from the floor on Saturday. They’ll need to tighten things up defensively in order to come away with a home upset over the Cardinals. These two teams have not met since 2005, but Louisville has won-and-covered the past two times these teams have played. The Cardinals are 14-4 ATS off of a home win against a conference rival over the past three seasons. They are, however, facing a Georgia Tech team that is 8-1 ATS after failing to cover in three of their past four games over the past three seasons. G Chris Jones was dismissed from Louisville after the team’s victory over Miami. G Chris Bolden (Suspension) is out indefinitely for the Yellow Jackets.

Can Louisville take care of business and beat a struggling Georgia Tech team? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have been heating up since Dec. 23, combining for a 56% ATS mark (125-97-3) in college basketball Best Bets. StatFox Gary is a strong 58% ATS (26-19) during this timeframe to improve to 59% ATS (44-31) for the season. StatFox Brian is 65% ATS (26-14-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 28 to put him at 58% ATS (43-31-1) this season, while StatFox Zach is on a 59% ATS (22-15) Best Bets run since Jan. 1 and has a 56% ATS mark (42-33) this season. StatFox Scott is a strong 57% ATS (27-20-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 23, and StatFox Dave is 64% ATS (7-4) since Feb. 6.

Louisville has been solid offensively over the course of the entire season, averaging 70.5 PPG (99th in NCAA) on 43.0% shooting (204th in NCAA) but that has not been the case lately. The Cardinals have failed to score 70 points in regulation since Jan. 28 (seven games) and have not been getting it done offensively. Defensively, Louisville allows just 59.1 PPG (22nd in NCAA) thanks to 5.9 BPG (8th in NCAA) and 8.3 SPG (16th in NCAA). G Chris Jones (13.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.0 SPG) was a big reason this team played such good defense, and he is now off the team after being dismissed over the weekend. G Terry Rozier (17.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.9 SPG) will now need to take on an even bigger role for this team. He will be counted on to distribute a little bit more with Jones out and G Quintin Snider (2.4 PPG) could take Jones’ place in the starting lineup. Snider started for Jones in a loss to Syracuse on Feb. 18, and finished the game with 13 points, four assists and three rebounds in 38 minutes of action. He’ll need to play well if this team is going to hold itself together moving forward. F Montrezl Harrell (15.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.3 BPG) will be counted on to be even more of a leader in the locker room with Jones out. Harrell is one of the best defenders in college basketball and is a beast offensively when he wants to be. He’ll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end with Jones out. G Wayne Blackshear (10.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG) will also need to start scoring more consistently for this team with Jones gone. Blackshear had 10 points against Miami on Saturday and 19 points against NC State three contests ago, but he was held scoreless against Syracuse on Feb. 18 and he can’t afford to let things like that happen again.

Georgia Tech is a lousy team offensively, averaging just 64.2 PPG (259th in NCAA) on 41.3% shooting (277th in NCAA). The Yellow Jackets aren’t as bad on the defensive end, allowing 64.2 PPG (120th in NCAA). One thing they do very well is rebound the ball, as they’re averaging 38.0 RPG (26th in NCAA). F Marcus Georges-Hunt (13.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.3 SPG) is Georgia Tech’s best player and if he can’t get it going against Louisville then the Yellow Jackets won’t stand a chance. He had 15 points in 25 minutes against North Carolina and will likely need to have more if he’s going to give his team a chance in this one. Georges-Hunt will also need to hit the glass on defense, as Louisville has a ton of size and will certainly battle for extra possessions. F Charles Mitchell (9.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG) has really struggled for the Yellow Jackets recently. He’s failed to score in double-digits the past three games and has gotten himself into foul trouble far too often lately. He’ll need to be disciplined against Louisville and also use his massive body to box out the Cardinals’ big men. F Robert Sampson (5.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG) is another player who can really grab rebounds at a high rate for this team. He struggled against North Carolina and will have to get himself back on track against Louisville. Sampson has a very high motor and he should come to play in what is a big game for this Yellow Jackets team. C Demarco Cox (8.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.0 BPG) was on fire until running into North Carolina last game. He had averaged 12.0 PPG in the previous two contests and will need to have a similarly effective offensive output against Louisville. He has the size to bang with the Cardinals frontcourt and he must show up in this one. On the perimeter, G Tadric Jackson (4.5 PPG) will need to do the heavy lifting for the Yellow Jackets. He had nine points in 22 minutes against North Carolina and will need to find ways to penetrate against Louisville on Monday.