20* Louisville/UConn ESPN Big Monday No-Brainer on Connecticut +7

Louisville vs. Connecticut, 01/14/2013 19:00 EDT, Score: 73 - 58

Point Spread: +7/-107 Connecticut

Sportsbook: 5Dimes

Result: Loss

The Connecticut Huskies should not be an underdog at home to the Louisville Cardinals tonight, let alone a 7-point dog. I'll gladly back these underrated Huskies showing their best value of the season tonight.

Connecticut is 12-3 under first-year head coach Kevin Ollie. Their three losses have all come by 6 points or less on the road against New Mexico (60-66), NC State (65-69) and Marquette (76-82). Those are three very good teams that will likely be playing in the NCAA Tournament at season's end.

UConn is coming off a 65-58 win at Notre Dame as an 8.5-point underdog to really show what it is capable of. The Huskies are a perfect 8-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 15.3 points/game.

Louisville comes in overvalued due to its 15-1 start. It has opened with a very soft Big East schedule with wins over Providence, Seton Hall and South Florida. It now takes a step up in competition and will not be able to live up to the expectations it has created for itself from oddsmakers.

Rick Pitino is 4-12 ATS in road games after 3 straight wins by 10 points or more as the coach of Louisville. The Huskies are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600. UConn is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 vs. Big East foes. Bet UConn Monday.