Louisville Cardinals vs SMU Mustangs Picks & Prediction Tuesday, February 17, 2026

By: Thomas Pemberton Published 02/17/2026, 01:20 AM ET

A quality ACC matchup will go down on Tuesday. The Louisville Cardinals head to SMU to take on the Mustangs. Louisville heads into Tuesday riding a five game win streak and are ranked #21 in the country. While SMU lost 79-78 to Syracuse in their last game played. Keep reading for my Louisville vs SMU prediction or find all our expert's Free College Basketball Picks Here.

Cardinals Are Rolling Along

The Louisville Cardinals beat Baylor 82-71 in their last game played. The Cardinals and the Bears were tied at the half but Louisville put up 48 points in the 2nd half to carry them to the win. Mikel Brown led the way in the win with 29 points. Brown is averaging 17.9 points on the season. The Cardinals are 5th best in the country with 11.6 made three pointers per game. The Louisville Cardinals are ranked #21 with a 19-6 record. The Cardinals have won eight of their last ten games and they have won five straight games. Louisville beat SMU 88-74 back in late January. Brown led the way in that win with 20 points.

SMU Continues To Impress At home

The SMU Mustangs are 17-8 on the season with a 13-2 home court record. SMU has won five of their last ten games. The Mustangs lost to Syracuse by one point in their last game played. Corey Washington led the way with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Boopie Miller leads SMU on the season with 18.9 points scored per game. The SMU Mustangs are scoring 86.2 points per game with 8.3 made three pointers. SMU has five players averaging double digit points per game. The Mustangs are shooting 49.5% from the field which ranks in the top 25 in the nation.

Louisville vs SMU Spread Pick

Louisville Cardinals -2

SMU was leading Louisville at the half in their last meeting. The Cardinals outscored the Mustangs 44-27 in the 2nd half to grab the victory. Louisville has all the momentum as they are seeking their sixth straight win. Watch for the Cardinals to be the better team again in this matchup.

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Louisville vs SMU Over/Under Pick

OVER 167.5

Both Louisville and SMU have very good offensive teams. The Cardinals and the Mustangs are both averaging just over 86 points scored per game. Expect a tight game but a high scoring one. Watch for the total to cruise over.

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