Louisville is a 9-point favorite over UC Irvine

Louisville opened as an 8.5-point favorite over 13th-seeded UC Irvine late Sunday night, a line which has since been bet up to the Cards -9.

History says that's a pretty good sign.

Under Rick Pitino, UofL is 13-1 in NCAA Tournament games when favored by 8 or more points. They opened as 9-point favorites vs. UC Irvine.

— Kelly Dickey (@RealCardGame) March 16, 2015

The lone loss, of course, was U of L's upset at the hands of Morehead State in 2011, another 4/13 matchup. The Cards were also 9-point favorites in that game.

In case you were wondering, here are the lines on the other 4/13 games:

Maryland by 5 over Valparaiso (Midwest)

North Carolina by 10 over Harvard (West)

Georgetown by 7.5 over Eastern Washington (South)