#10 Duke Blue Devils (21-6, 12-4 ACC) vs. Louisville (8-19, 3-13 ACC)

Overall Duke leads, 14-9
In Durham, NC Duke leads, 4-3
at Cameron Indoor Stadium Duke leads, 4-3
In Louisville, KY Duke leads, 5-4
at KFC Yum! Center Duke leads, 4-3
Neutral Sites Duke leads, 5-2
Last Meeting Duke 83, @Louisville 69 (Jan. 23, 2024)

TV/Video Stream ACCN
Play-by-Play Anish Shroff
Analyst Randolph Childress
Director Caleb Waters
Producer Will Black

Radio Blue Devil Sports Net.
Play-by-Play David Shumate
Analyst John Roth
Engineer John Rose
In Durham 96.5 FM & 620 AM
SiriusXM 119 or 193

The Cardinals own a record of 8-19 overall and an ACC record of 3-13. Louisville is second in the ACC and 18th in the nation with 17.3 free throws made per game. Five Cardinals average double figures in scoring, topped by Skyy Clark (13.3 points per game), Mike James (13.0 ppg) and Tre White (13.0 ppg). Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and JJ Traynor round out the double-figure scorers for Louisville at 12.4 and 10.1 points per game respectively. Huntley-Hatfield leads the Cardinals in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game.

The Blue Devils enter the week at 21-6 overall and an ACC record of 12-4 good for second. Duke is the only team to rank among the top four ACC statistical leaders in both scoring offense (2nd/80.4 points per game) and scoring defense (4th/67.7 points allowed per game). The Blue Devils lead the ACC in scoring margin (+12.7), field goal percentage (.483), 3-point field goal percentage (.382) and assists (15.4 per game).

Kyle Filipowski ranks eighth in scoring (16.9 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.3 rpg), tied for third in blocked shots (1.7 bpg) and eighth in field goal percentage (.499). Filipowski leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Senior Jeremy Roach is averaging 14.2 points per game and 3.1 assists – both numbers are good for second in their respective categories for the Blue Devils. Jared McCain has scored 15+ points in three of his last four games. The freshman guard is averaging 13.6 points per game and 4.9 rebounds. Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor round out the double-figure scorers for the Blue Devils with Mitchell coming in at 12.7 points per game and Proctor with 10.3 – Proctor leads the team in assists per game with 3.6.

G Jeremy Roach 6’2, 180lbs SR
G Jared McCain 6’3, 197lbs FR
G Tyrese Proctor 6’5, 183lbs SO
F Mark Mitchell  6’9, 232lbs SO
C Kyle Filipowski 7’0, 248lbs SO

G Skyy Clark 6’3, 205lbs SO
G Mike James 6’5, 200lbs RSSO
F Kaleb Glenn 6’6, 205lbs FR
G Tre White 6’7, 205lbs SO
F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield 6’10, 240lbs JR

Louisville is current on a 3 game losing streak but have improved in some areas as a team. They are a team that gets to the free throw line and in a game where Duke will be down a significant rotational player, as Caleb Foster is not expected to play, this could become a factor. Duke guards will have to do a much better job of guarding without fouling – I expect Louisville to attack the basket with ferocity knowing that Duke will be shorthanded. Whether you believe in the Ville or not they are a capable basketball team at times. Brandon Huntley- Hatfield has had a resurgence this season and is playing good basketball for the Cards who have also expanded their depth in the backcourt. Bringing Ty-Laur Johnson off the bench gives Louisville some offensive pop.

For Duke it all boils down to defense if they can contain the backcourt of the Cardinals they should be able to build a nice comfortable lead but Duke may be forced to play some unconventional lineups. I expect Duke to slow the game down to preserve energy and I expect Scheyer to go to his bench a little more out of necessity. If the Cardinals keep this game close early things could get very interesting and not in a good way for Duke fans. A team with nothing to lose is a dangerous team – all the pressure falls on the Blue Devils in this one.