Game Preview: Duke vs Louisville | Jan. 29, 12PM ET | KFC Yum! Center

Duke vs Louisville Preview

 SATURDAY, JAN. 29, 2022 | KFC YUM! CENTER | LOUISVILLE, KY | 12 PM ET

The Series

Overall: Duke leads, 11-9
In Durham, NC: Tied, 3-3 (3-3 at Cameron Indoor)
In Louisville, KY: Duke trails, 3-4 (2-3 at KFC Yum! Center)
Last Meeting: Duke, 70-56 (3/10/21 @ ACCT)
Coach K vs. Louisville: 7-9
Last 10 Games (Streak): Tied, 5-5 (Duke 1W)

TV

Network: ESPN
Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
Analyst: Chris Spatola
Sideline —
Producer: Kim Belton
Stream: WatchESPN 

RADIO

Network: Blue Devil Sports
PxP/Analyst: David Shumate/John Roth
Stream GoDuke.com; TuneIn app
Sirius/XM 84 / 84
Network: Compass Media
PxP/Analyst: Gregg Daniels/Mike Wozniak 

Duke vs Louisville:

Duke and Louisville are meeting for the 21st time, with the Blue Devils leading 11-9, which includes a 70-56 win over the Cardinals in last year’s ACC Tournament second round.

Louisville

Louisville is 11-9 overall and 5-5 in the ACC and has dropped five of its last six heading into Saturday’s game vs. Duke. Mike Pegues is serving as the Cardinals’ interim head coach, following a mid-season coaching change. Pegues was Louisville’s coach of record for the team’s first six games this season (5-1) due to a suspension of then-head coach Chris Mack. Pegues, who was an assistant coach for Mack at both Xavier and Louisville, played at Delaware from 1996 to 2000 for Mike Brey — a former Duke assistant and now the head coach at Notre Dame.

The Cardinals are a deep team with 9 guys averaging over 16 minutes a game and a 10th just under 10. Louisville is 4th in the conference in defensive rebounding and 7th in overall rebounding they are 8th in 3 point field goal percentage in the ACC

Louisville is led by two 10 point a game scorers in Noah Locke and Malik Williams. Locke is shooting nearly 37% from beyond the arc this season. Williams is rebounding the basketball at an 8.5 per game clip currently. The Cards leading assist man is Jarrod West who averages 3.2 per game off the bench but is averaging 28 minutes a game. West had 14 points and 3 assists last time out for the Cardinals in a 64-52 loss to Virginia to lead the team.

Duke

Beginning a stretch of three straight and four of its next five on the road, No. 9 Duke battles Louisville Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center. The Blue Devils enter the weekend in a tie for second place in the ACC standings with Notre Dame, each a half game back of Miami. Duke is 16-3 with a conference record of 6-2.

The Blue Devils are first in the conference in assists and blocks and 2nd in total rebounding. Duke is up to 3rd in 3 point shooting in the conference. Since January 1, Duke opponents are shooting just .264 (40-of-151) from three-point range — the best percentage defense by power conference teams and the 16th best overall in that span. For the year, Duke is 35th nationally in three-point defense (.296). The Blue Devils have assisted on 74 percent of its field goals over the last four games (86 assists on 117 FGs), and is 60 percent for the season.

Paolo Banchero leads the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding at 17.9 and 7.9. The ACC Freshman of the Week for the fifth time, Banchero is averaging a double-double over Duke’s last four games with 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, while dishing out 4.8 assists and shooting .583 (28-of-48) from the field in that span. Sophomore Mark Williams leads the Blue Devils in blocks at 33 per game. Williams had a career game in last year’s ACC Tournament win over the Cards with career highs in points (23) and rebounds (19) — the most rebounds by a freshman in ACCT history. Williams, who is a finalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year, leads the ACC and is eighth nationally in blocks (3.26).

Wendell Moore Jr. leads the Blue Devils in assists at 4.6 per game. One of the ACC’s best on-ball defenders, Moore is holding opposing players to just .349 from the field and .258 from three-point range when he is the primary defender. Moore is third in the ACC in assists (4.6), third in field goal percentage (.545), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (2.07), 14th in scoring (15.1) and has hit nine of his last 15 from three-point range.

Duke vs Louisville: Keys to the Game

Currently in ACC play the Cardinals are giving up more points than they are scoring and aren’t defending the 3 point line with great efficiency. I do expect better defense under Coach Pegues who had the Cards defending at an elite level, only allowing 51 points per game.

Louisville will be fired up and are the type of team, a team with older guards, that Duke has had problems with this season. There will be an initial emotional boon for the Cardinals and Duke will have to match the energy, which has been an issue on the road for the Blue Devils. Rebounding is about effort and will, Duke, in order to win will have to flex theirs. Rebounding was a key factor for the Ville in their 6 game stint under interim Coach Pegues. The recipe for Duke doesn’t change: rebound the basketball, don’t turn it over – both would yield extra possessions for the opponent.

DUKE VS LOUISVILLE OVERALL
STAT COMPARISON

DUKE VS LOUISVILLE CONFERENCE
STAT COMPARISON

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS

DUKE VS LOUISVILLE

Duke Blue Devils

Guard Jeremy Roach 6’1, 180lbs – Sophomore
Guard / Forward Wendell Moore 6’5, 213lbs – Junior
Forward AJ Griffin 6’6, 222lbs – Freshman
Forward Paolo Banchero 6’10, 250lbs – Freshman
Center Mark Williams 7’1, 242lbs – Sophomore

Louisville

Guard Mason Faulkner 6’1, 190lbs – Graduate
Guard Noah Locke 6’3, 205lbs – Senior
Forward Dre Davis 6’6, 220lbs – Sophomore
Forward Sydney Curry 6’8, 260lbs – Junior
Center Malik Williams 6’11, 250lbs – 5yr Senior