The Duke Blue Devils are hosting the Louisville Cardinals tonight in college basketball action. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the betting odds for the game have the Blue Devils favored by a couple of buckets at home to get the victory.
Louisville is dealing with a ton of negativity right now, they self-imposed sanctions that won’t allow them to play in the ACC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament. The fifth-year graduating senior transfers now have nothing to play for, so how do the Cardinals get prepared for the remaining season?
Duke has its own problems this year. They can’t rebound without Amile Jefferson and the defense has struggled as well. The Blue Devils remain second in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency with 112.8 points per 100 possessions, the number is only behind Notre Dame for the best in college basketball. Duke ranks 136th in the country on the defensive side of things, though.
Louisville ranks second in defensive efficiency in allowing just 89.7 points per 100 possessions, only Valparaiso is better. The Cardinals will have to play better offensively in this one, though, because if Duke dictates the style of play there should be some points scored.
Duke has only played 10 ACC games inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and gone 2-2, scoring an average of north of 80 points per contest. Syracuse held the Blue Devils to just 62 points in one of those losses, Duke made just 10 of an astounding 37 three-point shots in that game. If Louisville doesn’t play well defensively, Duke will win.
The Blue Devils can’t have another game where they miss 27 triples, even if they do knock down 10 of them. Duke has to play well on defense as well.
Free Pick: Duke
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