Duke vs. Louisville ACC Tournament Preview
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Thursday, March 9, 2017, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils (+1) vs. Louisville Cardinals (-1) – view all NCAA basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
College Basketball News and Previews
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (24-8, 11-7 ACC)
The boys from Durham have done it again. On Wednesday, the fifth-seeded Duke Blue Devils beat the Clemson Tigers, 79-72, to advance to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament and set up a rematch against fourth seed Louisville.
Three Duke players scored 20 points apiece in the win, with Luke Kennard, the conference’s leading scorer during the regular season, going a fantastic 8-of-11 from the field in the second half. Freshmen Frank Jackson and Jayson Tatum were the two other players to reach the 20-point mark that evening.
Jackson, specifically, has been a huge boost for the Blue Devils. He’s averaging 18.3 points per contest over the last four games, and he’ll need to put on another fantastic performance this Thursday considering fellow guard Grayson Allen’s miserable outing against Clemson. Allen, who’s still nursing a sore ankle, failed to score a single point on Wednesday, got a technical foul for the second-straight game, and logged a season-low 12 minutes of playing time.
Nevertheless, Duke’s backcourt still looks to be in great shape even with the ill-tempered Allen not of sound mind and body just yet. In fact, the Blue Devils have a wealth of weapons from deep that can swing the tides in their favor like in Wednesday’s contest. The team has five players that hit 35 or more three-pointers in the regular season, and that firepower from beyond the arc will serve them well against a defensive-minded Cardinals team on Thursday.
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (24-7, 12-6 ACC)
Head coach Rick Pitino and his Louisville Cardinals have a golden opportunity this Thursday to put the Blue Devils’ typical ACC dominance to an abrupt end. The Cardinals certainly proved earlier this season that they are capable of doing just that, having beaten Duke at home on January 15, 78-69.
Four Louisville players scored in double-digits that night, with the team serving the Blue Devils a taste of their own medicine by going a sweet 21-of-40 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell scored 15 points in that first meeting, and he’ll need to keep his hot hand – 20 or more points in four of his last five starts – ablaze again this Thursday afternoon.
Although, the Cards shouldn’t worry much about going to a shootout against Duke. Instead, they must keep their lock-down, consistent brand of basketball in place. They’ve allowed just an average of 65.4 points to the opposition (37th in the country), and never lost back-to-back contests as well during the regular season.
Not only does Louisville have a better presence in the post to nicely counter the Blue Devils’ perimeter game, the team also had an extra day off to prepare for its opponent, who hasn’t necessarily been on a tear of late. Duke is just 2-3 over its last five games (1-3-1 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction
The Cardinals (-1) deal yet another crushing defeat to the Blue Devils, 76-71.
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