Duke’s back. The No. 20 Blue Devils didn’t take long to climb back up the AP Poll as they recorded some big wins over ranked opponents. One of their most recent victims was Louisville in Durham. But the shorthanded Blue Devils will be hard-pressed to complete the sweep against the Cardinals as they visit the fortress known as the KFC Yum! Center.
Check out our complete preview of this big ACC clash below. Meanwhile, get ready for more weekend college hoops action with our previews of Purdue vs. Indiana and Miami vs. North Carolina.
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Duke Blue Devils vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville
When: Saturday, February 20, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils at Louisville Cardinals – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (20-6, 9-4 ACC)
Duke has been on quite a roll ever since losing to Miami and crashing out of the Top 25 AP Poll last month. The Blue Devils have won five in a row (but went only 3-2 ATS), including three-straight against ranked opponents – Louisville (72-65), Virginia (63-62) and at North Carolina (74-73).
With Jones very questionable to play and senior big man Amile Jefferson still out with his broken foot, the Blue Devils will remain very shorthanded for their visit to Louisville.
However, Ingram and Allen have proven to be very capable of carrying the team despite playing some heavy minutes. Ingram played all 40 minutes and had 18 points with 10 rebounds, while Allen had 19 in 39 minutes in Duke’s win over Louisville last week.
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Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (20-6, 9-4 ACC)
Louisville finally snapped their first losing skid of the season with a big 72-58 win over Syracuse on Wednesday.
After those losses on the road to Duke and Notre Dame, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see the Cardinals bounce back at home. They’ve gone an incredible 16-1 (10-4 ATS) in the KFC Yum! Center this year, and own the third-best home scoring margin in the country (+25.1).
Damion Lee’s shot deserted him last week as he finished with just 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting against Duke. Expect the senior, who’s the team’s leading scorer at 16.5 PPG, to redeem himself at home, though.
Lee has been pretty reliable when he’s face off with ranked opposition. He’s scored 18 or more points in four of five games against ranked opponents this season – 23 at Michigan State, 27 at Kentucky, 18 vs. Pit and 24 vs. UNC – with the lone exception a six-point effort against Virginia.
Meanwhile, Louisville’s suffocating press should be a bit more effective at home against a very shorthanded Duke team that must be feeling the effects – physically and mentally – of two-straight games that went right down to the wire.
Writer’s Prediction
Louisville takes advantage of shorthanded Duke as the Cardinals beat the Blue Devils, 75-66.
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