Game day central: Louisville basketball battles Duke for ACC supremacy
By Jacob Lane
Louisville basketball will face its toughest test yet in ACC play when they travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to battle Duke.
Chris Mack and the Louisville basketball program narrowly escaped what would have been a puzzling loss on Tuesday when they knocked off Pittsburgh 73-68 in overtime.
Tuesday’s win was by no means a pretty game, but it was one that should encourage many Cards fans who have worried about the mental state of this team after they climbed back into a game that saw them down by as many as 12.
Now, Louisville is preparing to face one of its toughest tests of the season as it travels to play a Duke team coming off an upset loss to Clemson Tuesday night.
Let’s break down the keys to the game, players to watch, what to expect and our predictions.
Gameday Central:
Who: No. 11 Louisville Cardinals (14-3) (5-1) at No. 3 Duke (15-2) (5-1)
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
When: Saturday, January 16th @ 6:00 PM EST
How to watch: ESPN
Spread check: TBA
Last matchup: February 12, 2019 – Louisville 69, Duke 71
Current ACC standings: Louisville – t-1st, Duke t-1st
Current KenPom rankings: Louisville – 10th, Duke – 2nd
Key storylines
Louisville:
Who is Louisville? That’s the question that all of you, the coaching staff, myself and America are asking about the Louisville basketball program.
The narrative entering the season was that Louisville was one of the top teams in not only the ACC but in the country, capable of winning the National Championship behind their returning upperclassmen, including Jordan Nwora.
That narrative held up strong until the later parts of non-conference play when Louisville began to allow lesser opponents to come back from large leads due to mental mistakes and what looked like a lack of effort at times. They did pick up a few big wins, including beating no. 4 Michigan, but losses to Kentucky and Florida State really began to make people wonder what happened.
Duke:
Duke is coming off of their second embarrassing, bad loss against Clemson on Tuesday night, and unfortunately, Louisville is the opponent who will now have to deal with the wrath of the upset.
Much like Louisville, I think many may ask “who is the real Duke?” The team that beat Kansas and Michigan State in non-conference play or the team that lost to Stephen F. Austin and Clemson?
On Saturday, Duke will play their biggest game yet in ACC play and they’ll have a real opportunity to show the nation who they are truly are in primetime television with College Gameday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke has been just short of dominant this season against