Louisville basketball: Talking Cards vs. Blue Devils with Duke expert

We sat down with Kevin Connelly of Ball Durham to discuss Louisville basketball’s matchup on the road with Duke.

Today’s matchup between Louisville basketball and Duke is a game that I circled right away when perusing through the Cardinals schedule shortly after it was announced last year. While the Blue Devils no longer had the likes of Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish, it was without question a matchup that could go a long way in determining who’s at the top of the ACC.

That rings true today as Louisville and Duke’s matchup will be in-part a matchup to determine who sits atop the ACC standings and it will also be the first time these two teams have met since the Cards complete debacle last season that saw them blow a 23-point first-half lead.

Louisville will resemble nearly the same team that played in that game against Duke last season, while Coach K will return a new group of star freshmen headlined by Vernon Carey Jr. and a potential ACC Player of the Year candidate and rare returnee, Tre Jones.

Both Louisville and Duke have been dominant at times while looking rather inconsistent in others. While Duke has the better ranking, coming into Saturday’s matchup ranked third, they do have two very bad losses this season against Stephen F. Austin and Clemson – the latter coming on Tuesday night.

Duke comes into this game looking for blood and Louisville wants to send a message that they are the team everyone thought they could be. It’ll be a game full of stars with Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch for Louisville going up against Carey Jr., Cassius Stanley, and Tre Jones.

(You can catch our full preview of Louisville vs. Duke here.)

Duke has been the all-around better team this season but can Louisville exploit what allowed Clemson to pull off the massive upset? We sat down with Duke expert Kevin Connelly from Ball Durham to learn more about Duke and what Louisville fans should be watching for.

For those who haven’t kept up with Duke this offseason and into the new season, what is the biggest difference from this year’s team compared to last year with Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish?

Ball Durham – Kevin Connelly: One of the biggest differences in not having Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish is that Duke doesn’t have the firepower it had last season. However, Mike Krzyzewski has retooled with another stellar freshman class and the Blue Devils have their own high flyer in Cassius Stanley and Duke is much better defensive team from a year ago.

Vernon Carey Jr. has been one of the most dominant players in the country. What has allowed him to be so successful from day one?

KC: To be blunt, Vernon Carey Jr. is a beast in the paint. He has the potential to hit 3-pointers but against Clemson, he settled for some mid-range jumpers, which definitely aren’t apart of his arsenal. He’s very polished with his footwork and as the son of a football player, he is built like a defensive end which is tough for anyone to guard.

Tre Jones is right up there with Jordan Nwora in discussion for ACC Player of the Year. Where has his game improved most from last season and do you think he’ll be the biggest advantage Duke has on Saturday?

KC: Tre Jones is one of the best defenders in the country and probably the best in the ACC. Coming into his sophomore season he really needed to improve his shooting percentages and his ability to be the go-to man when the Blue Devils need a basket. He’s really improved in all three categories and while he doesn’t get much consideration for National Player of the Year, Duke fans know how valuable a veteran point guard is.

We all know what happened last season with Louisville dropping a 23 point lead in the second half in a loss at home. How do you think that will impact this game in terms of game plan and what Coach K wants to do?

KC: I don’t think last year will impact Coach K’s gameplan at all. This is a new team and the three best players in that game for Duke are no longer on the team. What will impact Mike Krzyzewski’s gameplan is the potential of not having Wendell Moore and Joey Baker, who both missed Tuesday’s loss to Clemson. Moore definitely will not play since he’s still recovering from a broken hand but Baker sprained his ankle in practice last week and wasn’t able to go against the Tigers and is still questionable for Saturday.

Where is Duke’s biggest advantage? Weakness?

KC: would normally say that Duke’s biggest advantage is their depth, but if Moore and Baker both cannot play, the Blue Devils will be down to an eight-man rotation. Assuming the worst and they don’t play, I’d say Duke’s length will be its biggest advantage. We already talked about Vernon Carey Jr. but the Blue Devils also have Matthew Hurt and Javin DeLaurier who can come in and rebound well while Hurt gives Duke more of a scoring punch than DeLaurier does. The biggest weakness for the Blue Devils this season has been free-throw shooting. In its two losses, if Duke were to make its free throws, it would have won both games against Stephen F. Austin and Clemson.

Who will Duke throw at Jordan Nwora in an attempt to stop his recent hot streak?

KC: Not having Wendell Moore really hurts Duke in this situation because he is a Swiss-Army knife on defense. He can guard one through four and is very good at getting his hands in the passing lane. Duke’s best defender is Tre Jones but he would be at a significant height disadvantage against Nwora. Louisville fans can expect a combination between Cassius Stanley and Jack White to try and guard one of the best players in the ACC.

What’s your score prediction?

Since Duke is at home, I will take the Blue Devils in a close, hard-fought battle winning 75-67.