Louisville basketball will travel to Cameron Indoor Arena to take on the Duke Blue Devils on ESPN's big Monday tonight. Louisville opened as a 6.5-point underdog but is now an 8.5-point underdog. Louisville lost its previous meeting in Louisville against Duke by 11 points, even though they led the Blue Devils by 12 in the first half.
Louisville recently beat Virginia Tech and Pitt and is on a two-game winning streak, and with star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. back, the Cardinals are looking to make strides in the ACC. Louisville will need to do nearly everything right in a tough road matchup and cannot afford to have a terrible half against Duke, as they had in their previous meeting.
With Brown back and Louisville winning two straight, the vibes are high going to Durham. The Cardinals entered the season with high expectations, and a win tonight would set the tone for the next two months. So, with Louisville in need of a huge win on the road tonight, here are three reasons that prove why Louisville will upset No. 5 Duke tonight.
No. 3: Louisville's big men will step up big in the spotlight
Louisville has had a center rotation of Sananda Fru and Aly Khalifa since the season began, and both have struggled to make consistent strides throughout the season. However, in the past two weeks, Fru has started playing like the player we all thought he would be.
Fru has recorded a double-double in two of the past four games and has recorded double-digit points in three of the past four games as well. This includes a 19-point and 13-rebound performance against Boston College and a 13-point and 10-rebound game against Virginia Tech. Fru has also had a better presence in the paint with his defense and ability to block shots when he gets position.
Khalifa's game is quite different than Fru's since he is much more of a passing and shooting big man. There have been multiple games in the past month where he has made multiple three-pointers, and his ability to make great passes can throw opposing big men off guard in certain instances.
They will have their hands full against Cam Boozer tonight, but if they keep playing the way they have over the past month, it will put Louisville in a good position to win.
No. 2: Pat Kelsey will make key coaching adjustments
Pat Kelsey has had issues in the past making coaching adjustments in key moments over his tenure at Louisville. However, in the past two games against Virginia Tech and Pitt, Kelsey has made adjustments when those teams made runs.
In the two games where Louisville completely dominated Pitt and Virginia Tech, Kelsey was still making adjustments by using timeouts, changing his defensive scheme/rotation, swapping players who weren't hustling, and drawing up plays that attacked the paint more.
Kelsey will need to keep this up against Duke, where he has had trouble in the past against head coach Jon Scheyer. Kelsey has shown over the past week that he can make key coaching adjustments and will look to continue that to upset Duke on the road.
No. 1: Duke will not be able to contain Mikel Brown Jr.
In Louisville's previous meeting against Duke Mikel Brown Jr. was out with an injury, and the Cardinals had Duke on the ropes in the first half. Brown changes everything about Louisville's offense, and Duke will have to do everything they can to contain him. Not to mention that, with Brown taking in more defenders, it will open up more opportunities for Ryan Conwell and Isaac McNeely as well.
Duke will have to contain Brown and Louisville's other elite offensive players, and if they fail, they will have a very hard time beating the Cardinals tonight. With the Cards' impressive 10-1 resume when Brown plays, Louisville has a legitimate chance of winning tonight.
If the Cardinals play like it did in the first half, plus Brown plays like he did against Kentucky, then Louisville fans should feel good about the matchup tonight.