Louisville basketball is 4-0 and ranked as high as No. 6 for the first time since 2020. Louisville has one of the highest odds to win the 2026 National Title and the 2026 ACC Title. Pat Kelsey and his program are eyeing history as they have never won the ACC Title and are looking to cut those nets down in Charlotte.
The Cards are viewed as a real contender to win the ACC this season, but there is one team standing in their way. The Duke Blue Devils have +135 odds to win the ACC, while Louisville is right behind with +160 odds. After Louisville's win over Kentucky, many experts, like Jeff Goodman, were impressed and began to rethink their ACC champion predictions, but on Tuesday night, Duke secured a dominant win over Kansas and proved how elite this team already is and that they are going to be no pushover.
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Duke just proved they are the real deal last night
It wasn't the prettiest win by the Blue Devils, but it was a top-25 win by double-digits. Kansas was without the projected No. 1 overall pick, Darryn Peterson, but Duke still took care of business and beat the Jayhawks. Duke was trailing the majority of the first half in this game, but once Duke went up 31-30 with 3 minutes remaining in the first half, they never looked back.
Duke is led by many newcomers, like the Cardinals, who had the No. 1 recruiting class in 2025. This roster is filled with 4- and 5-stars, and last night, under bright lights, the nation saw those players rise to the occasion. Cameron Boozer is regarded as one of the top freshmen in the country, and in last night's win, he secured a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while adding five assists.
However, the Blue Devils made only seven 3-pointers in their win and shot 27 percent from beyond the arc. Duke's inexperience showed at times and was not used to the bright lights, but Jon Scheyer found a way to win and score in different ways, as Duke secured 17 assists on 27 baskets and made 17 free throws.
The Blue Devils just got their big win early in the season and proved they are going to be the Cards' biggest threat in the ACC. While it was assumed Duke was going to be Louisville's biggest obstacle to cut the nets down in Charlotte, last night's win officially proved that. Louisville and the Blue Devils are both ranked in the top 10 as of Wednesday morning, with Duke ranked No. 5 and Louisville ranked No. 6.
These two teams are scheduled to play each other twice this season within a 20-day window. Louisville will host Duke on January 6 at KFC Yum! Center. Center, then will travel to Durham on January 26. Louisville knew it wasn't going to be easy to win the ACC this year, and with Duke's win last night, it proved these two games in January are going to be blockbuster showdowns and have a massive impact on the ACC standings.