Louisville basketball is back, ladies and gentlemen. The Cardinals are set to make their first ACC conference game and first conference game since 2013. After receiving a double bye, Louisville defeated Stanford and Clemson to get their rematch at Duke in the title game.
Louisville basketball holds off late-game rally from Clemson. The Cardinals were up 15 points with three minutes left in the game before the Tigers stormed back. The defense came up clutch in the last two possessions for Louisville. Terrence Edwards Jr. and J'Vonne Hadley each scored 20-plus points. Star Chucky Hepburn did not shoot the ball well, but we all know he can contribute in other ways. In his last game, he dropped eight assists. In this game, he showed why he is the ACC Defensive player of the year, recording a stellar six steals.
Series History
Louisville got what they wanted: a rematch against the Blue Devils. The Cardinals have not beaten Duke since 2020. This is a different team, though. Head Coach Pat Kelsey has turned this program around in his first year at Louisville. They will try to get back on the winning side in this series history.
Game Time
Saturday, March 15, 8:30 p.m. local time on ESPN
Charlotte, NC, at the Spectrum Center
Final Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Favorite: Duke -5.5
Moneyline: Duke -240
Over/Under: 144.5
What to know
Duke has been the best team in the country all season long. They have an overall record of 30-3 and only losing one game in conference, and that was to the team Louisville just beat to get here, the Clemson Tigers. Duke has the best offense in the conference, averaging 84 points per game, and is the best three-point shooting team. They have been led by future No.1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Cooper Flagg. The big news surrounding this game is that Flagg will be unavailable due to an ankle injury. Flagg put up 20 points and 12 rebounds in the matchup earlier in the season against Louisville. The focus will now shift to freshman forward Kon Knueppel. He averages 22.5 points in the conference tournament, including 28 points in the game Flagg went down.
Prediction
Louisville basketball will be crowned ACC champions for the first time in program history. The Cardinals have been a second-half team this tournament. They scored 45 and 43 points in each of the second halves. The star duo of Edwards Jr. and Hepburn has scored 30-plus points total in each game this tournament. Don't expect anything different in the biggest game of the year for Louisville basketball. Hepburn has also showed different ways to impact the game besides scoring. Look for him to drop five or more assists and get three steals.
Duke and Louisville have been the two best teams in the ACC all season long. Louisville basketball has been wanting this rematch ever since they took a tough loss at home. They will give the Blue Devils all they have. The Cardinals will be back on top and reach the pinnacle of ACC basketball.