Louisville's ACC schedule reveal gives Pat Kelsey golden opportunity at revenge

Louisville basketball revealed its ACC schedule Thursday morning, and the Cardinals' fans quickly took note of a few things. The first thing that jumps out to many Cards fans is that Louisville will play SMU and North Carolina twice. Louisville will go on the road and play a home-and-home series against both teams, giving the Cardinals a chance to make a statement in the ACC.

Louisville basketball will now have 2 shots at ruining Michael Malone's first UNC season

Then, the next thing Louisville fans quickly looked at was their matchup with Duke. Cardinals fans are excited to circle this matchup with the Blue Devils, as Louisville seeks revenge after going 0-2 against Duke in each of the past three seasons. And when Louisville fans look at the schedule,, they quickly smile ear to ear as it's revealed the Cardinals will host the Blue Devils at the KFC Yum! Center. Center, giving Pat Kelsey a golden opportunity to get his revenge.

Louisville basketball will get golden opportunity to beat Duke

When thinking about the ACC, Duke has dominated the conference the past couple of seasons. The Blue Devils have a combined 36-2 ACC regular-season record over the past two seasons, including a 4-0 mark against the Cardinals.

However, Louisville fans are hoping that streak ends next season. The Cardinals have had a dominant offseason, ranking as high as No. 5 in some way-too-early rankings. However, Duke isn’t a pushover as On3 Sports has them ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation in their way-too-early rankings, with Louisville at No. 8.

So, the game being at home is a huge boost for the Cardinals, as Kelsey and this Louisville team will want to snap the Cardinals' nine-game losing streak to Duke and get revenge for last year's embarrassing loss. Duke went 2-0 against Louisville, and both games were ones the Cardinals fans try to forget.

The first game featured an epic collapse by the Cardinals: Louisville was up 14 in the first half at one point and up nine at the half, but scored just 26 points in the second half and was outscored by 20 by Duke, losing by 11.  

As for the second game, it was all Duke. Louisville lost by 31 on the road after they shot 30 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. They were outscored by 21 points in the second half after Louisville scored only 24 points in the half.

Now, Louisville and Kelsey will get a chance to defeat Duke for the first time since 2021. It won’t be easy, as Jon Scheyer and this Blue Devils team have the No. 1 overall 2026 recruiting class and landed 5-star transfer John Blackwell, but this Louisville group is different from last year and has a real chance to snap this drought.

The date for the Cardinals' home game against Duke has not yet been announced, but one thing is certain: Louisville fans are going to bring the energy, as the Cardinals look to get their revenge for the past nine games.

Also read: Milan Momcilovic Update: Latest news boosts Pat Kelsey's chances of landing 5-star PF

For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.

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