UofL is in the hunt for the ACC regular season title with just seven games remaining and currently sits one game behind Duke in the ACC standings, after the Cardinals victory Saturday.
The Cardinals schedule heavily favors them to win out, where Duke proved on Saturday they were due for a potential slip up along the way. The Blue Devils 77-71 loss Saturday was the third upset of an intense college basketball day.
This Duke loss Saturday not only stirred the pot and make things more interesting, but it put UofL one step closer to securing the ACC regular season crown for the first time in program history. Cardinals have the easiest schedule remaining in all of College basketball according toErik Haslam and Aaron Smith.
Louisville basketball has a clear path to not only enter ACC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the ACC, but also has a clear path to win it.
Louisville basketball will win the ACC Championship
Saturday's upset was a crucial first step toward taking back control of the ACC race, and Louisville fans are hoping for another slip up from the Blue Devils, and for their Cardinals to get healthy and continue this dominant streak. One more Duke loss puts the ball in Louisville's court to stay hot, keep winning, and potentially leapfrog the Blue Devils as the season is winding down.
Cardinals have the easiest schedule in Power four conferences, and play at home four of their remaining seven games. They end the season on a three game home streak against the Pitt Panthers, Stanford Cardinals and Cal Golden Bears and they will head into ACC Tournament as one of the hottest teams.
Pat Kelsey is known to have program breaking win streaks, and has won 68% of his career games. Cardinals combine opponents record in ACC is 33-48. Duke has to face Cal, Stanford, at Virginia, No. 23 Illinois, at Miami, Florida State, Wake Forest, and ends the year in Chapel Hill against North Carolina.
If Duke is able to slip up one game befor the rivalry showdown with UNC in Chapel Hill, that would make for not only a great scene, but a interesting way to end the ACC to say the very least. Duke showed some flaws in their loss to Clemson last night, as Cooper Flagg is human and their is a way to stop the sensational rookie.
Flagg had just four points in the first 34 minutes of the game, and finished with 18 on just 35% from the field. Clemson went on a 12-0 run to take its first lead of the game, which gave Louisville a nice blueprint on how to beat this Duke Blue Devils team, as no one goes on more and efficient runs that Pat Kelsey's Cardinals.
Clemson shot 58.8% from the field on 30 of 51 field-goals, which was the first team to shoot over 50% against Duke. Clemson dropped a season high of points in the paint with 40, and were 26 of 41 from inside the three-point line.
Pat Kelsey and his team lost 76-65 way back in December, before they really knew who they were. Hepburn shot just 2-11, Terrence Edwards Jr was still coming off the bench and had 21, and Reyne Smith was streaky from beyond the arc.
This Cardinals team is trending upwards, and they now have a blueprint of what has to happen to beat Duke, and that is to get to the paint and make tough shots inside the arc. Duke rim protection and paint defense was a glaring hole against Clemson, and if Cardinals can attack that weakness, if they matchup again, and finish at the rim, it would then free up their shooting from beyond the arc.