ACC Basketball: Duke vs. Louisville preview, prediction, TV schedule
By Michael Foy
On Thursday afternoon in the ACC basketball league, the Duke Blue Devils take on the Louisville Cardinals in a quarterfinals match-up of the ACC Tournament.
TV Schedule: Thursday, Mar. 9, 2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Arena: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Prediction: Louisville 75, Duke 70
Duke comes into this game winning just two of their last five games. The Blue Devils just can’t seem to pull it all together consistently this season. However, Duke is still the most talented team in the country. Their roster is littered with five stars and future NBA lottery picks. This is quite possibly the greatest five seed in the history of the ACC Tournament. If they can pull everything together consistently, and play as well as they are capable of, then there is no reason for anyone to think that they can’t win it all.
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Louisville is a tough match-up for any team. The Cardinals are a defensive nightmare and cause so many problems with their length and athleticism. They have one day of extra rest, which for most teams you wouldn’t think should be too much cause for concern. However, this Duke team isn’t incredibly deep.
Against Clemson, the Blue Devils went four players deep into their bench, for a total of 22 minutes and two points. That factor is going to catch up to the Blue Devils eventually. Having to deal with minimal rest, a non-existent bench, and facing a physical and tough defensive team like the Cardinals, may put Duke away.
The good news for the Blue Devils is that good guard play is essential to beating this Louisville team. Fortunately for Duke, they have some of the best guards in the country. It should be close, and this may be a toss-up game, but it doesn’t look like Duke will get revenge against a team that beat them 78-69 in their only meeting this season.
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Louisville matches up too well with Duke and they are primed to win this game. If Duke wants to start to get into a rhythm heading into the NCAA Tournament, they must start that with a big win over a tough ACC foe. I personally don’t like the Blue Devils’ chances, but anything can happen. And who knows, maybe this will set up a round three match-up against bitter rival North Carolina.