Duke at Louisville: 2024-25 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
Duke looks to get a rare road win to start off ACC play. Can they handle the rebuilt Louisville Cardinals?
TV schedule: Sunday, December 8th, 6:00 pm ET. ACC Network
Arena: KFC YUM? Center in Louisville, Kentucky
It’s been a rough past week for the Louisville Cardinals (5-3), who have experienced multiple losses both on the court and in the depth chart. They lost to Oklahoma in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament finals and to Ole Miss by 23 points in the SEC/ACC Challenge a couple of days ago.
Making matters worse, Louisville will officially be without starting forward Kasean Pryor. He was averaging 12.0 ppg and 6.1 rpg through seven games and was the team's best frontcourt player. Washington transfer Koren Johnson is also officially out, leaving the Cardinals with limited depth.
The good news is that Louisville still has some pieces to work with, led by Chucky Hepburn. The starting point guard leads the team with 15.1 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 3.5 spg and has been one of the top two-way players in the country. Reyne Smith (12.5 ppg) is one of the top shooters, while Terrence Edwards and J’Vonne Hadley are double-digit scorers.
They’ll be tested in a big way on Sunday, taking on Duke (7-2). The Blue Devils were one of two ACC teams (Clemson) to win these last few days, beating No. 2 Auburn at home. The final score was 84-78, led by 22 points from Cooper Flagg and a season-high 18 off the bench from freshman Isaiah Evans, who played limited minutes entering that game.
Duke has plenty of scoring talent, including double-digit scorers Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor. Sion James and Caleb Foster are solid guards, while Khaman Maluach and Maliq Brown are capable centers. Louisville's lack of size entering the season was a concern, and with Pryor out, it’s an even bigger issue.
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The Cardinals haven’t had much to root for at home, and this team still has NCAA Tournament potential. So, look for the crowd to be very lively and welcome Duke on Sunday. However, it’s hard to see how they will stop Flagg and the Blue Devil frontcourt overall. Duke shouldn’t have much of an issue unless they make a bunch of threes.
Prediction: Duke 83, Louisville 68