The mighty Duke Blue Devils will face the red-hot Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night in Charlotte, with an ACC Tournament title on the line.
The Blue Devils, without the presumed No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg last night due to an ankle injury, surrendered a 24-point second-half lead to North Carolina. But a costly lane violation by the Tar Heels in the waning seconds halted the furious rally. The Blue Devils prevailed 74-71. And the Tar Heels will be sweating out Selection Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Louisville Cardinals continue to defy the odds amidst their miraculous single-season turnaround despite an injury-plagued season. Since Dec. 14, Pat Kelsey’s surging Cardinals have lost just one game. One. After sneaking by Stanford thanks to a Chucky Hepburn game-winner and holding off Clemson in the semifinals, the Cardinals are now one game away from their first-ever ACC Tournament Championship.
Take a look at the preview below, including a final score prediction, of tonight’s ACC Tournament championship.
How to watch Louisville vs. Duke
Date: Saturday, March 15
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Spectrum Center
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
Streaming: fubo TV
Louisville: 27-6 (18-2)
Duke: 30-3 (19-1)
Louisville vs Duke odds, spread and total
Odds provided by Fanduel Sportsbook
Moneyline
Louisville +205
Duke -255
Spread
Louisville +5.5 (-102)
Duke -5.5 (-120)
Total
146.5 (over -115/under -105)
Louisville injury report
Reyne Smith, G: Questionable (ankle)
Koron Johnson, G: OFS
Kesean Pryor, F: OFS
Duke injury report
Maliq Brown, F: Questionable
Cooper Flagg, G/F: OUT
Duke and Louisville series history
Duke all-time record vs. Louisville: 16-9
Louisville vs. Duke prediction
Don’t put too much stock (if any) in last December’s matchup. While the Blue Devils won soundly after a strong second-half surge, this Louisville team is much different -- a seemingly unstoppable force of nature since the New Year.
Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn is propelling the Cardinals in the backcourt, averaging 16.4 points, 5.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better two-way, all-around-impact point guard in the ACC. Hepburn’s impact defensively has been key for the Cardinals to be a top-25 defense in the country, according to KenPom.
While Hepburn is undergoing a spectacular senior season, the Cardinals’ three-way punch with Terrance Edwards and J’Vonne Hadley makes Louisville a challenging out tonight.
But beating Duke is a mighty task, even without Flagg.
With Flagg sidelined, freshman sensation Kon Knueppel has picked up the slack offensively, scoring 28 points in Duke’s win over Georgia Tech and 17 in Duke’s win over North Carolina. Another name to monitor is Tyrese Proctor. Proctor has struggled from behind the arc in Charlotte, shooting a combined 0-10 from three. While I certainly can’t predict the future, tonight feels like a night where Proctor can find his footing from three against a Cardinals defense that is average at best from defending the perimeter.
Even with Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown out -- which unquestionably hurts Duke’s rebounding presence -- Khman Maluach and Sion James will still provide problems on the glass. Despite being 6-foot-5, James’ physicality has been a bright spot for the star-studded Blue Devils.
It’s not going to be easy for Duke tonight. If Louisville has shown anything from their spectacular season, it’s that they are going to put up a fight. But the Blue Devils will make enough plays down the stretch to keep itself in conversation for the No. 1 overall seed.
Prediction: Duke 78 Louisville 71