The top-ranked offense of the Duke Blue Devils (17-6) welcome the 187th-ranked defense of the No. 19-ranked Louisville Cardinals (19-4). The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 8 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Blue Devils were victorious over North Carolina State 88-80 on Saturday. Grayson Allen led all scorers on the team with 28 points on 6-for-11 shooting. The Cardinals are coming off a 79-47 win over Boston College on Saturday. Trey Lewis led the game in scoring with 16 points on 3-for-6 shooting.
This matchup pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Duke currently ranks first in offensive efficiency and Louisville is third in defensive efficiency. The Cardinals could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank second in the nation in OR% at 41.7%. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the nation (311th) on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 66.9%.
The Blue Devils come into this game 17-6 Straight Up (SU) and 11-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Blue Devils have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire nation, averaging 87.5 points per game. The Blue Devils are an exceptional shooting team from the line with 18.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I. Duke is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.39. Over their past 10 games, the Duke defense has been playing lights out, only allowing 63.0 points per game, well under their season average of 71.6. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Blue Devils, ranking 37th in the country in blocks per game with 5.0.
On the other side, the Cardinals have 18-4 SU and 9-9 ATS records. The Cardinals rank 45th in the country in scoring, averaging 79.0 points per game. The Cardinals have controlled the glass with an average of 40.6 rebounds per game, 30th in the country. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Cardinals on the defensive end. They allowed 73.3 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 59.8. When it comes to defending the rim, the Cardinals are one of the best in the nation with an average of 5.0 blocks per game.
The conference foes will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Blue Devils were winners, moving their SU record against Louisville to 2-1. Additionally, with a 2-1 record, Duke has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke
Notes
Duke averages 84.8 points per game (ranked seventh). Ranked third, Louisville has allowed an average of just 59.8 points per game.
Duke is one of the top-scoring teams at home, averaging 87.5 points per game (ranked ninth). Louisville, on the other hand, allows 73.0 points per away game (ranked 106th).
In its last game, Louisville won by a margin of 32 points. Duke is 10-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Louisville has a 14-0 record in blowouts.
Ranked 11th, the Louisville Cardinals have an offensive rating of 117.6. The Duke Blue Devils rank 187th with a defensive rating of just 103.6.
Ranked 22nd in the country, Louisville has an average field goal percentage of 48.3%. Duke is 3-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Duke Blue Devils rank lower for their field goal percentage (29th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (17th), but the Louisville Cardinals have a better FG% ranking (22nd) than eFG% ranking (50th).
Duke ranks 35th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.39. Louisville is ranked lower at 132nd with an A/TO of 1.12.
Louisville, the 30th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.6 rebounds per game. Duke does worse, ranked 101st with 38.0.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Louisville ranks eighth. Duke ranks 184th in defensive rebounds.
Louisville is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 22.1% (ranked 23rd). Duke is an even 1-1 SU when it has a TO% of 22.1% or greater.
