The Louisville men’s basketball team will be returning home this week for two games, with their first match-up being against No. 12 Duke. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the KFC Yum! Center and will be televised on ACC Network.
Louisville has had a rough stretch, losing their last three games, including a 90-65 defeat at the hands of Wake Forest. This game against Duke will be their fourth consecutive road game against teams that have been undefeated at home this season. Duke, on the other hand, had their eight-game winning streak snapped in a 80-76 loss to Pitt.
The Cardinals have historically struggled against Duke, with a 9-13 all-time record against them and a 4-4 mark at home. Duke has won the last three meetings between the two teams, dating back to 2021.
In their last five games, Louisville has been shooting well from beyond the arc, making 43.2% of their 3-point attempts. They have also been taking care of the ball better, with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in six of their last eight games.
Both head coaches, Louisville’s Kenny Payne and Duke’s Jon Scheyer, have the unique distinction of having won national championships as both players and coaches. They are the only two Division I head coaches in the country with this achievement.
Individually, redshirt sophomore Mike James has been a standout player for Louisville recently, averaging 18.8 points per game over the last five games. He has been efficient from the field, shooting 54.2% and has been deadly from beyond the arc, shooting 70.6%. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a junior forward, has also been performing well, averaging 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in the last nine games.
Freshman guard/forward Curtis Williams has been a key contributor off the bench for Louisville, averaging 10.8 points over the last eight games. He has improved his 3-point shooting, making 43.5% of his attempts compared to 27.8% in the first 10 games.
In their previous meeting with Duke last year, Louisville fell to the Blue Devils by a score of 79-62. Duke was able to outscore Louisville in second-chance points and points off turnovers, despite Louisville having a better shooting percentage from the field for most of the game. Senior guard El Ellis had a strong performance with 21 points and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Duke’s dominance.
Both teams will be looking to bounce back and secure a much-needed victory in this match-up.
