An ACC showdown will be at the forefront of the college basketball world on Tuesday as the 12th-ranked Duke Blue Devils make a trip on the road to battle things out with the Louisville Cardinals. Join us for our College Basketball odds series where our Duke Louisville prediction and pick will be unveiled.
Entering Tuesday evening as massive 14.5-point favorites, there is no question that the Blue Devils will need play a perfect game to avoid a massive letdown. As the regular season approaches the final month of the season, the important to win games going out in style will be vital in order to garner favor among the NCAA Tournament committee. Fresh off of a disheartening loss at home to Pitt by a score of 80-76, the Blue Devils are in desperate need to get back to the win column to preserve their March Madness resume.
On the other side of things, Louisville's season hasn't gone the way they have liked this year with an underwhelming 6-12 record including a rough 1-6 mark in conference play. At the moment, the Cardinals have suffered three straight losses. Nevertheless, despite the team's struggles, Louisville will have a tremendous chance to play spoiler on their home floor. Do they have what it takes to pull it off?
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Duke-Louisville Odds
Duke: -14.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -1400
Louisville: +14.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +800
Over: 149.5 (-106)
Under: 149.5 (-114)
How to Watch Duke vs. Louisville
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Duke Will Cover The Spread/Win
The first order of business for Duke will be to bounce back in the rebounding department against a Louisville squad who tends to struggle down low in the paint. Against Pittsburgh, it was Duke that not only was out-rebounded 32-25 but also allowed nine offensive rebounds which led to far too many second-chance opportunities. Clearly, head coach Jon Scheyer won't let this fly again, so expect the Blue Devils to make this a main priority come Tuesday evening.
Furthermore, Duke could not have gotten off to a slower start against Pitt as they trailed 9-0 right out of the gate. Simply put, this is not a recipe for success out on the road as the Blue Devils will need to take a raucous Cardinals fan base out of the game early which they failed to do versus the Panthers.
Fortunately, this is a team that boasts the 33rd-ranked offense in the nation at 81.6 points per game and will need to hit some big-time shots in this one. In addition, Duke also has the ability in making opposing teams pay in the form of free throws as the Blue Devils are cashing in on 74.7% of those attempts. Last time out, Duke did a good job of this as they made it to the free-throw line 28 times despite the defeat. By driving to the cup and remaining aggressive on the offensive end instead of settling for contested jumpers, Duke will find sustained success with this game plan.
Why Louisville Will Cover The Spread/Win
The general outlook of the season for Louisville isn't looking very good by any means, but the Cardinals at least have plenty of cushion on Tuesday to cover the spread and give Duke a run for their money.
As 14.5-point underdogs, there is no doubt that the Cardinals are due for a much-needed win under their belts. With six losses in their last seven overall, Louisville at least owns a dead-even 5-5 record at the KFC Yum! Center. While this record doesn't seem like much, it is quite clear that the Cardinals are unable to win whatsoever away from home. Without a doubt, the Louisville crowd will need to give its team a surplus of energy throughout the entire 40 minutes of play if the Cardinals want any shot in this one.
Of course, Louisville needs to eliminate a massive Duke run if any way possible. In the monumental loss against Wake Forest, the Cardinals gave up a 12-2 run midway through the first half and could not recover after that. Obviously, Louisville must find creative ways to score at will while keeping Duke's high-octane offense at bay.
Last and certainly not least, Louisville will have to get hot from beyond the arc. In the wild world of college basketball, the three-ball can often serve as the ultimate equalizer for teams looking to pull of upsets. After going only 2-11 from three, this will be an area that the Cardinals must improve upon.
Final Duke-Louisville Prediction & Pick
At first glance, Duke cannot overlook Louisville, especially on the road. However, don't expect this to be the case. Fresh off a tough loss, be on the lookout for the Blue Devils to take out some of their recent anger on the lowly Cardinals.
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Final Duke-Louisville Prediction & Pick: Duke -14.5 (-102)
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