It just wasn’t meant to be for Louisville basketball.
Saturday night’s ACC Championship matchup between Louisville basketball and the Duke Blue Devils was an extremely physical, hard fought contest between arguably the most consistent team and undoubtedly the most resurgent one in modern college basketball.
Either Jon Scheyer Pat Kelsey could have won ACC Coach of the Year in 2025. Kelsey took the coaching title, but Scheyer would ultimately take the conference tournament championship.
Let the battle begin
It began with Chucky Hepburn and Khaman Maluach trading baskets. Maluach is a 7’2” Sudanese freshmen who started the game with two slams, an ominous sign for the Cards, who have struggled with interior defense.
Louisville, however, would respond well. They were extremely aggressive throughout, giving Duke’s big men all they could handle and battling on the glass, in spite of a height disadvantage.
Ultimate Warrior
Noah Waterman gave the Cards five quick points, but fell hard on his hip and went quiet on the offensive end. That’s when Terrence Edwards, Jr. went to work. Duke began to knock down shots from long distance, including back-to-back threes by Sion James and Tyrese Proctor, but Edwards, Jr. always had a response.
He was effective from both sides of the three point line in the first half, keeping the Cards in the game at crucial moments when the sharpshooting of Duke could have killed Louisville’s momentum.
Louisville basketball’s swarming defense limited Duke to one shot possessions, and Edwards, Jr.’s offensive showcase was complimented nicely by help from James Scott and J’Vonne Hadley. The game was knotted at 28 after another Edwards, Jr. three, when Louisville put together an unanswered seven point run.
The Cards went into the locker room up five points, 38-33.
The tables turn
The second half began with an Edwards, Jr. airball, followed by a Proctor three. The Blue Devils got great production from guard Kon Knueppel, who tied the game at 38 with a field goal early in the second half. Edwards, Jr., who gave the Blue Devils everything they could handle, hit another three, but it wouldn’t be enough.
The game was tied at 45 following a contested field goal make by Edwards, Jr., when Duke went on a run. They got four straight free throws and a three from James, making it 47-52 with 12:23 remaining. Pat Kelsey needed to talk things over with his team.
Out of the timeout, Proctor his another three for Duke. Chucky Hepburn, who had been quiet since his scoring burst at the beginning of the game, broke a 10-0 Duke run with a contested layup. The score was 49-57.
Proctor hit another three. Edwards, Jr. responded with an extremely tough, contested field goal in heavy traffic, but Hepburn got his fourth foul soon after, with 7:34 remaining. The score was 51-62, and the Blue Devils held that gap for the remainder.
The game ended 62-73, Duke. The number one team in the country won the ACC Championship, and Louisville basketball’s win streak was broken.
On to the next one
There’s no shame in this loss. Duke is a big, physical team who, in spite of missing star player Cooper Flagg, won a hard-fought championship on the back of a stellar shooting performance from Tyrese Proctor. Proctor hit a career high six three pointers which, complimented by the scoring of Knueppel and Maluach, was ultimately too much for Louisville.
Louisville basketball’s offense just wasn’t balanced enough. Kelsey got fourteen points from Hepburn, mostly at the beginning and end of the game, and 29 from Edwards, Jr., who did all the heavy lifting in the middle.
The Cards stood toe-to-toe with no. 1 Duke, took their best punches, and landed some of their own: it just wasn’t enough in the end. They finished runners up in the ACC, closing the season with three extremely physical games, winning two.
There are lessons you can only learn in defeat: they are not fun, but can ultimately make you a better team. This should set them up for a great run in the NCAA tournament. They’ve proven that they can stand with the best in the conference, and made it to the final round of that tournament against the nation’s number one team.
With hungry eyes, and a fire in their belly, Kelsey’s Cards look to Selection Sunday, with hopes to avenge this loss.
