It’s do or die; win or cry for Louisville basketball as the Cardinals enter the ACC Tournament against Duke.
If being nervous is cool, consider me Miles Davis. As I watched Duke pummel Boston College on Tuesday night, realizing that the fate of Louisville basketball was a third match-up with the Blue Devils, the nervous excitement that accompanies postseason college basketball began to set in.
The Cardinals have only played 19 games this season, meaning that every game going forward is especially impactful for their resume.
Louisville missed an opportunity for a crucial victory against Virginia on Saturday, and now the Cards are facing a must-win in the second round of the ACC Tournament. A loss means that UofL puts its fate in the hands of the committee, which is something no program wants to experience. A win and its hard to imagine the Cards missing the tournament.
The problem is that awaiting Louisville basketball is a Duke team that is absolutely 100 percent out if it doesn’t win. A Duke program that hasn’t missed the big dance in one Anas Mahmoud (25 years). A Duke program that simply does not lose three games in a season to the same team. And a Duke squad that will have a decent home court advantage on Wednesday- Something they haven’t had all season.
Let’s preview the Cards and the fighting Mose Schrutes.
Who: Duke vs. Louisville
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
When: March 10th, 2021 at approx. 6:30 PM ET
TV: ACCN
Radio: WHAS 840 AM in Louisville
Last Meeting: Louisville won 80-73 in Durham on Feb. 27th
Spread Check: Duke -2
Uniform Check: TBD
Pregame Hype Video:
New season starts now 😤 pic.twitter.com/JT5KAJBjQe
— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) March 10, 2021
Swag Check: Out of control
Coming correct to Greensboro 💯 pic.twitter.com/Jf20UgLLp4
— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) March 9, 2021
Ability to maintain composure at work check: Solid 7.2
Duke/ ACC Tournament Preview Podcast:
https://twitter.com/WillReddington4/status/1369631539898818561?s=20
Pregame Speech check:
The team that wins will…
Be the team that hits open looks. Look, we have said this before, but it bears repeating. Louisville basketball is going to go as far as its shooting allows it to go. On Saturday against Virginia, Louisville did not play badly by any means. However, David Johnson and Carlik Jones went 8/32 from the field. Louisville isn’t going to beat many teams with its two best players shooting 25 percent from the field. Duke is not much different. The Blue Devils knocked down 15 threes in only 32 attempts in the opening round against Boston College. If either team makes 15 threes on Wednesday, you like their chances a lot. It seems over-simplistic, but that’s often what some of these games amount to in years where you don’t have the depth to wear opponents down.
Get to the free throw line. It’s well-known that games are called differently in the postseason. How will that impact these two teams? I like Louisville’s chances as the aggressor coming off a game where it got beat up a bit against the Wahoos.
Be the team that wins the Carlik Jones vs. Matthew Hurt battle. You could argue either way for both of these guys in the first two meetings. Jones was sensational down the stretch two weeks ago, and Hurt dropped 37 in an OT loss, accounting for nearly half of his team’s points. I love Jones in a bounce-back effort after playing his worst game as a Cardinal last weekend. However, Hurt was able to conserve a ton of energy while his team took a victory lap on Tuesday night.
Predictions
Spencer Brown: Louisville 82, Duke 71
Brian Trent: Louisville 74, Duke 68
Jacob Lane: Louisville 64, Duke 70
Alan Thomas: Louisville 77, Duke 62
Presley Meyer: Louisville 71, Duke 64
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