Louisville basketball travels to Duke for a crucial game against a hot Blue Devils squad.
After bouncing back for a must-win against Notre Dame, Louisville basketball looks to solidify its spot in the NCAA tournament by completing a season sweep of Duke on Saturday.
It won’t be an easy feat, however. Although head coach Chris Mack said that guard David Johnson will return, Duke enters the game riding a hot streak.
Just when most thought Duke was out of the NCAA Tournament conversation, they reeled off wins over NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia, and Syracuse.
Now, the Blue Devils an opportunity to solidify spot in the postseason with a win over the Cardinals on Saturday.
Let’s take a look at the biggest storylines entering the game.
Who: Louisville at Duke
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
When: Saturday, February 27th, 2021 | 6:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN
Radio: WHAS (840 AM)(XM channel 383, Internet 973)
Series History: UofL trails 8-10 (4-3 home, 2-3 road, 2-4 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 70, Duke 65 (Jan. 23, 2021 in KFC Yum! Center)
Spread Check: Duke -6
Uniform Check: TBD
David Johnson returns at the right time
Louisville basketball star David Johnson had his coming out party last season in Cameron Indoor.
Although neither team is ranked and they will be playing in an empty arena on Saturday, the stakes might be even higher.
In his two games against Duke, Johnson is averaging 15.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Not only that, but he provides a match-up problem for the Blue Devils. His length and athleticism gives him the upper hand even against a great defender like Jared Goldwire. We saw in their January match-up that Johnson was able to be effective against Duke’s leading scorer Matthew Hurt.
Can Johnson continue his hot streak against Duke? His draft stock may depend on it and Louisville’s chances of locking down an NCAA Tournament bid may too.
This is a bigger game for Louisville basketball than Duke
The national storyline may very well be that Duke has a chance at a great “resume” win.
That could end up being the case for the Blue Devils, but I believe it is even moreso for Louisville.
What the Cardinals lack on their resume is success in quad 1 games. Louisville is 0-4 with opportunities to notch a Q1 victory.
While the Cardinals may eventually move into the top 30 in the NET Rankings, since it is a home game for Duke, this is a Q2 opportunity for Mike Kryzewski’s team.
Louisville is in desperate need of a Quadrant 1 victory and this is the first of three consecutive chances to get one.
Predictions
Presley Meyer: Louisville 71, Duke 74
Jacob Lane: Louisville 71, Duke 69
Matt McGavic: Louisville 64, Duke 71
Spencer Brown: Louisville 71, Duke 76
Madison Wood: Louisville 72, Duke 67
Brian Trent: Louisville 73, Duke 68
Will Reddington: Louisville 76, Duke 69
Ethan Sprowles: Louisville 73, Duke 69
Dalton Pence: Louisville 71, Duke 67
Alan Thomas: Louisville 68, Duke 66
