The No. 6 stays on the road to face the #20 Louisville Cardinals at the YUM! Center on Tuesday night on ESPN.
Louisville Cardinals
Pat Kelsey is in year 2 as the head coach of Louisville. The Cardinals lead the ACC and rank fourth nationally with 12.2 3-pointers made per game on 34.6 attempts per contest. They’ve been beating their opposition by an average of 21.2 points, which ranks 11th in the nation. Louisville tops the ACC and sits 17th nationally with 19.1 assists per contest, while ranking 14th in the country with 42.4 rebounds per outing.
Ryan Conwell is seventh in the nation with an ACC-high 3.71 3-pointers per game, averaging a team-best 19.6 points. Freshman guard Mikel Brown is the leading assist man for the Cardinals, but he’s been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup. Brown is averaging 16.6 points per game. Isaac McKneely is averaging 11.6 points and 3.1 boards and Sananda Fry and J’Vonne Hadley round out the double figure scoring with 11.1 and 10.3 respectively, with Fru leading the team with 6.9 rebounds per game.
Last Time Out:
The Cardinals battled a tough Stanford team on the road in a game that saw 18 lead changes and 6 ties, with Stanford edging the Cardinals by 4 points. Ryan Conwell led the way in the losing effort with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Isaac McKneely added 17 points. Sananda Fry and J’vonne Hadley added 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are coming off of a 35-4 season that saw them within a game of a title shot. Duke went 19-1 in conference, winning both the regular season and the ACC Tournament.
The Blue Devils welcome in a number 1 recruiting class after their Final Four run. Jon Scheyer after losing his entire starting lineup to the NBA but retaining core pieces with experience. Leading Duke are experienced returners senior big Maliq Brown and junior guard Caleb Foster, both instrumental pieces in Duke’s run this past season. Duke also returned 3 members from last season freshman class in hot shooting Isaiah Evans, who shot a team high 41.6%. Duke also brings back Darren Harris who has reshaped his body in hopes for a larger role and Patrick Ngongba who similarly has reshaped his frame, coming into this season healthy.
Cameron Boozer leads the Blue Devils in scoring at 23 points per game, he leads the Blue Devils in rebounding at 9.8 per contest. In addition, averaging a double-double, Boozer leads the Blue Devils in assists at 4.2 per game. Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba both are averaging double figures for Jon Scheyer’s team at 13.4 and 11 points per game respectively.
Last Time Out:
Fueled by a career night from Isaiah Evans, No. 6 Duke (13-1, 2-0 ACC) defeated Florida State (7-8, 0-2 ACC), 91-87, on Saturday at Donald L. Tucker Center. Evans scored a career-high 28 points, highlighted by six three-pointers, to help Duke earn a conference victory in its first road test of the league calendar. The Blue Devils gutted out a victory despite giving up over 50% shooting for the game.
Final Thoughts
For the Blue Devils, in this game, it’s much more about what Duke does than what Louisville does. If the Blue Devils defend like they did in November they should win this game without question, but if they continue into their 3rd game giving up over 50% shooting from their opponents they will likely leave with a loss. The staff mentioned that no matter defensive scheme they employ, it all starts with individuals guarding the basketball, something that has been sorely lacking of late. Pressure on the ball, communication and physicality has to be the mantra.
Jon Scheyer and staff are well aware of what needs to happen defensively, the scout is the scout and Duke has to defend the perimeter. Louisville is going to hoist up more than a gentleman’s amount of 3-pointers, and Duke has to guard that action much better than they have. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new defensive wrinkle or 2. The other facet of the game, Duke needs to win is on the boards, limiting Louisville to one shot and securing the defensive exchange is going to be another stat to watch.
