Duke Blue Devils vs Louisville Cardinals Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Duke vs Louisville NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Louisville.

Duke vs Louisville Prediction

Planning on watching today's Blue Devils and Cardinals game? Catch the action at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY, as the Cardinals hosts this showdown at 6:00 ET on ACCN. Duke is favored by -9.5 in this Atlantic Coast conference contest against Louisville. The game's over/under currently sits at 144.5 points.

Duke vs. Louisville Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Duke Blue Devils at Louisville Cardinals
Where: Louisville at KFC Yum! Center
Date: Sunday, December 8th
Betting Odds DUKE -9.5, DUKE -464 | LOU +347 O/U 144.5

Blue Devils Preview: Do the Blue Devils Have What it Takes in Louisville?

Duke improved to 6-2 on the season with an 84-78 win over Auburn on Wednesday. The Blue Devils were -3.5 favorites going into the game and covered the spread. The total points for the game reached 162, surpassing the O/U line of 146.5.

Duke led 43-36 at halftime and scored 41 points in the 2nd half, while Auburn put up 42 points after the break.

Blue Devils Offense Breakdown

Duke's offense put up 84 points in their last game, shooting 50% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 58.6%, and they connected on 17 of 27 free throws, hitting 63% from the line. The Blue Devils grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and dished out 11 assists.

Cooper Flagg led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds, despite shooting 38.9% and missing all 4 of his three-point attempts. Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford each added 20 points, with Pettiford hitting 4 threes at a 50% rate. Isaiah Evans was a standout from deep, going 6 of 8 from three-point range and finishing with 18 points in just 16 minutes.

Blue Devils Team Defense

Duke's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 78 points on 50% shooting from the field. The Blue Devils allowed their opponent to hit 55% of their two-point attempts, going 20/36 inside the arc.

From three-point range, Duke's opponent shot 40%, knocking down 9 of 22 attempts. The Blue Devils also sent them to the line 27 times, where they converted 17 free throws. Duke gave up 12 offensive rebounds in the game.

Cardinals Preview: Are the Cardinals Ready for a Home Win?

Louisville Cardinals Recent Game/Games

The Cardinals dropped to 5-3 on the season after an 86-63 loss to Ole Miss on Tuesday. Louisville, favored by 3.5 points, not only lost but also failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game ended at 149, just under the O/U line of 152.5.

Louisville trailed 40-31 at halftime and couldn’t mount a comeback, scoring 32 points in the 2nd half while allowing 46. The Cardinals will need to regroup after this disappointing home loss.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Louisville struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 33.3% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc, hitting only 5 of 30 three-point attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 38.6%, though they did manage to shoot 51.9% on two-point attempts.

They grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and connected on 20 of 30 free throws, shooting 66.7% from the line. Dre Davis led the team with 20 points, shooting 9 of 12 overall and 2 of 3 from three-point range. Chucky Hepburn added 19 points, and Sean Pedulla contributed 16 points and 7 assists.

Cardinals Team Defense

Despite Louisville's defense holding their opponent to 33% shooting, they still gave up 86 points. The Cardinals allowed 14 two-point baskets on 27 attempts, a 51% success rate for the opposing team.

From beyond the arc, Louisville's defense limited their opponent to just 5 threes on 30 attempts, a 16% shooting performance. However, they sent the other team to the free-throw line 30 times, where they made 20 free throws.

Blue Devils vs Cardinals Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although Duke has a straight up record of 8-2 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 6-3. The team averaged 76 points per game in these games.
Across their ten previous home games, Louisville has an ATS mark of 5-5. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-9 while averaging 72 points per game.
Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Cardinals have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
Over the team's last five games as the favorite, the Blue Devils struggled vs the spread going just 2-3. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-2.