Duke @ Louisville preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 21, 2018 ) Louisville 56, Duke 82

Duke returns to action following arguably its biggest win of the season and will face another tough road test as it visits Louisville on Tuesday. The second-ranked Blue Devils are coming off a 10-point win at No. 4 Virginia on Saturday, while the 20th-ranked Cardinals fell at No.19 Florida State.

Another game, another win in which Duke’s star freshmen took their game to another level; this time with RJ Barrett scoring 26, including five 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes. "My players felt it. That little bit of room - they took advantage of it without any kind of coaching," coach Mike Krzyzewski told the media after the 81-71 win, referring to Duke’s perimeter shooting as the Cavaliers’ defense focused on the interior. Louisville built a six-point lead at the half and led by as many as 10 in the second frame before allowing the Seminoles to rally to force overtime and eventually win 80-75. "That one was tough to swallow," Louisville coach Chris Mack told the media after the loss. "(It) felt like for the better part of the game, we did what we needed to do to put ourselves in position to win.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT DUKE (21-2, 9-1 ACC): Barrett pushed his ACC-leading scoring average to 23.1 points with his 8-of-15 shooting performance from the floor, including 6-of-10 from long range, while also chipping in seven rebounds and three assists. Duke’s other star freshmen weren’t to be outdone as Zion Williamson contributed 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks, while Cam Reddish dropped five 3-pointers en route to 17 points. The Blue Devils shot an impressive 57.8 percent from the floor against a Cavaliers team that was holding opponents to 37 percent shooting heading into the game.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (17-7, 8-3): The Cardinals only have themselves to blame for the loss on Saturday after turning the ball over a season-high 23 times. Senior guard Christen Cunningham scored a team-high 20 points while adding seven rebounds and six assists but also turned the ball over five times. Fouls were also an issue as centers Malik Williams and Steven Enoch each fouled out despite playing a combined 39 minutes, leading to the Cardinals setting a season high with 28 fouls.

TIP-INS

1. Duke leads the all-time series 9-6, including an 82-56 win at home last season.

2. The Blue Devils (86.8 points) and Cardinals (78.6) rank second and fourth in the ACC in scoring offense, respectively.

3. Louisville is playing the last of four consecutive ranked opponents (1-2).

PREDICTION: Duke 90, Louisville 81