Previewing Duke Basketball’s Matchup With Louisville

The Duke basketball program (18-1, 7-0 ACC) looks to bring its winning streak to eight games as it will host No. 23 Louisville (14-5, 4-3 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.

Louisville made the trip to Durham the same day as the game, but there were definitely some concerns regarding the weather ahead of the ranked contest. A massive snowstorm hit all over the East Coast, and there were reports of extremely icy conditions around Durham, NC.

Jan 24, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Nonetheless, all signs point to the matchup taking place. A win over the Cardinals would be Duke's seventh victory over a ranked opponent this season.

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This will be the second matchup between the Blue Devils and the Cardinals, with the first coming on Jan. 6, where Duke took down Louisville 84-73 at the KFC Yum! Center.

In the first half, it looked like the Blue Devils were in store for their second loss of the year. Duke had no intent to get the ball inside and relied on the three-point shot to keep the game tight.

Jan 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) brings the ball up court against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Blue Devils entered the halftime break down 47-38, the most points they have allowed to a team in any half all year.

However, Duke completely flipped the switch across the second frame, outscoring the Cardinals 46-26 while completely shutting down lead guard Ryan Conwell.

Conwell tallied 16 points and made four threes in the first half. Dame Sarr was his primary assignment in the second, and Duke's Italian freshman took the senior out of the bout almost entirely. Conwell compiled only eight points in the second half and didn't hit a single shot from the perimeter.

However, the Cardinals were without potentially their best player in the first meeting between the two schools, and he's back for Monday.

5-Star Mikel Brown Jr. Back in the Lineup for Louisville

Brown missed eight games with an injury, which included the first contest between Duke and Louisville. The star freshman made his return on Saturday in an 85-71 win for Louisville over Virginia Tech (15-6, 4-4 ACC), and Brown was the star of the show.

In 29 minutes, Brown went for 20 points and six assists on 63.6% shooting from the field and 3-of-6 (50%) shooting from three-point range.

The prized rookie is one of the most electric guards in college basketball when healthy, with most of Louisville's offense revolving around him.

Brown is averaging 16.9 points and 5.2 assists on the 2025-26 campaign.

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