Highlights and Notes: Duke 84, Louisville 73

The highlights plus and team & player notes from the Cardinals' loss to the Blue Devils.
Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) and Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) battled for control in the second half as the Blue Devils rallied to beat the Cards 84-73 Tuesday night at KFC Yum Center January 6, 2026. Duke shot 70 percent in field goals in the second half after only 36 percent in the first.
Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) and Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) battled for control in the second half as the Blue Devils rallied to beat the Cards 84-73 Tuesday night at KFC Yum Center January 6, 2026. Duke shot 70 percent in field goals in the second half after only 36 percent in the first. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:


LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program squandered a massive opportunity on Tuesday night, falling 84-73 in a ranked matchup vs. Duke. The No. 20 Cardinals led 47-38 at the break, but were out-scored 46-26 in the second half by the No. 6 Blue Devils.

The Atlantic Coast Conference put together a highlight tape of the matchup, which you can see here:

Team Notes:

  • UofL used the starting lineup of Adrian Wooley, Ryan Conwell, J’Vonne Hadley, Isaac McKneely, and Sananda Fru for the fifth time this season. The lineup is now 2-3 on the year.
  • KEY FIRST HALF RUN: The Cards jumped out to a 26-14 lead with 10:56 to go in the half after a 14-2 run. The run came on the back of great shooting from Ryan Conwell and Aly Khalifa who combined for a perfect 6-for-6 from behind-the-arc during that stretch. UofL would take a 47-38 lead into the break, with Conwell finishing the period with 16 points.
  • KEY SECOND HALF RUN: Duke took its first lead of the game at 13:36 in the midst of a 9-0 run by the Blue Devils. Louisville would regain the lead for just 21 seconds before Duke used a 13-2 run to separate itself permanently from the Cardinals.
  • Louisville shot 40% (26 of 65) from the field, 31.6% (12 of 38) from deep and 75% (9- of 12) from the free-throw line.
  • Duke scored 16 points off of 14 Louisville turnovers.
  • The Blue Devils outscored the Cardinals in the paint 40-26.

Player Notes:

  • Aly Khalifa finished the game second on the team in points with 17. Khalifa was a perfect six-of six from the floor with five of those shots coming from behind the arc
  • Ryan Conwell led the Cardinals in scoring, finishing with 24 points. He added four makes from deep and grabbed seven boards.
  • J'Vonne Hadley finished with seven points and five rebounds. He also added four assists.
  • Adrian Wooley added 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting while contributing five boards.

More Cardinals Stories

(Photo of Kobe Rodgers: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky


Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic