Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Duke Blue Devils

No. 13 Louisville Cardinals (27-6, 18-2 ACC) vs. No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (30-3, 19-1)

- Tipoff: Saturday, Mar. 15 at 8:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Duke -6.5
- All-Time Series: Duke leads 16-9
- Last Meeting: Duke won 76-65 on Dec. 8, 2024 (KFC Yum! Center - Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

G Chucky Hepburn (6-2, 190, Sr.)
G J'Vonne Hadley (6-6, 215, 5th)
G/F Terrence Edwards Jr. (6-6, 205, 5th)
F Noah Waterman (6-11, 230, 6th)
C James Scott (6-11, 220, So.)

Duke

G Sion James (6-6, 220, Gr.)
G Tyrese Proctor (6-6, 183, Jr.)
G/F Isaiah Evans (6-6, 175, Fr.)
G/F Kon Knueppel (6-7, 217, Fr.)
C Khaman Maluach (7-2, 250, Fr.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Blue Devils, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Duke

Additional Coverage

Game Notes

Louisville

Senior guard Chucky Hepburn was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year alongside his head coach Pat Kelsey who was voted ACC Coach of the Year. Hepburn was tabbed as a First Team All-ACC selection while teammate Terrence Edwards Jr. earned a spot on the Third Team. See Around The ACC on Page 5 for the full list of postseason league honors.
After Terrence Edwards Jr. scored a career high 35 points against Cal on March 5, Louisville became the only DI program this season to have four different players log at least one 30-point game. It’s also the first time in Louisville’s 111-year history that the team has four players with a 30-point game.
Louisville has improved from eight wins in 2023-24 to 27 wins in 2024-25, the largest turnaround in program history, improving by 19 wins - it also leads the nation in win differential.
For the first time in the 111 years of program history, Louisville has earned five road wins with a margin of victory of 20 points or more: at Virginia (20), at Syracuse (24), at SMU (25), at Boston College (26) and at NC State (25).
Starting point guard Chucky Hepburn was named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year Midseason Team.
Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals are one of the most improved teams in the country from the end of 2023-24 to now, accounting for the NET and number of wins. He was named to the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Watch List on Feb. 21.
As of March 11, Reyne Smith is third in the country in 3’s per game (3.53) and ninth in total 3-pointers (106) - he’s 17 made 3’s away from breaking Louisville’s made 3-pointers in a single season record.
As of March 11, Chucky Hepburn is eighth in the country in total steals (68), ninth in steals per game (2.43), 24th in total assists (176) and 25th in assists per game (5.9).
As of March 11, sophomore forward James Scott is third in the country in dunks with 71 makes on the year, according to Bart Torvik. He leads the ACC in that category and is third on Louisville’s dunks in a single season list.
Three of Louisville’s six losses have all come to teams now ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 2 Duke (27-3), No. 4 Tennessee (24-6) and No. 19 Kentucky (20-10). As of March 4, those teams, plus RV Ole Miss (21-9), are a combined 92-28.
At SMU on Jan. 21, Chucky Hepburn broke the UofL single game assists record with 16. Reyne Smith broke the program’s single game made 3’s record with 10. Louisville became the only DI team this century to have a player with 10+ 3’s and 15+ assists in the same game. The Last NBA team to do it was the Warriors with Klay Thompson (10 3PM) and Steph Curry (15 AST) on Nov. 20, 2022.
This is the first season in Louisville’s 11 years in the ACC that three different players have earned ACC Player of the Week. Chucky Hepburn had the title on Dec. 2 and March 3, Reyne Smith got the accolade on Dec. 23 and Terrence Edwards Jr. earned it on Feb. 10.
Against Florida State on Feb. 22, Chucky Hepburn knocked down 17 shots at the charity stripe, marking a new single game record for the Cards. Hepburn had tied the previous record of 16 earlier in the year against North Carolina on New Year’s Day.
Against Florida State on Dec. 21, Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. both logged eight assists apiece; it was the first Louisville game to have two Cardinals log at least eight assists each in the same game since Peyton Siva and Gorgui Deng both had eight against Syracuse in the 2013 Big East Tournament championship game.
The Cardinals are one of the more experienced teams in the country this season. Between the 17-man roster, the average amount of years in college basketball is 3.0 years with just two underclassmen on the roster. The Cards have 12 players designated as seniors this season, tied with Western Kentucky for the most on any team in men’s DI college basketball. Louisville is one of four programs with seven or more fifth-year seniors or older.
Louisville has just two underclassmen in freshman Khani Rooths and sophomore James Scott. Louisville is one of just 11 schools in DI that has two or fewer underclassmen on their roster, and the only Power Four school in that list.
Louisville has 11 players who were on teams that played in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The roster in total has made 14 NCAA Division I Tournament appearances at their previous schools, playing in 20 NCAA Tournament games across their careers
Guard Reyne Smith remains day-to-day after suffering an ankle injury in the Mar. 5 win over Cal.
Louisville punched their ticket to the ACC Tournament Championship with a 76-73 win over Clemson in the semifinals. The Cardinals used a 9-0 run between 17:04 and 12:08 to take a 47-34 lead. Louisville held the Tigers to just two field goals over the course of eight minutes. Clemson attempted to storm back, scoring seven unanswered points in 24 seconds to close the gap to two with just under a minute to go, but the Cards held the Tigers scoreless for the final 54 seconds to win the game.
Louisville shot 24 of 55 (43.6%) from the field, 6 of 22 (27.3%) from three and 22 of 27 (81.5%) from the free throw line, while Clemson shot 27 of 69 (39.1%) from the field, 5 of 16 (31.3%) from deep and 14 of 17 (82.4%) from the stripe.

Duke

Duke owns the second-highest net rating (38.09) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season). Only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils have achieved a higher net rating (43.01).
Saturday is Duke’s 36th appearance in the ACC Tournament championship game (22-13).
The Blue Devils have won 22 ACC Tournament titles - last in 2023.
Duke has won nine of the last 12 meetings with Louisville, including six straight.
The Blue Devils have won 26 of their last 27 games since late November, while Louisville has won 21 of its last 22 contests since mid-December - a combined record of 47-2.
Duke leads the nation in scoring margin (+21.1) and ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.77), fifth in effective field goal percentage (.574), seventh in field goal percentage defense (.386), seventh in scoring defense (61.9), ninth in rebound margin (+8.4), 14th in scoring offense (83.0), 16th in assists per game (16.9), 20th in three-point percentage (.377), 17th in field goal percentage (.489) and 22nd in three-pointers per game (10.1) - all top marks in the ACC.
Duke leads the ACC in scoring offense (83.0) and scoring defense (61.9), and could become the first team in ACC history to lead the conference in both categories.
Duke is the only team in the country ranked among the top-three in both offensive (1st) and defensive (3rd) raw efficiency, according to KenPom.
Duke is the only Division I team to score 80 points or more per game (83.0) and hold its opponents to fewer than 62 points per game (61.9).
Duke’s 10 conference wins +25 points are the most by any team in a season in ACC history.
Jon Scheyer’s 84 career victories surpass Bill Guthridge (80, North Carolina, 1997-2000) for the most wins by an ACC coach in their first three seasons.
With 17 points on Friday, Kon Knueppel is averaging 18.1 points in the last seven games, connecting on 45-of-83 (.542) from the field and 19-of-38 (.500) from long range.
Khaman Maluach has 62 dunks this season, compared to just 53 combined by Duke foes. His 62 slams are the sixth-most by a Blue Devil in a season.
Duke has been the ACC Tournament’s winningest team all-time with conference records for wins (112), winning percentage (.704) and titles (22) in the tournament.
Duke owns a 23-8 record in ACCT games in Charlotte, N.C., where the Blue Devils have captured five championships (2019, 2002, 2000, 1999 and 1992).
Top-seeded Duke advanced to the ACC Tournament championship game with a 74-71 win over rival North Carolina on Friday, March 14.
The Blue Devils (30-3) had five players in double-figures and withstood a second-half rally by the Tar Heels (22-13) to earn Duke’s 36th appearance in the conference tournament title game, while moving to 3-0 on the season against its rival.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has achieved a career record of 84-21 after Friday’s victory for a winning percentage of .800. Scheyer’s 84 victories exceed the standard set by Bill Guthridge (80, North Carolina, 1997-2000) for the most wins by an ACC coach in their first three seasons.
Duke is once again one of the top defenses in the country. KenPom ranks the Blue Devils as the third-best defense in the nation with a raw defense efficiency rating of 92.9. (as of March 14). This season, Duke ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.386) and seventh in scoring defense (61.9) - both top marks in the ACC.
While Duke established itself as an imposing defensive unit early in the season, the Blue Devils have evolved into one of the top-rated offenses in the country. The Blue Devils are No. 1 on KenPom’s raw offensive efficiency list (124.6), followed by Auburn (121.5) and High Point (121.3). Duke also owns the top-rated offense by EvanMiya with an offensive performance rating of 20.6, ahead of Auburn (18.8) and Alabama (18.7). (as of March 14)
Duke has found a way of overcoming double-digit deficits this season, rallying for a 4-1 record when trailing by double figures.
Duke freshman guard/forward Cooper Flagg was voted the 2024-25 ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, headlining five Blue Devils to earn conference postseason honors. Flagg is the fourth player in ACC history to capture the league’s Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
Duke returns two starters from last season’s Elite Eight squad, junior Tyrese Proctor and sophomore Caleb Foster, while also signing the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class and also making four additions through the transfer portal.
Duke welcomed the No. 1 recruiting class of six freshmen, which includes two of the five youngest Division I men’s basketball players with Cooper Flagg (12/21/2006) ranking second and Khaman Maluach (9/14/2006) fifth.
The Blue Devils also boast veteran experience with non-freshmen combining for more than 500 games played (523), 300 starts (324), and 13,000 minutes (13,201) entering the 2024-25 campaign, including Mason Gillis with 132 games played and Sion James with 107 starts (ranks 11th among Div. I players entering the season).
Duke ranks No. 1 in KenPom.com’s list of tallest teams in the country with an average height of 79.8 inches, better than 6-7 per Blue Devil.

(Photo of Maliq Brown, J'Vonne Hadley: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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