Coach K is back at work and so are the Blue Devils. After falling out of the national polls for the first time in a decade, Duke responded with a road win. Beating No. 19 Louisville gets the Dookies back in the top 25 hunt and moves them into the top half of the ACC standings.
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HOW THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Louisville built a shiny record in part from a soft early schedule, but had fallen short against ranked competition, losing games to Kentucky, Michigan State, and Virginia. In 40 minutes last Monday, that changed. The Cardinals knocked off No. 2 North Carolina and now has a signature win and proof that it can close a game out against a strong opponent.
The Cardinals wave of big men more than held their own against North Carolina’s front last week. Anas Mahmoud chipped in quality minutes off the bench when starters Chinanu Onuaku and Jaylen Johnson got saddled with early foul trouble. Watch for coach Pitino to rotate his bigs to take advantage of Duke’s depth issue.
Then watch for Damion Lee to take over on the perimeter. Lee was money in the UNC game, going for 24 points while playing all 40 minutes. When Lee gets it going, he has a swagger that energizes the entire team. He still needs some offensive help, but he has the confidence and skill to take over a game.
HOW THE DUKE BLUE DEVILS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Many made a big stink about Duke landing outside the AP Top 25 for the first time in almost a decade. After all, it’s a remarkable statistic. But does it really matter if Duke’s goal is to go far in the NCAA tournament? Hardly. Not this season with the level of parity in college basketball.
The Blue Devils are making the tournament, that’s a no-brainer. What they need to be concerned with over the final month of ACC play is making sure the young players peak at the right time.
Freshman point guard Derryck Thornton is one of those young players. He played one of the best games of his college career last week against Georgia Tech with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. If he turns a corner and becomes the floor general Duke has lacked all season, this team won’t resemble the one we’ve seen the past few weeks.
Falling outside of the top 25 isn’t rock-bottom for a typical college hoops program, but Duke is far from typical. Perhaps not being a ranked team is a wake-up call this team needs.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Barring an epic collapse, both these teams are headed to the NCAA tournament, so slugging it out in the brutal ACC isn’t what motivates them. Sure, winning the regular season title is a feather in the cap and can improve seeding, but for both clubs it’s about finding out how far they can go in March. Despite a recent stretch of four losses in five games, Duke has seen progress from its group of rookies. The most important of those is Thornton, who’s been eased into the role of starting point guard. Remember, this kid should be a senior in high school right now. One thing Duke missed all season was a point guard, and Thornton is the guy who can take over as the Blue Devils head into the second half of the league schedule. Louisville had a statement win over North Carolina last week, and finally played the way coach Pitino knows it can. It’s tough to win at Cameron Indoor, but it has been done frequently this season. Louisville can add to that on Big Monday.
Louisville 72, Duke 66
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Louisville Cardinals and Duke Blue Devils will go down Monday, February 8, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET at Cameron Indoor Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN.
