The Louisville Cardinals self-imposed a ban from the NCAA Tournament last season because of infractions. They need to break a current skid to make sure they get back into March Madness this year. Louisville has dropped several games recently in the tough ACC and will not have an easy time turning that around next time out when it hits the road to face off with the Duke Blue Devils.
Duke has played well lately to jump back into the top-5 nationally and will push hard for a No. 1 seed down the stretch of the regular season. The Blue Devils will be heavy favorites to win this game as they are both the superior team and have the home court advantage.
At 9 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Louisville enters this matchup with an 18-9 record overall and a 13-11-1 mark against the spread. The Cardinals have done a nice job on the road with a mark of 5-2-1 against the spread in such games. Louisville is 4-3-1 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Duke is 22-5 straight up and 16-10 against the spread. The Blue Devils have covered in seven of their 12 attempts at home on the season. Duke is 15-9 against the spread as the favorite and will be one again in this matchup.
Injury Report
Duke star forward Marvin Bagley has missed three consecutive games with a knee injury and he could be sidelined for this one as well. The Blue Devils have been vague about the severity of the injury so keep a close eye on whether he plays.
Bagley is a huge asset for Duke, averaging 21.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game as one of the best freshmen in the nation. However, the Blue Devils have been fine without him as Grayson Allen and the others have done a nice job of stepping up.
Duke has won all three games without Bagley, defeating Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and, most impressively, No. 11 Clemson on the road last time out. The Blue Devils want their star big man in the fold but have proven they can be fine without him.
Matchup To Watch
Duke offense vs. Louisville defense —The Blue Devils are one of the strongest offensive teams in the nation, averaging 87.4 points per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field. Duke is led by Bagley and Allen but has good depth and can lean on plenty of others if needed.
Louisville has a solid defense, giving up only 69.9 points per contest. But North Carolina scored 93 on the Cardinals last time out and Duke has similar firepower. Louisville has to do a good job on defense or else the Blue Devils will be really hard to catch.
The Cardinals have some solid perimeter defenders and if they can force turnovers and bad shots, perhaps Louisville will be able to keep this one closer than expected.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Duke has come on strong of late even without Bagley, and it has the superior depth and talent in this matchup. While Louisville has a strong enough resume to make the NCAA Tournament already, a win over Duke would basically clinch it.
Don’t look for that to happen. Take the Blue Devils to win this game and they are also the more likely option to cover the spread. The “over” could be a consideration as Duke should be able to score on Louisville and the Cardinals will have to play at a fast pace as they try to cut into the lead.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Duke 87, Louisville 73
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