Would win over Louisville make Duke basketball the clear ACC favorite?

The Duke basketball program can take a significant step toward winning the ACC regular season with a win next time out.

After a tough loss at Clemson on Tuesday night, ACC play won’t get any easier as the Duke basketball team hosts the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN.

Both Louisville (14-3) and Duke (15-2) have the same ACC record at 5-1, with Louisville’s only loss coming at home against Florida State on Jan. 4. As of right now, many believe that Florida State (15-2, 5-1 ACC) could be the best team in the ACC, but unfortunately the Blue Devils will not get to match up against the Seminoles until Feb. 10 in Durham.

With these three teams tied for first in the ACC, the conference is very much up for grabs. As we have seen all season, college basketball has been nothing short of chaotic with upsets left and right.

As a result, the AP Poll changes as often as the Blue Devils switch up jerseys. However, No. 3 Duke would likely remain ahead of No. 9 Florida State come Monday with a victory over revenge-seeking No. 13 Louisville this weekend.

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To say the least, the ACC has been a disappointment with only those three teams being ranked at the moment. With Virginia dropping off due to the loss of Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter, and Ty Jerome, as well as UNC falling to 1-4 with Cole Anthony out, the conference seems to be less of a powerhouse than usual.

Luckily, as the only games against both Louisville and Florida State will take place in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils have the upper hand to finish first in the conference for the regular season for the first time since 2010 (not outright since 2006).

So despite the upset Duke suffered at Clemson, the ACC is not only within reach for the Blue Devils, but with the way that point guard Tre Jones has stepped up his game this season as a sophomore co-captain, this team looks ready to take it.

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With ESPN College GameDay in town, Duke has a chance to make a loud statement against Louisville.

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