Duke basketball keys to avoiding season sweep against Louisville
The Duke basketball team will be looking to avoid a three-game season sweep against the Louisville Cardinals.
One of the hardest things to do in a college basketball season is to defeat a team three times in a row, and that’s what the Duke basketball team will be looking to avoid on Wednesday night against the Louisville Cardinals (13-6, 8-5 ACC).
In the program’s first-ever appearance in the First Round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday afternoon, the Blue Devils (12-11, 9-9 ACC) throttled the lowly Boston College Eagles, 86-51, where the most minutes played by a Dukie was 27 from sophomore forward Matthew Hurt.
Duke will be trying to become the first team in the history of the ACC Tournament to win five games in five days en route to the conference championship, which might be the only way the Blue Devils can make the NCAA Tournament.
ALSO READ: Duke not impacted by COVID-19 pause within football program
Mike Krzyzewski’s team will be making the commute each game from Durham to Greensboro, which is about a 50-minute trip, instead of remaining in Greensboro for its duration in the tournament.
The Blue Devils are coming off one of its best shooting games of the season, making 52.5-percent of their shots from the field against the Eagles and 46.9-percent from three-point range.
Duke basketball trying to avenge two past losses
Duke fell on the road against Louisville, 70-65, on January 23, which was the final loss of the first three-game losing streak of the season for the Blue Devils before their next loss to the Cardinals was the first loss of its third three-game losing streak.
The most recent meeting was an 80-73 victory in overtime for Louisville at Cameron Indoor Stadium as Duke miscues almost allowed the Cardinals to win the game as time expired in regulation.
ALSO READ: Duke players earn high honors despite disappointing year
After its March 3 game against Virginia Tech was canceled because of a COVID-19 pause with the Hokies, Louisville dropped its following game after its win over Duke, a 68-58 home loss to the Virginia Cavaliers.
The Cardinals earned the No. 7 seed in the ACC Tournament, and now No. 10 seed Duke must make serious adjustments against Louisville if it wishes to keep its season alive.