Duke's Monday night matchup vs. Louisville just got a whole lot tougher

The Duke Blue Devils are set for yet another top 25 matchup this week in the ACC, this one coming on a Monday night after a short turnaround from Saturday. Duke was able to handle business easily against Wake Forest, but on only two days of rest, the Blue Devils have to be ready to go against No. 23 Louisville.

Coming in with a 14-5 overall record, the Cardinals have now won back-to-back games and plan to make it three straight with a huge win over the Blue Devils. In the first installment of this matchup, Duke walked away with the 11-point win; however, they didn't face Louisville's second-leading scorer.

Louisville lost five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. to an injury in mid-December, but he made his return against Virginia Tech and added an entirely new layer to the Cardinals' offense. Brown had 20 points, six assists, and one steal in 29 minutes and ended up being Louisville's leading scorer on the night.

The return of Mikel Brown Jr. could create problems for Duke against No. 23 Louisville

Brown, in 11 games this season, is already averaging 16.9 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Clearly, he can get to the basket and create shots for his teammates with ease. He is also a huge threat from three-point range, as he went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc against the Hokies.

Duke will have to worry now about both Brown and leading scorer Ryan Conwell in their Monday night showdown. Conwell dropped 24 points in the last matchup between these two teams and had seven boards. Taking away at least on eof these sharpshooters may be all Duke can do in order to contain the Cardinals.

The Blue Devils can't afford a loss, especially with the big matchup against UNC just around the corner. Staying ont his hot streak will give Duke everything it needs in order to take down the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.