The Duke Blue Devils are back on track, starting ACC play with two wins after falling to the Texas Tech Red Raiders to close out their non-conference schedule.
Now, the No. 6 Blue Devils have to face their first ranked conference opponent (their sixth top-25 matchup of the season) as they take on the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals.
The Cardinals have already lost one ACC game, losing to the Stanford Cardinal earlier this month. Meanwhile, Duke has taken down Georgia Tech and Florida State so far. Now, they face each other in what could determine the conference standings for the next week or so.
Duke men's basketball vs. Louisville final odds
- Spread: -1.5, Duke
- Money line: -113 Duke, -106 Louisville
- Point total (over/under): 159.5
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Blue Devils are favored to win by just 1.5 points, and the money line for the two top-25 teams is just about as close as it can get.
With a point total set at 159.5 points, the game is expected to be heavily defensive, with each team projected to score less than 80 points if the total holds true.
How to watch Duke men's basketball vs. Louisville
- Date & Time: Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. ET
- Location: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
- TV/streaming: ESPN, fuboTV
The Blue Devils and the Cardinals are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET, and the top-20 ranked conference matchup will be aired on ESPN.
Duke men's basketball vs. Louisville prediction
While the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wasn't Duke's best showing this season, the win over the Florida State Seminoles showed a lot of improvement for the young team.
From the team shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc and 92 percent from the charity stripe, the Blue Devils made the most out of opportunities placed in front of them, which is something they will undeniably have to do against the Cardinals as well.
Veteran guard Isaiah Evans is finally stepping into his own, putting up a career-high 28 points against Florida State, and freshman guard Cameron Boozer continues to excel for the Blue Devils.
If all five players in the starting lineup can produce double digits, the win should be relatively easy for Duke, especially with star power like Dame Sarr and others coming off the bench to possibly contribute a double-digit performance of their own.