On Tuesday, November 11th, No. 12 Louisville and No. 9 Kentucky will meet at the KFC Yum! Center in the Battle of the Bluegrass. Although this contest has absolutely nothing to do with the Duke basketball program, it could give the Blue Devils and their fans a ton of insight into how easily the program could run through the Atlantic Coast Conference. Through the 2024-25 season, Duke absolutely mowed through a mediocre ACC, going 19-1 in conference play en route to winning the ACC regular season and ACC Tournament titles. Heading into this year, Duke and Louisville were viewed as the top tier in the conference, but it's been difficult to decipher exactly how big the gap is between the two squads, and even which is the better of the two. This marquee rivalry matchup could pay dividends in figuring out that answer.
Marquee matchup between Kentucky and Louisville could be a clear sign as to how easily Duke will win the ACC this season
Louisville came in at No. 12 in this week's Associated Press Poll after opening up its campaign with two buy games, defeating South Carolina State 104-45 and Jackson State 106-70. However, despite the lower level of competition, the Cardinals look to have one of the most prolific offenses in the nation early on, and that's exactly what fans were expecting with the new class Pat Kelsey brought in.
It starts with 5-star freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr., who only averaged 22 minutes a night through Louisville's first two games, given the blowouts, but looked like one of the best guards in the country during his time on the floor. Brown averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 assists across the Cards' first two matchups, and he'll be a treat to watch for the remainder of the season.
Kelsey then surrounded Brown with shooters all over the floor in guys like Ryan Conwell from Xavier, Isaac McKneely from Virginia, and Adrian Wooley from Kennesaw State. Combined through the program's first two games, Louisville shot over 52% from the field. Although the three-point efficiency hasn't quite been there, it's obvious to see just how elite this offense can be. Add in returners like Khani Rooths, J'Vonne Hadley, and Kasean Pryor, and this offense looks as dangerous as any.
However, the Cardinals' date with in-state rival Kentucky on Tuesday night will be fans' first look into how elite this team is right now. Kentucky is currently rated as the No. 1 team at KenPom, as Mark Pope spent his NIL fortune wisely, building one of the most complete rosters in the country. As the headline game of Tuesday night, Duke fans should be paying close attention.
The Blue Devils looked elite defensively through their first two games of the season, but there were definitely some offensive miscues and droughts that Jon Scheyer will need to figure out. It's fair to say that Duke won't have as easy a time winning the ACC as last year, but as Louisville looks like the next team up, the Blue Devil faithful should pay attention tomorrow night to how electric Kelsey's squad looks to be already.
Duke will face Louisville twice this season, with the first contest coming in Louisville on January 6th.