After cruising to victory over Boston College, Duke will look to keep their hopes of going dancing alive with a win over Louisville. Louisville will be aiming for the rare three game sweep in a season. The Cardinals have given Duke fits this season.
Everything will be on the line for Duke in this game, but the Cardinals have plenty to play for as well. ESPN currently has Louisville projected as one of the “Last Four Byes” in the NCAA Tournament field. They are fairly safely in the projected field, but a run in the ACCT would go a long way in improving their seeding.
What to watch for:
Carlik Jones
Carlik Jones has tormented Duke this season. Jones scored 24 points when the two teams first met, and followed that up by scoring 25 in Cameron. He has been a problem Duke has not been able to solve. If Duke wants to survive and advance, they will have to do a much better job defending Jones. It will need to be a team effort.
Bench production
Jordan Goldwire was excellent off the bench against Boston College. Joey Baker provided an offensive boost with eight points, including two threes. Henry Coleman played well. This was a welcomed sight as the bench had not produced much in recent games prior to the Boston College game. Duke will need another strong performance from their bench.
Fatigue factor
This will be a constant theme for Duke should they continue to advance. Fortunately, Duke was able to beat Boston College without any player exceeding 27 minutes. While it was ideal that Duke was able to limit minutes, playing on back to back nights always leaves room for the possibility of fatigue becoming a factor. Much like the Boston College game, Coach K will likely look to substitute players as much as possible.
Matthew Hurt
For as much attention as Duke will be giving to Carlik Jones, Louisville will have a similar approach for Matthew Hurt. Hurt was dominant in the most recent Duke-Louisville game, finishing with 37 of Duke’s 73 points. The way Louisville defends Duke will be something to monitor. Staying out of foul trouble will be key for Hurt and Duke as Hurt has fouled out in both of the Louisville games this season.
Offensive rebounding
Duke has allowed many second chance opportunities in the games against Louisville this season. The Cardinals pulled down nine offensive rebounds in the first game and 14 in the second game. Duke will be in trouble if this game follows a similar pattern.