Duke basketball vs Louisville prediction: Will Blue Devils beat Cardinals?

Duke basketball closes out its two-game road stretch at Louisville on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in what will be a top-25 matchup from the KFC Yum! Center.

The No. 5 Blue Devils (13-1, 2-0 ACC) will face No. 13 Louisville (11-3, 1-1 ACC) at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Blue Devils have won the last seven straight over the Cardinals, including the last three from the KFC Yum! Center. It will also mark a rematch of last year’s ACC championship game, which Duke won 73-62.

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Duke is coming off a slim 91-87 win over Florida State on Jan. 3 behind a career-high 28 points from Isaiah Evans. It was another close game for the Blue Devils and their third straight allowing their opponent to shoot 50% or better from the field.

Louisville dropped its ACC contest to Stanford on Jan. 2 in a game where Pat Kelsey said his team got “punched in the mouth.” The Cardinals have been without starting point guard Mikel Brown Jr. since Dec. 13 due to a lower back injury.

Here are some things to know and a score prediction for Duke’s matchup with Louisville:

Will Mikel Brown Jr. play for Louisville?

The Cardinals have been without starting point guard Mikel Brown Jr. since Dec. 13, going 2-2 across that stretch. Despite missing the last four games, Brown Jr. remains Louisville’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game while shooting 38.1% from the field, and is the team’s leading facilitator at 5.1 assists per game. Louisville was also without forward Kasean Pryor against Stanford, despite Pryor being listed as available.

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Kelsey said following Friday’s loss on the Cardinal Sports Network that Brown Jr. is “rehabbing hard” and is day-to-day as he attempts to return. Sophomore Adrian Wooley has entered the lineup in Brown Jr.’s place. He dropped a season-high 21 points in Louisville’s ACC opening win over Cal but was held to three points in the loss at Stanford.

Can Duke basketball defense improve against Louisville?

Louisville is another team, similar to Florida State, that…

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Publish date : 2026-01-05 09:01:00

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