The Duke Blue Devils and Louisville Cardinals will go at it Monday night in a clash between a pair of first-year head coaches, Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Louisville’s Kenny Payne. They’re two of the three active head coaches to win a national championship as both a player and coach.
We’re going to dive deeper into an exciting bout between two NCAA basketball teams and tell you what Louisville vs Duke picks would be the smartest.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Louisville Cardinals Odds
Duke is a heavy — and we mean heavy — favorite in this matchup. They’re -18.5 on the point spread at -105, while the Cardinals are -115 to cover. On the moneyline, the Blue Devils are -3500 and Louisville a +1280 underdog. The total is set at 137.5 points, with both the over and under listed at -110.
Let’s take a look at why the NCAAB odds have been fixed this way and then make our college basketball picks for the day.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Louisville Cardinals Matchup Information
Duke Blue Devils vs Louisville Cardinals
Location of the Game: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC.
Date and Time: Monday, February 20, 2023, 7:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: ESPN | https://livestreamsports.co/
Duke Blue Devils vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview
Duke Blue Devils
Devils (19-8, 10-6) have won two in a row to climb to within three games of first place and one game of a top-four spot in the conference standings. Four games remain on the regular season schedule for the Duke Blue Devils standings to improve.
Keep that in mind before we make our Louisville vs Duke picks.
The Blue Devils are second in the conference in scoring defense (64.0), second in three-point field goal defense (.304), and third in total field goal defense (.413).
Duke has defended its home court this go-round, posting a 13-0 record at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils grade out as the fifth-best scoring team in the paint in the ACC. They average 33.3 points down low per outing and are paced by Kyle Filipowski (7.5 such points per game).
Filipowski is a seven-time ACC Rookie of the Week and leads all conference freshmen in rebounding and double-doubles. His dozen double-doubles are the most by any freshman in the nation, while his 9.2 rebounds lead all-power conference newbies.
Louisville Cardinals
The Cardinals (4-23, 2-14) are a far cry from past glories. They’ve gone 2-14 in conference play and turn the ball over 14.3 times per outing. In the three instances they haven’t given it away more than their opponent, they’re only 1-2.
The road hasn’t gotten any easier for Louisville, either. They’re in the middle of an eight-game stretch where they’ll play seven squads in the top 80 of the NET rankings. Those groups have an average ranking of 41.
Their last time out, El Ellis scored 28 points in Louisville’s 83-73 win over Clemson.
This one is a homecoming of sorts for the senior guard, who’s a native of Durham, N.C. Cardinals assistant coach Nolan Smith formerly played for and helped coach the Blue Devils, as well.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Picks
This likely won’t be one of the most closely-contested NCAA basketball games today, but you never know. Take March Madness bets, for example, heavy underdogs pull games out each year. Of course, if Duke were to lose this matchup, it would be a huge letdown.
They’ve performed well on the NCAAB schedule at home this season and want to continue that tonight. Yet, an opponent that has nothing to lose and that can’t climb much in the college basketball standings is a dangerous one. Nobody is elite in the Louisville Cardinals stats, but Ellis is one of the college basketball players that will have something to prove, especially so close to home.
That being said, the most Louisville will be able to do against the Blue Devils is cover the large-point spread. Barring any late additions to the college basketball injury report, go with that as one of your Louisville vs Duke picks tonight.