Louisville at Duke preview: Cards get first ACC shot at Cameron Indoor Stadium

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (9-4, 8-2) At DUKE BLUE DEVILS (17-6, 6-4)

Game Time: 7:02 p.m.

Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium: Durham, N.C.

Television: ESPN

Announcers: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst), and Kaylee Hartung (reporter)

Officials: Michael Roberts, Michael Stephens, Roger Ayers

Favorite: Duke by 3.5

All-Time Series: Duke leads 6-4

Last Meeting: Duke won 63-52 on Jan. 17, 2015 at the KFC Yum Center

Series History:

Probable Starting Lineups:

Statistics:

Relevant Videos:

About Duke:

Duke has won three of its last four games, including an 88- 80 victory over NC State in their last game as sophomore star Grayson Allen scored 28 points. Allen is second in the ACC in scoring (20.9 ppg, 18th in the nation) and is fifth in minutes played (35.0 mpg).

Duke is fifth nationally in scoring (84.8), 10th in fewest turnovers (10.0), 17th in scoring margin (+13.3) and 23rd in three-point field goal percentage (.391). Duke is 23rd in the RPI and 12th in the Sagarin Ratings. Louisville trails 4-6 in its series with Duke, but the Cardinals have won four of the last six matchups. Duke won 63-52 at Louisville last season (1-17-15) as Terry Rozier led the Cardinals with 17 points.

The Cardinals earned their second national title as the Cardinals prevailed 72-69 over Duke in the 1986 NCAA Championship game behind Final Four Most Outstanding Player Pervis Ellison's 25 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots (3/31/86). Louisville beat the Blue Devils 85-63 in the 2013 Midwest Region championship in Indianapolis, Ind. en route to the Cardinals' third NCAA title (3-31-13). Louisville has a 1-1 record in Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. On its last visit there 33 years ago, the ninth-ranked Cardinals prevailed 91-76 as the Cardinals shot 71.4 percent from the field (40-of-56), with Milt Wagner scoring 21 points and handing out seven assists (1-12-83).

Notable

--Rick Pitino will coach his 1,000th game when the Cardinals face Duke on Feb. 8. Pitino has a 741-258 record in 31 seasons.

--Tonight will also be the 1,000th game played inside Cameron Indoor Stadium

--Louisville is seeking its 14th straight 20-win season. The Cardinals are one of four schools to have won 20 or more games each of the past 13 seasons.

--Duke leads the NCAA with an .828 (202-42) winning percentage since the start of the 2009-10 season and ranks third nationally with a .946 (106-6) home winning percentage this decade.

--Louisville's 142 victories over the last five years are the second-most wins in the nation in that stretch.

--Duke employs one of the nation's most lethal offensive attacks, ranking fi fth in the NCAA in scoring offense (84.8) and second the country in adjusted offensive efficiency (122.9).

--Duke averages 9.1 three-pointers per game overall and 9.7 per game in ACC play, both of which lead the league. Duke is shooting 42.7 percent from three-point range and making 10.3 triples per game over its last four contests.

--UofL leads the nation in scoring margin (+19.1), is fourth in scoring defense (59.8), seventh in field goal percentage defense (.376), ninth in rebound margin (+9.9) and eighth in offensive rebounds (14.5).

Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Duke 74, Louisville 72