No. 5 Duke has arguably the best freshman in the country in Marvin Bagley III, but the Blue Devils have been playing better since Bagley got injured. Will he play Wednesday against Louisville? Probably not, but if he did that would alter the NCAA basketball odds.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Bagley’s right knee sprain is improving. The coach said it’s unsure when Bagley will be back, but “it’ll be soon.”
“We’ve become a pretty good defensive team,” Krzyzewski said of his team, which without its star big man has held its past three opponents to 43 percent from the field.
Allen was named ACC Player of the Week Monday. He averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 assists last week in the wins over Virginia Tech and Clemson. Allen is second on the Blue Devils this season in scoring (15.1), three-point field goals made (69) and assists (4.6). He leads the team in minutes (34.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3). He has averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 assists and 39.0 minutes over Duke’s last six games.
Duke is the ACC’s top offensive team, averaging 87.4 points per game. In Louisville’s last four losses, opponents have shot at least 45 percent from the field.
How to Bet Louisville at Duke NCAA Basketball Odds & Game Info
When: Wednesday, 9 PM ET Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC TV: ESPN Stream: WatchESPN Radio: 790 AM (Louisville) / Blue Devil IMG Sports Network (Duke) Opening NCAA Basketball Odds: Duke -12Cards Play first of Two on the Road Against No. 5 Duke on Wednesday Night 🔴⚫ Game Preview ➡️ https://t.co/vPhfuGcg9e pic.twitter.com/o98GGFjVuH
— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) February 20, 2018
Last Season
This is the only scheduled meeting between blue-blood programs. Last year they played twice and split. Louisville won the first at home, 78-69. Anas Mahmoud had career highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell added 15 points and Louisville shot 59 percent in the second half. Mitchell now is one of the biggest rookie stars in the NBA with the Utah Jazz. Grayson Allen had 23 points and nine rebounds for Duke; he’s still around. In the ACC Tournament, Duke beat Louisville 81-77. The Blue Devils rallied from 12 points down in the second half. Jayson Tatum scored 25 points to lead the Blue Devils. Luke Kennard had 24, including some big 3s down the stretch, and Allen added 18. Tatum and Kennard are both in the NBA now. Deng Adel scored 21 points for Louisville, which led by a dozen with 13 minutes left but struggled from the free-throw (15 for 26) and 3-point lines (4 for 21). Duke leads all-time 8-6.Latest NCAA Basketball Odds Trends
- Louisville is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Louisville is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Louisville’s last 8 games
- Duke is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
- Duke is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Duke’s last 9 games
Why Bet on Louisville?
Tuesday was a rough day for the program as Louisville will have to vacate its 2013 national championship and 2012 Final Four appearance after the NCAA denied its appeal of penalties levied against the team last year. The Cardinals will become the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball program to vacate a national title during the Final Four era. This year’s team is on the NCAA Tournament bubble at 18-9 overall and 7-6 in the ACC and comes off a 93-76 home loss to North Carolina on Saturday. The Tar Heels scored 10 straight points for a 12-3 lead before warming up from long range to eventually build a 19-point cushion before withstanding several Louisville rallies. Deng Adel returned from a two-game absence with an ankle injury to score 20 points and Ray Spalding 18 with 12 rebounds for the Cards. Adel leads the Cardinals in scoring with 15.7 points per game. Quentin Snider ranks second on the team, averaging 12.1 points per game while dishing out a team best 107 assists. Spalding leads the team on the boards with 9.0 rebounds per game and ranks third on the team in scoring with 11.7 points per game. Freshman Jordan Nwora leads the team from behind the arc, shooting 44.2 percent on the year. Louisville is third in the nation in blocked shots (6.5 bpg) and ranks 15th in field goal percentage defense (.401) and 43rd in steals per game (7.6). Anas Mahmoud is eighth in the nation in blocked shots (3.07) and Spalding is 24th in offensive rebounds (3.30). U of L has held eight of its 14 ACC opponents to 40 percent or below shooting from the field. The Cardinals have collected nine or more steals in seven league games (eight vs. North Carolina in their last game) and lead the ACC in steals in conference games (7.9 per game).Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 78.11
- Field Goals: 46.18%
- Three Points: 36.41%
- Free Throws: 73.21%
- Rebounds: 37.63
- Average Score Against: 69.85
- Field Goals: 40.08%
- Three Points: 32.52%
- Free Throws: 71.43%
- Rebounds: 37.63
Why Bet on Duke?
The Blue Devils (22-5) won their third straight game without freshman star Marvin Bagley III on Sunday, 66-57 at No. 11 Clemson. Gary Trent Jr. hit three foul shots with 1:31 left to put Duke ahead for good. Grayson Allen had 19 points for Duke, all but two in the opening half. Wendell Carter had 15 points and 10 rebounds while Trevon Duval had 12 and Trent scored 11. Clemson was just 8-for-33 shooting in the second half. Duke improved to 5-2 this season when facing a ranked team – four of those wins have come away from Cameron Indoor Stadium (Michigan State, Florida, Miami, Clemson).
Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Bagley’s right knee sprain is improving. The coach said it’s unsure when Bagley will be back, but “it’ll be soon.”
“We’ve become a pretty good defensive team,” Krzyzewski said of his team, which without its star big man has held its past three opponents to 43 percent from the field.
Allen was named ACC Player of the Week Monday. He averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 assists last week in the wins over Virginia Tech and Clemson. Allen is second on the Blue Devils this season in scoring (15.1), three-point field goals made (69) and assists (4.6). He leads the team in minutes (34.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3). He has averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 assists and 39.0 minutes over Duke’s last six games.
Duke is the ACC’s top offensive team, averaging 87.4 points per game. In Louisville’s last four losses, opponents have shot at least 45 percent from the field.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 87.37
- Field Goals: 50.06%
- Three Points: 39.46%
- Free Throws: 70.21%
- Rebounds: 42.15
- Average Score Against: 71.30
- Field Goals: 40.40%
- Three Points: 33.75%
- Free Throws: 74.50%
- Rebounds: 32.74
