The Cardinals will shoot for their first ACC Tournament victory Thursday afternoon.
Louisville has opened up as a 1-point favorite over Duke in what figures to be the highest-profile ACC Tournament quarterfinal game on Thursday. The fourth-seeded Cardinals and fifth-seeded Blue Devils will tip-off at approximately 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
U of L defeated Duke 78-69 back on Jan. 14, but that game came when the Blue Devils were playing without the services of senior forward Amile Jefferson, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski. It also took place on Louisville’s home floor.
The biggest question mark for Duke heading into Thursday’s game is the status of junior star Grayson Allen as he continues to deal with an injured ankle. The preseason national Player of the Year came off the bench, played just 12 minutes, and scored no points in the team’s 79-72 second round win over Clemson on Wednesday.
Any limitations to Allen would be a big blow for Duke against any opponent, but especially against Louisville. Allen scored 23 points against the Cards in the January meeting, and scored 29 and 19 points against U of L in the teams’ two meetings a season ago.
With Allen not contributing, Luke Kennard, Frank Jackson and Jayson Tatum all scored 20 points for Duke in the win over Clemson.
