No. 9 Duke men’s basketball will kick off its ACC slate on the road against a new-look Louisville team. Before the game, check out what The Chronicle’s beats predict will happen:
Ranjan Jindal: Duke 75-61
Louisville, similar to Kentucky, is one of college basketball’s teams that looks completely different than last year. I really believe in what Pat Kelsey will do with the group, but I think it will take a couple years. A cool storyline is that Cardinal point guard Reyne Smith was a former high school teammate of Tyrese Proctor, and he is one to watch because of his ability to shoot the ball. But the difference for me is the lack of size for Louisville, and I think Duke can make a living on the offensive glass. Look for a lower-scoring game, but a comfortable win for the Blue Devils.
Dom Fenoglio: Duke 78-69
I had the unfortunate privilege of covering the Blue Devils’ ACC opener last season. In that game, Duke came out flat against a gritty Georgia Tech team and lost 72-68. I predict that head coach Jon Scheyer will find a way to use that game to motivate his team in this season’s league opener against Louisville. The Cardinals recently lost graduate forward Kasean Pryor, who was a key piece of their frontcourt. Therefore, I have a hard time seeing Louisville keep up with the Blue Devils’ depth and size on the interior. Another area to watch will be Duke’s shooting behind the arc, which has faltered at times away from Cameron Indoor.
Sophie Levenson: Duke 84-75
After Duke’s performance Wednesday night, I can’t expect anything but a solid defeat of the Cardinals. Seeing Isaiah Evans step up like he did against Auburn assured me that there’s power in this Blue Devil squad that we have yet to see. I don’t doubt that Louisville is ready to put up a fight — it really is a different team this season — but its recent slate of injuries won’t be much help. A home court advantage in the KFC Yum! Center might be the Cardinals’ biggest asset Sunday night; I do think the Cameron Indoor environment was a player in Wednesday’s success. Given the experience these Blue Devils have already gained out of Durham, however, I don’t foresee a hostile stadium being a game changer.
Caleb Dudley: Duke 79-72
Louisville looks much improved already under Pat Kelsey in year one. While they have dealt with some early injury concerns, the Cardinals have two tough guards in Chucky Hepburn and Reyne Smith that could present problems for Duke’s backcourt. The Blue Devils have historically had issues in the ACC road opener, but I think they get it done narrowly at the KFC Yum! Center Sunday.
Abby DiSalvo: Duke 88-64
Louisville started its season with a few impressive wins, but the Cardinals recently took a morale hit with back-to-back losses against Oklahoma and Ole Miss. Team depth has also been severely weakened by injuries, while Duke’s bench potential continues to trend upward following its convincing triumph against Auburn. This game will be an uphill battle for Louisville from the start, and I don’t see the Cardinals holding onto any sort of meaningful lead as the clock winds down. Duke should kick off its competition in the ACC slate with a comfortable victory.
Rodrigo Amare: Duke 80-66
The Cardinals are undoubtedly a better team than the one Duke trounced 84-59 in the last encounter between the two teams. However, while previous Blue Devil teams may have struggled in their first few road contests of a season, Duke’s 2024-25 squad has been thoroughly battle tested over the past month. The Blue Devils’ statement victory at Arizona Nov. 22 proved this team can emerge victorious in a raucous hostile environment, and I think Scheyer’s men do it again Sunday. Expect Louisville to fight bravely, but ultimately fall at the KFC Yum! Center.
Andrew Long: Duke 85-74
For most of my time covering Duke, Louisville has been the back-est of backwater teams in the ACC. This Cardinals team is different from those that preceded it, though, winning a couple impressive early season games in the Bahamas against Indiana and West Virginia. There were some regressions — blowout losses to Tennessee and Ole Miss, namely — but the overarching trend points upward for Louisville. Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn leads his team in both points and rebounds and will make Tyrese Proctor work hard one-on-one, but I worry how the Cardinals lack of presence down low will fare against Maluach, Flagg and Maliq Brown. I think that difference spells curtains for the home team, which keeps it respectably close but comfortably short.
Rachael Kaplan: Duke 82-72
Duke is coming off such a strong defensive showing against the top-ranked Auburn offense, according to KenPom. It did this by playing clean and capitalizing on every Tiger mistake. That game plan will work against a Louisville team averaging more than 13 turnovers a game. On paper, the Blue Devils should come out on top with some wiggle room, but the Cardinals have some life in them this year. Their only three losses were all to teams now in the AP top 25, and the ACC opener adds another adrenaline boost — just look at Duke versus Georgia Tech last December. Louisville should not be overlooked as an underdog, but the Blue Devils come back to Durham with a win.
Season records
Jindal: 3-0
Fenoglio: 3-0
Levenson: 1-2
Dudley: 1-2
DiSalvo: 1-2
Amare: 1-2
Long: 1-2
Kaplan: 1-2
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Andrew Long is a Trinity senior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.