The Duke Blue Devils are prepared for yet another top 25 contest in the ACC this week, which will take place on a Monday night following a quick turnaround from Saturday. The Blue Devils have to be prepared to face No. 23 Louisville after just two days of rest, even though Duke handled Wake Forest with ease.
With an overall record of 14-5, the Cardinals are currently on a winning streak and hope to extend it to three games in a row with a big victory against the Blue Devils. Although Duke won the first game of this contest by 11 points, they did not have to contend with Louisville’s second-leading scorer.
In mid-December, five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was injured and forced to miss Louisville’s game against Virginia Tech, where he contributed a whole new dimension to the Cardinals’ attack. Brown, who had a game-high 20 points for Louisville, also recorded six assists and a steal in 29 minutes.
Duke may run into issues against No. 23 Louisville with Mikel Brown Jr. ‘s return.
In 11 games thus far this season, Brown has averaged 16. 9 points, 3. 0 rebounds, and 5. 2 assists. It’s clear that he has no trouble getting to the basket and setting up opportunities for his teammates. His 3-for-6 performance from outside the arc against the Hokies demonstrated his considerable threat from three-point range.
In their matchup on Monday night, Duke will have to be concerned about both Brown and their top scorer, Ryan Conwell. In the previous game between these two teams, Conwell had 24 points and seven rebounds. Duke may only be able to stop the Cardinals by removing at least one of these sharpshooters.
With the crucial game against UNC approaching, the Blue Devils cannot afford to lose. Duke will have all it needs to defeat the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill if it maintains this winning streak.
