How it happened: Louisville blasted by Duke, dominated on interior
Louisville started Monday night’s contest at No. 4 Duke with promise. It didn’t end that way, as the Cardinals left Cameron Indoor Stadium in an 83-52 defeat.
Pat Kelsey’s team had beaten its last two ACC opponents by a combined 55 points and just returned star freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr, but looked like a shell of its usual self when facing the Blue Devils for the second time in January.
Despite shooting 31 percent from the floor, the 20th-ranked Cards were leading 25-24 with four minutes to go in the first half before closing the opening stanza on a two-plus-minute scoring drought. It was one of several segments of several minutes without a basket for Louisville.
Louisville, again, struggled with Duke’s size and length around the rim, and the Blue Devils eventually bullied Louisville into a corner, outscoring the Cards 45-24 in the second half. German Sananda Fru was in foul trouble for much of the night, picking up his third with 19 minutes left. The 6-foot-10 big man had four points in 25 minutes. Not to mention, the Cardinals were without sophomore athletic wing Khani Rooths (illness) for the third consecutive game. Aly Khalifa and Vangelis Zougris were both forced onto the floor, but only combined for three points in 21 minutes. Senior forward Kasean Pryor was a healthy scratch.
The Blue Devils outscored Louisville 42-10 in the paint and totaled a +21 margin on the backboards. Those deficits won’t win you many games, especially against the 4th-ranked team in the country.
Not only did Kelsey’s team struggle with Duke’s physicality while defending, but the Cards’ guards had a difficult time finding easy offense. Mikel Brown’s first and only field goal came with 13:10 to go, and he finished one of the worst games in his collegiate career with seven points, four assists, and three turnovers.
Ryan Conwell led the Cards with 18 on seven baskets, but couldn’t regain rhythm after the game’s initial minutes while also struggling to defend Duke sharpshooter Isaiah Evans. Evans finished with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting while Cameron Boozer had a team-best 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
J’Vonne Hadley was the second Cardinal to hit double-figures with 11.
The Cards return to the Yum! Center to face SMU on Saturday at 2 PM EST.
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