ACC Tournament Final Showdown: Louisville Takes On Top-Seeded Duke Without Flagg
The #1 Duke Blue Devils (30-3) face off against the #13 Louisville Cardinals (27-6) in the ACC Tournament Championship, with Duke favored by 6.5 points despite missing star freshman Cooper Flagg.
Basketball player celebrates after scoring
Game Details:
- Time: 8:30pm ET
- Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
- TV: ESPN
- Spread: Duke -6.5
- Total: 147.5 (opened at 143.3)
Louisville Analysis:
- Won 11 straight games and 21 of last 22
- 27th most efficient offense nationally
- Top-25 defense (95.6 points allowed per 100 possessions)
- Led by Chucky Hepburn (16.4 PPG, 5.9 APG, 2.4 SPG)
- J'Vonne Hadley anchors frontcourt (12.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG)
- Faster tempo than Duke (69.1 vs 66.1 possessions per game)
Duke Analysis:
- #1 in KenPom ratings
- 2nd most efficient offense (128.1 points per 100 possessions)
- 4th ranked defense (90.0 points allowed per 100 possessions)
- Missing Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown
- Kon Knueppel stepping up (28 points vs Georgia Tech)
Key Betting Trends:
- Louisville is 9-2 ATS in last 11 games
- Cardinals are 6-1 in ACC games decided by 6 or fewer points
- Louisville has covered in 9 of last 11 games as underdog
- Cardinals are 3-0 ATS after straight-up wins as underdog
Prediction: Take Louisville +6.5. The Cardinals' hot streak, combined with Duke's key absences, suggests a close game. Louisville's balanced offense and defensive prowess should keep them within the spread, with potential for an outright upset.
Best Available Odds:
- Duke ML: -255 (FanDuel)
- Louisville ML: +210 (BetMGM)
- Spread: Louisville +6.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
- Total: 147.5