Cardinals Clipped by Blue Devils' Sharp Shooting at KFC Yum! Center
In a fiercely contested conference game, the Louisville Cardinals fell to the Duke Blue Devils with a final score of 69-83. The Cardinals, unranked this season, now stand with an additional loss to their record while the No. 12 ranked Blue Devils improved theirs. The home team's effort was not enough to overcome the visitors' offensive surge.
The KFC Yum! Center in Louisville hosted a crowd of 12,620 spectators who witnessed the Cardinals put up a resilient fight against their higher-ranked opponents. Despite trailing at halftime with 34 points to Duke's 45, Louisville managed to add another 35 points in the second half but couldn't close the gap as Duke tallied an additional 38 points.
Louisville showcased commendable accuracy from two-point range, converting shots at a rate of 54 percent which closely matched that of Duke's performance. However, they struggled beyond the arc with only five three-pointers made from seventeen attempts resulting in a modest conversion rate of just under one-third. Free throw shooting also proved less effective for Louisville as they made only two-thirds of their attempts from the line.
Defensively, both teams were almost equally matched in steals and blocks but it was on rebounds where Duke excelled significantly over Louisville; pulling down forty-three compared to twenty-eight by the home side which included fourteen offensive boards contributing to twenty-one second-chance points for Duke.
The Cardinals did manage some defensive success limiting turnovers slightly better than their counterparts with ten against nine by Duke and recording four steals throughout playtime. However, they were outperformed in assists where they only recorded nine compared to fifteen by their opponents indicating less fluidity in ball movement for scoring opportunities.
Looking ahead after this tough encounter against one of college basketball’s storied programs, fans can mark their calendars for another chance to support The University of Louisville men’s basketball team as they face off against Virginia Cavaliers on January 27th at noon local time back here at KFC Yum! Center. This upcoming game will be broadcast nationally on The CW network ensuring supporters won’t miss any action whether attending or watching from afar.