Louisville Report

Louisville to Open ACC Tournament Against Duke

The Cardinals will face the Blue Devils for a third time this season.

Matthew McGavic

(Photo of David Johnson: Natalie Ledonne via the Atlantic Coast Conference)

GREENSBORO, N.C. - After receiving the No. 7 seed for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, the Louisville men's basketball program now knows their first opponent in postseason play.

The Cardinals (13-6, 8-5 ACC) will open up the 2021 ACC Tournament against Duke on Wednesday, Mar. 10 at 6:30 p.m. EST, following the Blue Devils' 86-51 win over Boston College on Tuesday.

Duke (12-11, 9-9 ACC) entered the ACC Tournament on a three-game losing streak to fall to the tenth seed in the field, but broke that streak against the fifteenth-seeded Eagles. Three Blue Devils reached double figures, with DJ Steward, Mark Williams and Jared Goldwire scoring 17, 13 and 12, respectively.

The Cardinals swept the Blue Devils in the regular season, downing them 70-65 at the KFC Yum! Center on Jan. 23, as well as 80-73 in overtime on Feb. 27 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Louisville is hoping to become the third team ever, and first since Virginia in 1982-83, to defeat Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski three times in a single season.

Graduate guard Carlik Jones was honored as a first team 2020-21 All-ACC selection, sophomore guard David Johnson earned honorable mention All-ACC honors, and freshman forward Jae’Lyn Withers was chosen as a member of the ACC All-Freshman team in a vote of media and league coaches. 

Since joining the league starting with the 2014-15 season, Louisville is 2-4 in the ACC Tournament, and have not advanced past the quarterfinal round. The Cardinals received a No. 3 seed last season, but the tournament was cancelled before they got to play a game. They also secured No. 4 seeds in 2015 and 2017, a No. 7 in 2019, a No. 9 in 2018, and missed the 2016 iteration entirely due to self-imposed sanctions.

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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