Watch: Louisville HC Kenny Payne Previews Duke

The Cardinals return to action after a week off for a rematch with the Blue Devils in their final true road game of the season.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It's been a rough three-game stretch for the Louisville men's basketball program.

In a season that is already trending towards 20 losses, the Cardinals' futility has been amplified as of late, suffering blowout losses at Boston College, at Pitt, and most recently at home against Notre Dame. Their averaging margin of defeat has been 20.3 points over that stretch, and their 22-point loss to the Irish came despite being 3.5-point favorites.

We met with all the guys, sit down and talked to them about how they feel, how they digest this, what can we do different and what can they do different. We did a little bit of that,' head coach Kenny Payne said when asked what the team did during their extended break following the Notre Dame game. "We talked about how important it is to finish the season off the right way.

"What we try to do is, we try to make this a culture of work and honesty. Here's where we are, here's what we trying to do, we want to win today. That's our motto. Take care of today. Give it all you got. Even if it's a day off, let your mind get away from basketball, but also let it reflect on the blessings that you do have in playing basketball at a university like this."

Making matters worse, they have one of their toughest games all season coming up, traveling to Durham for a rematch with Duke in their final true road game of the season. The No. 8 Blue Devils defeated Louisville 83-69 in their first matchup back on Jan. 23 at the KFC Yum! Center, and they will be looking to bounce back after getting upset at Wake Forest in their last time out.

Prior to their matchup with the Blue Devils, Payne took time to meet with the media on the weekly ACC Coaches Conference Call. He discussed the previous game vs. Notre Dame, previewed the upcoming matchup at Duke, and more.

Below is the video from his press conference:

Head Coach Kenny Payne

(Photo of Kenny Payne: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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