Duke vs. Louisville odds, props, predictions: Blue Devils visit Cardinals looking to keep pace in ACC

The Blue Devils look to avoid an upset on the road against the ACC's last-place team, Louisville, tonight. Duke had been on their best stretch of play this season before losing to Pittsburgh as a 12.5-point favorite. After losing two straight back in late November/early December, the Blue Devils ran off eight straight wins and looked to have things back on track. 

The long win streak helped the Blue Devils get on the positive side for spread win percentage. Even after losing to Pittsburgh, Duke is 9-8 ATS this season. Louisville has not been nearly as good overall, with just a 6-12 record. They are slightly better against the spread, with an 8-10 overall ATS record. Even though the Cardinals have only won one of their last four, they have covered three of their last four. 

Here is the Duke vs. Louisville betting news, player and team props and a betting prediction as the Blue Devils try to avoid a letdown against the Cardinals. The game tips off at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Live odds for Duke vs. Louisville

Here are the spread, moneyline and total points live odds for Duke vs. Louisville at the best online sportsbooks.

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Duke Blue Devils betting news

The Blue Devils are trying to keep pace with North Carolina in the race for a conference title. Their loss to Pittsburgh has not helped things as they are now three games back of first place, and a loss to a weak Louisville team would really hurt their chances to catch up with the Tar Heels. 

After their last contest, Duke should be on their A-game, and if that's the case, they will beat Louisville handily. The Blue Devils are one of the best offensive teams in the nation, ranking 11th for adjusted efficiency. They could use some improvement off the defensive side, ranking only 37th for adjusted defensive efficiency on Kenpom. One thing that could help Duke down the road is that they rank 327th for luck, making it likely they should have some bounces go their way as metrics like this typically balance out.

That seems even more likely with the roster they have built, as they are one of the most talented teams in all of college basketball. Kyle Filipowski (18.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG) leads the team in scoring and gives the Blue Devils a go-to player. Behind Filipowski's expectedly great play, Duke's guards have carried their weight as well. 

Jeremy Roach has played the best basketball of his career as a senior, with career highs in points (14.6 PPG), rebounds (2.6 RPG), assists (3.2 APG) and steals (1.5 SPG). Roach never shot better than 45.3% from the field or 34.3% from three in his career. This season, the senior guard is shooting 49.7% from the field and 45.3% from three — elite numbers, especially when considering it comes against some of the country's top competition. 

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Louisville Cardinals betting news

The Cardinals have yet to recover as a program from NCAA sanctions under the Rick Pitino era. Their once proud program has struggled to get back to getting elite recruits, and playing in the ACC Conference means they don't get many easy games. The Cardinals' advanced metrics are not pretty, ranking 171st for offensive and 243rd for defensive efficiency on Kenpom.

If there is any good news, it is that Louisville has played the 69th most difficult schedule in the country, meaning they have seen a lot of good competition. Recently, the Cardinals have also covered three of their last four contests, including an outright win over Miami as a 16.5-point underdog. Louisville has enough talent to beat good teams when they play their best.

The issue is their margin for error is much smaller than their opponents most nights. They also have a pair of sophomore guards who look like the future of their program and have been getting better throughout the season. Mike James (14.1 PPG) and Skyy Clark (13.6 PPG) are the Cardinals' top two scorers, and each has had four games this season with 20 or more points. The ceiling for each player is high, and if the duo can continue to grow and be 20-point threats on a nightly basis, that will be the Cardinals' path back to national relevance.

Duke vs. Louisville player props and team props at FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel Sportsbook is the go-to place for any and all prop markets for college basketball. Tonight's contest between Duke and Louisville should have some intriguing lines for the top players and each team. Here are a few of our favorite markets with strong value odds for tonight's ACC battle. 

Kyle Filipowski player props

• 18.5 points OVER (-120) / UNDER (-110)
• 9.5 rebounds OVER (-108) / UNDER (-128)

Duke vs. Louisville team props

• Two or more three-point field goals made in the first three minutes: YES (+178) / NO (-235)
• Both teams to score in the first two minutes: YES (-250) / NO (+190)
• 2.5 points scored in the first minute of the game OVER (-102) / UNDER (-130)

Duke vs. Louisville prediction: Duke handles business on the road

Louisville has been covering spreads even in losses lately, and that may have been a good bet had the Blue Devils not lost their last contest. Duke did lose their last game, though, and that should have them highly motivated and looking to play their best. Which in turn will likely see them wipe the floor with Louisville.

Pick: Duke