Louisville Cardinals vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, 1/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisville Cardinals vs Duke Blue Devils

Date: Monday, January 26, 2026

Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC

TV: ESPN

The Duke Blue Devils (18-1) will compete against the Louisville Cardinals (14-5) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday.

The Louisville Cardinals faced off with Virginia Tech and took home the win by a score of 85-71 in their last contest. Louisville walked away from the contest with a 47.0% FG percentage (31 of 66) and converted 13 of their 33 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Cardinals knocked down 10 of their 13 attempts for a percentage of 76.9%. In reference to hauling in boards, they compiled 41 with 12 of them being offensive. They also recorded 17 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In regard to the defense, Louisville allowed the other team to shoot 40.3% from the floor on 25 of 62 shooting. Virginia Tech totaled 16 dimes and had 5 steals in this contest. On top of that, Virginia Tech snagged 30 boards (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Virginia Tech finished shooting 62.5% at the free throw line by making 5 of 8 attempts. They knocked down 16 of 30 attempts from three-point range. In reference to fouls, the Cardinals finished with 14 and Virginia Tech finished the game with 18 fouls.

Mikel Brown Jr. is one player who was a contributor in this matchup. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the field and totaled 6 dimes. He played 29 mins played and totaled 3 rebounds. He notched 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

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Louisville heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 14-5 for the year. They average 87.8 pts per game (19th in college) while hitting 46.9% from the field. The Cardinals are hitting 35.3% on shots from distance (227 of 643) and 77.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Louisville is collecting 41.4 boards per game and has totaled 339 assists for the year, which is 53rd in the nation in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 11.5 times per game and as a team are committing 19.3 fouls per game.

Defensively, the Cardinals are able to force 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.0 fouls. They surrender 33.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 80th in college hoops in PPG allowed (69.6). The Cardinals are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 39.3% (445 of 1,131) and they surrender 33.5 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 29th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 220 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Duke Blue Devils went home victorious with a score of 90-69 against Wake Forest. When discussing rebounds, Duke permitted Wake Forest to grab 16 overall (4 on the offensive glass). They went 43.8% from distance via 14 of 32 and finished the game at 11 of 13 from the free throw line (84.6%). The Blue Devils permitted Wake Forest to bury 22 of their 54 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.7% for this contest. Overall, the Blue Devils finished the game shooting 31 for 62 from the floor which had them sitting at 50.0%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Duke converted 7 of their 25 tries (28.0%). They were able to knock down 21 of them for a percentage of 87.5%. Wake Forest committed 20 personal fouls for the game which took the Blue Devils to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They also turned it over 8 times, while getting 8 steals for the contest. The Blue Devils corralled 26 defensive boards and 16 offensive rebounds for a total of 42 for this game.

Cameron Boozer ended up being a major contributor for the Blue Devils in the game. He earned 32 points in his 33 minutes of playing time and totaled 4 dimes in this contest. He made 11 out of 20 in the matchup giving him a rate of 55.0%, and earned 9 rebounds.

Duke has a record of 18-1 on the campaign. The Blue Devils have committed 16.6 fouls per game and they shoot 71.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.5 times per contest (37th in college) and they lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. Duke has totaled 1,629 points on the year (85.7 per contest) and they pull in 40.2 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Blue Devils are connecting on 49.8% from the field, which ranks 22nd in college hoops.

The Duke defense concedes 31.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (155 of 498) and their opposition makes 73.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 12.3 assists and 30.5 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 96th and 17th in those categories. The Blue Devils on the defensive side of the court are 19th in college in PPG given up with 65.3. They are forcing 13.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.3% from the field (22nd in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Louisville

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