9:00 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Duke -11.5, Over/Under: 157
Padgett undertook the unenviable task of guiding Louisville through heavy NCAA Sanctions that were levied Tuesday, including the vacation of the Program’s 2013 National Title.
A pair of conference foes traveling in very different directions meet tonight in Durham, North Carolina as the Fifth-Ranked Duke Blue Devils host the struggling Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as March looms for the former as a damning sentence has been levied upon the latter. The 2017-18 campaign was always going to be an arduous one for Louisville (18-9, 8-6 in ACC), who attempt to begin a new era in the wake of Hall of Fame Head Coach Rick Pitino’s dismissal from the Program, brining an abrupt end to a largely successful 16-Year Run, that netted the school it’s third National Championship in 2013. However, that tenure was also full of scandal, particularly the scathing accusations of Sexual Misconduct with Strippers in the team’s Dorms brokered by one of his Assistants, with last Fall’s implication of Pitino in a Recruiting Scandal with mega-outfitter Adidas (which prompted an FBI Investigation) finally led to his ousting, with the proverbial hammer from the NCAA coming down this past Tuesday, stripping (no pun intended) the Program of all of it’s victories from the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, including the 2012 Final Four appearance and most notably the 2013 National Title, while washing away Records set by all ineligible players from 2011 to 2015. However, if becoming the first Men’s Program to vacate a National Championship wasn’t enough, even after imposing a Postseason Ban in 2015-2016 the Cardinals have also been placed on Probation for four years, which of course includes both Scholarship and Recruiting Restrictions, and the forfeiting of any and all Conference Revenue Sharing between 2012 and 2015, which could reportedly be as much as $15 Million. Needless to say, the situation is a damn mess, and God bless David Padgett, who played for the Cardinals from 2005 to 2008, possessing the sense of duty and responsibility to guide this team through such stormy waters, for given the laundry list of punishments, it’s going to be NIGH IMPOSSIBLE to build a competitive team under the imposed circumstances. So, in following the blackest day in the history of Louisville Basketball, how the hell do Padgett and his charges move forward? Even before the Ruling, the Cardinals hadn’t played well of late, struggling to maintain the success they enjoyed in their 15-4 start to the campaign. It’s almost as they knew that the bad news was coming, for ever since January 21st, they’ve lost five out of eight outings, including their latest affair, an embarrassing 93-76 drubbing at home against North Carolina. While both teams shot the ball fairly well, the visiting Tar Heels dismantled the home side on the Glass, outrebounding them 41-30, including 14-9 of the offensive variety, leading to a wealth of second-chance opportunities; the visitors attempted a dozen more Field Goals on the night, which at 48.6% shooting overall, was enough for them to build a sizable lead on Padgett’s troops. The Money Ball was crucial as well, with Carolina draining 12-of 27 attempts from beyond the arc (44.4%), besting the hosts by Fifteen Points in that regard. For the Cardinals, Deng Adel (15.6 PTS, 46.6% FG, 35.1% 3FG, 5.1 REB, 2.9 AST, 0.7 STL) led the way off the Bench with Twenty Points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field (66.7%), with Four Rebounds, Six Assists, and a pair of Steals, while Raymond Spalding (11.7 PTS, 53.8% FG, 8.9 REB, 1.3 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.8 BLK) added another Eighteen Points on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%), along with Twelve Rebounds, an Assist, Two Steals, and a Block. Quentin Snider (12.1 PTS, 41.2% FG, 39.1% 3FG, 2.7 REB, 4.0 AST, 0.6 STL) though, had a very rough night, managing Twelve Points on a dismal 4-of-15 shooting (26.7%), including 0-of-9 from INSIDE the arc, garnering as many Assists as Turnovers (1). That particular defeat dropped the Cards into a Three-Way Tie for Fifth Place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with tonight’s meeting with Duke threatening to potentially knock them further down the Standings. Since joining the ACC back in 2014, Louisville has gone 2-3 against the Blue Devils, without a victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with their latest meeting being an 81-77 loss in last year’s Conference Tournament. Can Padgett stop the bleeding and salvage his side’s faint NCAA Tournament hopes? We’d feel more confident if they weren’t traveling to Durham…
Bagley, arguably the N0. One Pick in the NBA Draft, has missed the last three games with a knee injury, though Duke has been able to thrive without him, winning all three contests in his absence.
Meanwhile, it appears that Duke (22-5, 10-4 in ACC) has indeed clawed their way out their own dark place, righting the proverbial ship with three consecutive convincing victories after dropping three out of four contests. After handling Georgia Tech (80-69) and Virginia Tech (74-52) with ease, Mike Krzyzewski’s charges earned their most impressive win in months, besting No. 15 Clemson (who coming into the game stood level with them in the league standings) in a 66-57 affair at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina. This was a defensive dogfight, folks, with both sides shooting well below 40.0% from the field, with things ultimately decided from the Charity Stripe. Typically it’s the home team that earns the favor of the Free-Throw Line, but that wasn’t the case Sunday, as the visitors held a significant advantage in this regard, netting 22-of-26 Attempts (84.6%) in comparison to just 10-of-12 (83.3%) for the hosts. And that is precisely how you take a 1-Point Halftime Lead and stretch it into a 9-Point victory, as Coach K’s troops were clearly the more aggressive unit, with Grayson Allen (15.1 PTS, 42.9% FG, 38.3% 3FG, 3.4 REB, 4.6 AST, 1.4 STL) alone making all nine of his attempts from the Stripe. This really helped make up for a miserable shooting performance from the Blue Devils, who managed to shoot just 38.8% from the field, including an abysmal 36.1% from INSIDE the Arc, while committing more Turnovers (11) than they had Assists (7). Fortunately, they knocked down 6-of-13 from downtown (46.2%), turning back the clock and morphing into the typical team we’ve seen in the past. With that said, their effort on the defensive end of the court was STELLAR, completely shutting down the Tigers, who despite dishing out Seventeen Assists, could do no better than a scant 34.4% shooting, including 39.0% from inside the Arc and 5-of-20 (25.0%) beyond it. The aforementioned Allen scored a game-high Nineteen Points on 4-of-10 shooting (40.0%), along with a Rebound, and Four Assists and Steals apiece, while Freshman Big Man Wendell Carter Jr. (14.4 PTS, 58.4% FG, 9.6 REB, 1.9 AST, 0.7 STL, 2.2 BLK) added another Fifteen Points despite making just four of his fourteen attempts from the field (28.6%), yet making up for that with Ten Rebounds, a Steal, and Three Blocks. Of course, what made the win at Clemson so impressive was the fact that they managed to own a dogged ACC Opponent without the presence of Super Frosh Marvin Bagley III (), who has missed each of his team’s last three victories after suffering a knee injury in the Second Half of Duke’s 82-78 loss at North Carolina two weeks ago. The Nation’s No. One Recruit gives this team excellent size, length, and athleticism in the Paint, and when combined with Carter makes the Blue Devils a bonafide National Championship Contender. Krzyzewski labeled his star Forward’s ailment a Mild Right Knee Sprain a week ago, though the lingering of this malady grants credence to the theory that it could be worse than it initially appeared. However, given how his side has flamed out in the past two NCAA Tournaments primarily due to a lack of Depth and Experience, who could blame the Hall of Fame Coach for being overly cautious with arguably his best player. A byproduct of this strategy is that by playing other players in place of Bagley, Depth is in fact being cultivated, which could only assist this squad moving into March. The obvious beneficiary is Carter, who is a Projected Top-10 NBA Prospect in his own right; the young Big has been fantastic in league play, averaging 14.8 Points on 56.4% shooting from the field, along with 10.0 Rebounds, 2.1 Assists, 0.8 Steals, and 2.4 Blocks. Furthermore, he’s appeared quite comfortable without his more heralded teammate, averaging 15.7 Points, 11.0 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, and 3.0 Blocks during this latest 3-Game Winning Streak.