Duke’s Dereck Lively II (1) reacts after a dunk to give the Blue Devils a 59-57 lead with 1:32 to play, helping to secure their 63-57 win over North Carolina on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
rwillett@newsobserver.com
Durham
With four regular-season games remaining, Duke’s closing schedule certainly appears beneficial.
Starting with Monday night’s game with last-place Louisville, the Blue Devils play three consecutive games at Cameron Indoor Stadium before closing the regular season at rival North Carolina.
Duke (19-8, 10-6 ACC) is 13-0 on its home court this season, putting it in position to stack up wins before heading to the ACC tournament in Greensboro next month. After facing Louisville (4-23, 2-14) on Monday night, the Blue Devils have home games Saturday with Virginia Tech (16-11, 6-10) and Feb. 28 with N.C. State (20-7, 10-6).
Louisville’s trip to Durham includes a special twist for the Duke program. Nolan Smith, a starting guard along with Duke head coach Jon Scheyer on Duke’s 2010 NCAA championship team, makes his first appearance at Cameron since joining Louisville’s staff as an assistant coach last April.
The popular Smith also won the 2011 ACC player of the year award during his senior season with the Blue Devils. He worked on Duke’s staff under former coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2016-21 and was an assistant coach during Krzyzewski’s final season before retirement last year.
Family considerations factored into his move to Louisville. Smith was born there and his late father, Derek Smith, helped the Cardinals win the 1980 NCAA championship.
Tipoff time + TV channel for Monday’s game
The game will start at 7 p.m. on Monday and air on ESPN, which is available on major cable and satellite services such as Spectrum, Dish Network and DirecTV.
How to stream Duke vs. Louisville game online
Are you a cord-cutter?
If your preferred method of watching games involves streaming, there are options for that, too.
ESPN is available on Sling, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and YouTubeTV streaming services. Or click here to view on the ESPN app.
Game day details: Duke vs. Louisville
Teams: Duke Blue Devils vs Louisville Cardinals
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
Date: Monday, Feb. 20
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Odds: Duke was an 18.5-point favorite on Sunday night with the over-under total set at 137.5 points.
Series history: Duke and Louisville will meet for the 22nd time with the Blue Devils holding a 12-9 all-time edge. The teams have split six meetings at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Pregame reading
Steve Wiseman has covered Duke athletics since 2010 for the Durham Herald-Sun and Raleigh News & Observer. He placed second in both beat writing and breaking news in the 2019 Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. Previously, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.