BASKETBALL Louisville vs. Duke | Cardinals to Play in First-Ever ACC Championship Game Saturday

Ty Spalding · 2025-03-15T10:14:41-0400

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Louisville men’s basketball will play in an ACC Championship for the first time in program history on Saturday as it takes on top-seed, AP No. 1 Duke at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Louisville is 6-2 in league championships dating back to 1995-96, last falling in the Big East title game in 2011 to eventual national champion UConn. Louisville won the Big East in 2012 and 2013 and the American in 2014 - the Cardinals haven’t been to a league title game since then.

The Cardinals are 9-16 all-time against the Blue Devils, with an 0-2 mark in ACC Tournament games against Duke and a 2-5 record on neutral courts. Both teams won their semifinal game on Friday night by just three points as Louisville defeated Clemson 76-73 and Duke escaped North Carolina 74-71.

GAME 34

ACC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship);

Watch: ESPN (Dave O’Brien, pxp | Cory Alexander, analysis | Dick Vitale, analysis | Angel Gray, sideline)

Live Stats: ACC Tournament Live Stats

CARDINAL NOTES

Senior guard Chucky Hepburn was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year alongside his head coach Pat Kelsey who was voted ACC Coach of the Year. Hepburn was tabbed as a First Team All-ACC selection while teammate Terrence Edwards Jr. earned a spot on the Third Team.
After Terrence Edwards Jr. scored a career high 35 points against Cal on March 5, Louisville became the only DI program this season to have four different players log at least one 30-point game. It’s also the first time in Louisville’s 111-year history that the team has four players with a 30-point game.
Louisville has improved from eight wins in 2023-24 to 25 wins in 2024-25, the largest turnaround in program history, improving by 17 wins - it also leads the nation in win differential.
For the first time in the 111 years of program history, Louisville has earned five road wins with a margin of victory of 20 points or more: at Virginia (20), at Syracuse (24), at SMU (25), at Boston College (26) and at NC State (25).
Starting point guard Chucky Hepburn was named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year Midseason Team.
Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals are one of the most improved teams in the country from the end of 2023-24 to now, accounting for the NET and number of wins. He was named to the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Watch List on Feb. 21.
As of March 11, Reyne Smith is third in the country in 3’s per game (3.53) and ninth in total 3-pointers (106) - he’s 17 made 3’s away from breaking Louisville’s made 3-pointers in a single season record.
As of March 11, Chucky Hepburn is eighth in the country in total steals (68), ninth in steals per game (2.43), 24th in total assists (176) and 25th in assists per game (5.9).
As of March 11, sophomore forward James Scott is third in the country in dunks with 71 makes on the year, according to Bart Torvik. He leads the ACC in that category and is third on Louisville’s dunks in a single season list.
Three of Louisville’s six losses have all come to teams now ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 2 Duke (27-3), No. 4 Tennessee (24-6) and No. 19 Kentucky (20-10). As of March 4, those teams, plus RV Ole Miss (21-9), are a combined 92-28.
At SMU on Jan. 21, Chucky Hepburn broke the UofL single game assists record with 16. Reyne Smith broke the program’s single game made 3’s record with 10. Louisville became the only DI team this century to have a player with 10+ 3’s and 15+ assists in the same game. The Last NBA team to do it was the Warriors with Klay Thompson (10 3PM) and Steph Curry (15 AST) on Nov. 20, 2022.

CoachJ1122 · 2025-03-15T10:33:27-0400