On Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for a match-up with the Louisville Cardinals in hopes of getting a signature win after a poor run which included back-to-back losses. Both losses came against unranked teams (North Carolina State, Miami), and they came into this one looking to change that trend.

From the Louisville perspective, this game had the make up to be one of the best. Sadly, Duke dominated this game on both sides of the ball. Louisville couldn't score to save their life. The score was closer than it should've been. Here is what happened when the titans clashed.

The first half was all Blue Devils. The score was relatively close in the opening minutes. But, that all changed when Matt Jones came in and scored two three's that opened up the game. It also didn't help the Cardinals that every shot they put up didn't go in. The bright side for Louisville was that Jahlil Okafor didn't get any open looks. Louisville went 7-for-31 shooting in the first half. Their defense played great holding Duke to just 30 points.

Amile Jefferson couldn't be stopped when Louisville would double team Okafor. Chris Jones scored most of Louisville's points in the beginning but picked up 2 early fouls. He had to sit out the rest of the first half. Montrezl Harrell wasn't aggressive whatsoever; he attempted three three-point shots and his first points didn't come until a buzzer beater to end the half. Duke led 30-20 at the end of one.

Louisville had some momentum heading into the second but the worst thing possible happened within a few minutes. Duke went on a 5-0 run to open up the 2nd half. Duke played fantastic 2-3 zone defense to force Louisville to shoot three-pointers. Terry Rozier was the only player who could it done offensively. When Harrell decided to actually attack he basket, he couldn't be stopped. Okafor played like a man among boys in the second half.

There was no answer defensively against him. Louisville went on small 7-0 runs but there was a moment in the second half where Duke was on a 31-10 run stretching from the first half. The Blue Devils are usually known for their offense shooting 50% during the season. This game Duke dominated on the defensive end instead. Louisville only had seven assists. That’s very small considering Chris Jones had 11 assists himself last game against Virginia Tech. Louisville shot 13 more shots in the second half but only made two more field goals than Duke. Louisville made the score respectable down the stretch, even though they trailed by 15+ most of the game. Duke went on to win 63-52 in convincing fashion.

Stats: Harrell had 10 points and 14 rebounds shooting 40%. Terry Rozier led Louisville in scoring with 17 points. Wayne Blackshear went a disappointing 0-5 from beyond the arc. Jefferson led Duke with 19 points and seven rebounds. POTY front runner Okafor had a big 2nd half to score 17 points and grab seven boards. Tyus Jones had more assists (eight) than the entire Louisville team combined (seven).

Next games:

Louisville @ Pittsburgh 1/25/15

Duke vs Pittsburgh 1/19/15