Today’s college basketball betting slate is highlighted by a marquee showdown between the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils and the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals.
This is a highly anticipated matchup between the two best teams in the ACC, and my Duke vs. Louisville predictions and college basketball picks are backing the visitors in what should be a close game.
Duke vs Louisville prediction
Duke vs Louisville best bet: Duke +1 (-115)
The Duke Blue Devils are national title contenders but have gone just 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games. That said, they've still lost just once this season and have four victories in Quad 1 games.
Meanwhile, the Louisville Cardinals have been vulnerable since losing star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. to a back injury last month. They're coming off an upset loss to Stanford and have also lost lopsided contests to Tennessee and Arkansas since the start of December.
Brown is Louisville's floor general and was averaging 16.6 points with a team-high 5.1 assists per game. This Cardinals offense hasn't flowed the same way without Brown, and their shooters are getting far fewer open looks from the perimeter.
While Louisville will miss Brown, Duke is led by its own star freshman in Cameron Boozer (23.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.2 apg). Boozer is the Wooden Award favorite, and there's plenty of talent surrounding him.
The Blue Devils' pick-and-roll defense has struggled over the last two weeks. That said, they still rank 16th in the country in adjusted defense and have the length and athleticism to play at an elite level.
Expect them to step up on the defensive end of the floor and win a big game on the road tonight.
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Duke vs Louisville same-game parlay
Both of these offenses love to push the tempo against weak teams but prefer to slow down the pace against foes closer to their level. With the Cardinals missing Brown and both teams in the Top 15 in 2-point defense, I'm leaning towards the Under on a lofty total.
Conwell leads Louisville with 19.6 ppg, but the sharpshooter has knocked down fewer than 3.5 treys in five of his last seven games. Duke holds foes to 30.3% shooting from deep, and Conwell has been taking more contested shots without Brown causing defenses to collapse.
Duke vs Louisville SGP
- Duke +1
- Under 161.5
- Ryan Conwell Under 3.5 threes
Our beyond the arc SGP: Dancing with the Blue Devils
Keep an eye on tonight's center battle between Sananda Fru and Patrick Ngongba, who should both get plenty of minutes. Fru has grabbed 7+ rebounds in five of his last seven games, with Ngongba pulling down 6+ boards in four of his last five.
Duke vs Louisville SGP
- Duke +1
- Under 161.5
- Ryan Conwell Under 3.5 threes
- Sananda Fru Over 6.5 rebounds
- Patrick Ngongba Over 5.5 rebounds
Duke vs Louisville odds
- Spread: Duke +1 (-115) | Louisville -1 (-105)
- Moneyline: Duke -110 | Louisville -110
- Over/Under: Over 161.5 | Under 161.5
Duke vs Louisville betting trend to know
The Cardinals have only cashed the Over in 16 of their last 35 games for -5.00 units and a -13% ROI. Find more college basketball betting trends for Duke vs. Louisville.
How to watch Duke vs Louisville
| Location | KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY |
| Date | Tuesday, January 6, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Duke vs Louisville key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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