- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Louisville Suffers Blowout Loss to Duke
Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey calls it a "butt kicking" after 83-52 defeat
Jan. 27, 2026 at 11:07am
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
No. 20 Louisville was completely dominated by No. 4 Duke, losing 83-52 in a game that Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey described as a "butt kicking". The Cardinals struggled mightily, shooting just 5-21 from two-point range and being outrebounded by 21. This was Louisville's second loss to Duke this season, and the Cardinals have now lost 10 of their last 14 games against ranked opponents since Kelsey took over as head coach.
Why it matters
Louisville's loss to Duke is a major setback for a team that started the season 7-0 and was ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Poll. The blowout defeat raises questions about the Cardinals' ability to compete with the top teams in the country and their chances of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
The details
Louisville trailed 38-28 at halftime but was outscored 45-24 in the second half to cap off the 31-point defeat. Across their two regular season meetings this season, Duke outscored Louisville 167-125 in four halves of play. Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr., who had established himself as one of the best freshman guards in college basketball, struggled mightily, making just 1 of 13 shots for a season-low 7 points.
- Louisville opened the season 7-0 and was ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Poll.
- This was Louisville's second loss to Duke this season.
The players
Pat Kelsey
The head coach of the Louisville Cardinals basketball team.
Mikel Brown Jr.
A freshman guard for the Louisville Cardinals who had established himself as one of the best freshman guards in college basketball before struggling in the loss to Duke.
What they’re saying
“We got our butt kicked. That's about the extent of my statement. I don't have much else to say other than it was a butt kicking. Credit Duke for that. Every metric that you'd look at that speaks to a butt kicking... that's what the stat-sheet says.”
— Pat Kelsey, Head Coach, Louisville Cardinals
What’s next
Louisville's schedule lightens up a bit after having to play No. 4 Duke (twice) and No. 16 Virginia over their last six games. The Cardinals are scheduled to face seven currently unranked opponents before their clash against No. 16 North Carolina on Feb. 23.
The takeaway
Louisville's blowout loss to Duke raises serious questions about the Cardinals' ability to compete with the top teams in the country and their chances of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The team will need to regroup and use this as motivation to improve before facing a lighter schedule in the coming weeks.
