The ACC Tournament for women’s basketball has now reached its final two teams, and the two teams that many had expected to reach the final have made it as the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils take on the No. 2 Louisville Cardinals to see who is the best team in the conference. The Blue Devils defeated No. 9 Clemson and No. 5 Notre Dame to get to the final, while the Cardinals had to contend with No. 7 Syracuse and No. 3 North Carolina.
Nationally, the Cardinals (No. 12 nationally) are ranked higher than the Blue Devils (No. 13), so this should be an interesting contest to decide which team gets an automatic spot into the NCAA National Championship Tournament, better known as March Madness, as well as the ACC title, of course.
Duke vs. Louisville Women’s Basketball Projected Starting Lineups
Duke Blue Devils
- F Toby Fournier
- F Delaney Thomas
- G Ashlon Jackson
- G Taina Mair
- G Riley Nelson
Louisville Cardinals
- F Anaya Hardy
- F Mackenly Randolph
- F Elif Istanbulluoglu
- F Laura Ziegler
- G Tajianna Roberts
Toby Fournier has been big for Duke and has acted as a defensive powerhouse with her 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four blocks, and she is backed by a lethal backcourt duo in Taina Mair and Riley Nelson. Meanwhile, Louisville have a more potent frontcourt, though their sixth woman, Imari Berry, was the one who shone against North Carolina, getting 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Duke vs. Louisville Women’s Basketball Injury Report
Duke Blue Devils
- Jadyn Donovan: Out for the season
- Emilee Skinner: Out for the season
- Emma Koabel: Out
Louisville Cardinals
- Rebekah Graves: Out
- Isla Juffermans: Out
- Peyton Bradley: Out for the season
While Louisville has a formidable frontcourt, they are lacking in the backcourt, with their best guard, Peyton Bradley, out with a torn ACL, and that is why they have four forwards in their starting lineups, as the injury bug has affected their guards. Meanwhile, Duke will be without their much-hyped freshman, Emilee Skinner, along with Jadyn Donovan, as both are dealing with lower-body problems.
Duke vs. Louisville Women’s Basketball Prediction
While both teams are dealing with injuries, this is a pretty even matchup. Even so, this has to go to the Duke Blue Devils, as they have the size to compete with Louisville, but also a better backcourt at the moment.
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