For 30 minutes Tuesday night Louisville looked like a team that could challenge Duke for the ACC championship, just as voters believed when they rated U of L second in the preseason poll. But for the last 10? Not so much.

The No. 20 Cardinals (11-4, 1-2 ACC) got off to a fast start, but the No. 6 Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0) turned up the defensive heat, changed their offensive approach and came from behind for an 84-73 victory in front of 17,666 in the KFC Yum! Center in the opener of a three-game homestand.

U of L, which lost its eighth in a row to Duke, now has as many league losses as it sustained last season when it finished 18-2. And, coupled with the loss at Stanford last week, it marked only the second back-to-back regular season defeats under coach Pat Kelsey. The others came during a three-game skid in Nov.-Dec. last year against Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Duke).

Louisville played without injured point guard Mikel Brown Jr. (lower back) for the fifth straight game, and afterwards Kelsey said he has no idea when Brown can return.

Ryan Conwell's three straight 3-pointers in the first two minutes got the Cards off to fast start and they went on to lead by as many as 12 points, 26-14, midway through the first half. They were on top 47-38 at halftime, but early in the second half Duke took charge and led for the final 13 1/2 minutes.

"Very, very disappointed," Kelsey said. "The crowd was amazing; it could have been a great night. Very disappointed with our performance in the second half."

The difference in the halves was stark. After hitting 10-of-21 treys in the first half, U of L shot nothing but bricks in the second, going 2-of-17. Conwell scored 16 points in the first period, then added just eight more the rest of the way on 3-of-8 shooting.

"I would say, not just for me, but for the offense in general, we didn't get the stops we did in the first half," Conwell said. We love to get out in transition, then we foul and we were constantly taking the ball out of the basket every single time, it slows us down, me and the team. That was the biggest thing, we just needed to get more stops."

Instead of a stop sign, the Cards flashed yield signs most of the second half, allowing Duke's guards -- especially Caleb Foster -- clear paths to the basket. The junior guard scored 16 of his 20 points after intermission.

"Caleb controlled the game, made the right plays and got downhill," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "He was so poised the whole way and he really guarded. Give Louisville credit, they put us back on our heels in the first half. In the second half we played with more fight and discipline."

Forward Cameron Boozer, the ACC's reigning Rookie of the Week, gave Duke a solid one-two punch with 27 points on 10-of-12 from the field. He also had eight rebounds and four assists. Sophomore guard Isiah Evans, who also benefited from U of L's lax defense, scored 23 points, with six rebounds and four steals.

All but four of Duke's 17 second-half baskets came on driving layups, and the Blue Devils outscored U of L in the paint 40-26. They also drew 20 fouls and hit 19-of-28 free throws.

"They didn't do anything special," said U of L center Aly Khalifa, who hit all six of his shots, including five from distance, en route to 17 points. "They just gave the ball to their point guard and let him go, and we couldn't stop him. We've got to be better."

Duke trailed until claiming a 54-53 lead on Boozer's two free throws with 13:36 remaining. The Cards never saw the lead again as the Blue Devils pulled away. Their largest margin came in the final minute at 82-68.

"They got everything at the rim in the second half," Kelsey said. "So much of our focus was on 12 (Boozer) and Foster took charge of the game. He just put his head down and got into the paint. We fouled too much, we weren't disciplined or poised. Our offense wasn't good enough. In the first half we were really, really in a rhythm. In the second half they really got after us; they were extremely physical off the ball and we didn't respond."

The Cards won't have to wait long for a chance at revenge since the teams will meet again on Jan. 26 in Cameron Indoor. Next, U of L will host Boston College Saturday at noon.

BROWN HONORED BY USA BASKETBALL--After winning gold at the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, Brown Jr. last summer, has been named the 2025 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. As the floor general for the USA Men’s U19 National Team in Lausanne, he compiled averages of 14.9 points, 6.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game.

The U.S. team posted a 7-0 record for the event, eventually defeating Germany 109-76 in the gold medal game. Brown Jr. had 12 points and four assists in the final and posted three games with at least 20 points.