Game Preview: Duke vs Notre Dame – Sat Jan 11th 2025

The Duke Blue Devils (13-2, 5-0 ACC) are set to host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-8, 1-3 ACC) in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham in another ACC clash.

The Blue Devils are coming off two consecutive drummings of top of the table ACC foes. Last Saturday, the Blue Devils went into Dallas and took care of the SMU Mustangs 89-62. On Tuesday night, the Pittsburgh Panthers came into Durham looking to recreate the magic of Blake Hinson waving goodbye to the Crazies from the media table after a 7-7 3 point field goal night, but left limping away after a 76-47 dismantling. On top of an impressive victory, the Blue Devils freshman phenom, Cooper Flagg, had the dunk of the year, taking off from the third hash mark in the paint to put Pitt 7-foot center Guillermo Diaz Graham on a poster and drawing a foul.

The Fighting Irish have had a recent rough run on Tobacco Road. The bad luck began Saturday when Carolina’s Elliot Cadeau drained a 3-point basket and drew a foul with 4 seconds left in the game as the Irish were leading by three. Cadeau made the and-one free throw and the Tar Heels escaped South Bend with a one point victory. On Wednesday the Fighting Irish traveled to Raleigh to continue their tour of Triangle teams to play the NC State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack finished the game in the same fashion as the Tar Heels. Ben Middlebrooks made the go-ahead free throw with 11 seconds left and the Wolfpack overcame a late 7 point deficit to take the one-point victory.

The Blue Devils and Irish meet on two different paths. The Blue Devils have won 9 in a row, undefeated in conference play,  and the Irish are riding a three game losing streak. The Blue Devils have switched back and forth with the Auburn Tigers as the #1 ranked team via Kenpom. The Irish are #86. The Blue Devils are also ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Duke is also scoring 80 points a game and giving up 58. The Irish score 74 points while giving up 70. 

Key Points

Duke

• Who will be number 2? Cooper Flagg is the star, but the supporting cast has taken turns stepping up. If Flagg is in foul trouble, will the team turn to Proctor, Knueppel, or Sion James?
• Develop the bench. Patrick Ngongba has had some burn but has looked out of his league when in games. He could be vital come tournament time. Darren Harris has shown a spark from deep in very limited play. Developing another shooter is always a plus
• Can Maluach continue his current run. He has played the most minutes of the year in the last two games at 26 and 25 minutes respectively. He has not stuffed the stats but has made a major impact on recent games

Notre Dame

• Steady the ship. The ACC can get ugly. Riding a three game losing streak, the Irish need anything positive to grow on 
• Can Markus Burton keep hot? After missing 7 games, Burton has returned and is scoring 23 and 18 points in his last two games. The Irish will need that production and more to compete
• Can Matt Alocco get hot from 3? He is shooting 48.3% from behind the 3-point line. A hot start from 3 can make the Blue Devils uncomfortable