What we’re seeing from the Duke Blue Devils now is what most expected when they were tabbed the preseason No. 1 team in the country. There were injuries to key players and even Coach K was sidelined with a back issue, but the Dookies never gave up on the season, especially knowing that the group would be back in time for the ACC and NCAA tournaments. No team has ever won four games in four days at the ACC tourney, but with a victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Duke can be the first.
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The bench isn’t very deep and the Blue Devils will be playing their fourth game in as many days, so fatigue could be a factor against the Irish. The Dookies sure didn’t look tired in their semifinal win over North Carolina scoring 51 second half points and posting a 93-83 comeback victory to reach the title game again. Duke was 1-5-1 ATS in its final seven regular season games, but with a healthy lineup heading into the tournament, they’ve gone 3-0 ATS and cashed the over in all three contests.
Notre Dame has had success against Duke in the ACC Tournament, eliminating the Blue Devils in each of the past two seasons. The Irish knocked off the Dookies in 2015 on their way to the tournament title and they’ll have to get past them again to claim their second crown in three seasons. The Irish come in having won eight of their past nine games while going 7-2 ATS and will be an underdog in this one.
Last Meeting
The Irish felt they let one get away when the teams met for their only regular season contest in South Bend back in January. Duke was still reeling from a loss to North Carolina State as part of a run that saw them lose three of four, but a tongue-lashing from Coach K apparently sparked the Dookies, who used their 84-74 win as part of a seven-game winning streak that got Duke back on track.
A few dry spells hurt the Irish in the loss. They failed to score in the final 3:41 of the first half and went without a basket over the final 8:43 to fall in a 12-point hole at halftime. When they mounted a comeback in the second half, the Irish couldn’t complete it due to their inability to convert from the free throw line. The country’s best shooting team from the stripe went just 19 of 28 and missed six of their 16 attempts in the second half.
Player to Watch
It looks like Grayson Allen is over the ankle problem that forced him to miss a game and hindered his ability to drive to the hoop late in the season. With Allen looking like his old self and UNC’s Joel Berry on the bench with foul trouble, the Dookies took over in the second half and pulled away for the semifinal win over the Tar Heels.
Allen was hurt in mid-February and tried to play through the injury, however his numbers dipped forcing him to the bench for a game. During a five-game stretch when he was hurt, Allen averaged just 6.8 points. After going scoreless in the tournament opener against Clemson, he’s responded with 18 in each of the last two games and was flying around the court against the Tar Heels.
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Duke is playing like the team everyone expected at the beginning of the season and that’s bad news for the rest of the tournament field. A few weeks back, Coach K said he needed his guys ready for the conference and NCAA tournaments. Well, he got his wish. Playing with a full roster, the Dookies rolled past the Tar Heels in the semis and look poised for bigger things once they head to the Big Dance.
But they have to play their fourth game in four days and that’s a lot for a team that has a rotation that goes only seven deep. Coach K does a nice job with subs and rotations, but there has to be some fatigue. Notre Dame will take advantage of a tired Blue Devils group and wear them down in the second half as they pull away behind a balanced attack led by Bonzie Colson and Steve Vasturia.
College Basketball Odds: Notre Dame 84, Duke 81
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