The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in real need of a statement win. Notre Dame is 13-6 and 6-2 in conference heading into this weekend, and the Fighting Irish have two crucial home games on Saturday and Monday. They take on 12-8 Virginia this weekend before facing the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils on Monday night. The Fighting Irish are currently part of the Next Four Out according to Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, but two wins could have them back on the right side of the cut.
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Duke is the best team in the ACC and is currently the only ranked team in the conference. It’s been a down year for the ACC, but the Blue Devils are carrying the banner in Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last year at the helm. They are ranked No. 11 according to Ken Pomeroy with impressive non-conference victories against Kentucky and Gonzaga this season. It’s been a rough year for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish do have nice wins over Kentucky and North Carolina to their credit, but they have lost all their other games against top 50 teams. Non-conference losses to Illinois, St. Mary’s, Indiana, and Texas A&M really hurt, and the Selection Committee won’t look too kindly on their blowout loss at 8-11 Boston College in their first conference game.
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Paolo Banchero has lived up to the hype for Duke. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the 6’10 freshman from Seattle, and he has been the Blue Devils’ best freshman since Zion Williamson a few years ago. Banchero leads the team in points (17.9 PPG) and rebounds (7.9 RPG), and he is making 51% of his field goals. That has helped make this one of the most efficient offenses in the country per Ken Pomeroy’s numbers.
Junior Wendell Moore Jr. has looked great in his third season with the Blue Devils too. Moore wasn’t great in his first two years in Durham and struggled from the perimeter, but he has put it all together this season to give Duke a veteran presence. He is the second leading scorer on the team, and he is making 54.5% of his field goals and 42.6% of his threes while also averaging 5.6 RPG and 4.6 APG.
The X-Factor for this team is A.J. Griffin. The 6’6 forward has been a devastating perimeter shooter, knocking down 45.8% of his threes.
Notre Dame is currently ranked 60th in Ken Pomeroy’s ratings. The Fighting Irish have won nine of their last ten games, but only two of those victories have come against top 100 foes. That has Mike Brey on the hot seat, as the Irish haven’t made it to March Madness in five years.
Dane Goodwin has been the most dangerous player for Notre Dame. Goodwin is the team’s leading scorer (15.3 PPG), and he is knocking down 48.9% of his threes. Nate Laszewski is hitting 46.5% of his treys, and those two players have made the Irish one of the better perimeter shooting teams in the country.
The Fighting Irish lack size though. Laszewski and Paul Atkinson are the only players that are over 6’6 on the roster, and this team lacks depth too. Only seven players are playing significant minutes though, and that hurts when there is just a single day off between games.
Duke Blue Devils at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Pick
This is too much for Notre Dame to bite off. The Irish have a good chance to defeat Virginia, but Duke will be too difficult to take down given the shallow bench.
Blue Devils at Fighting Irish Best Bet: Duke Blue Devils
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