The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have to wonder what they did to upset the ACC’s schedule makers. Notre Dame has already faced three ranked teams in conference play (losing all three games), and now they must face the two best teams in the conference with just one day’s rest between the games. On Saturday, they will host Virginia, while on Monday night, they will host the Duke Blue Devils. Notre Dame will be an underdog in both games, but Duke is expected to be a significant favorite against the Irish.
This ACC showdown will take place on Monday, January 28, 2019. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. ET from Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
Duke is the most exciting team in the country. The Blue Devils have wiped the floor with most of their opponents this year, and they are ranked No. 2 in the nation. They have dropped just one game in conference play, losing an overtime stunner at home to Syracuse two weeks ago, but they took care of business in road games against Wake Forest, Florida State, and Pittsburgh. Of those three teams, only FSU came close to knocking off Duke, falling at the buzzer.
The Irish look set to miss out on the NCAA Tournament this year, and at this rate they may not even qualify for the NIT. Notre Dame already has eight losses this season, and Mike Brey’s squad is just 1-5 in conference. Their lone win came at home against Boston College, but they have played their foes well recently. Notre Dame has lost by six or less in each of its last three.
Key Injuries
The Blue Devils are unlikely to have Tre Jones available for this game. Jones is the best defender on the roster, yet he has been sidelined due to a shoulder injury for the last week. There is no timetable for his return.
Injuries have really hurt Notre Dame this season. The Irish lost reserve guard Robby Carmody to a season-ending shoulder injury in mid-December, and a few days later it was announced that star guard Rex Pflueger was also lost for the year due to a torn ACL. Those injuries have forced Brey to dig into his bench, and to make matters worse starting forward Juwan Durham continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury.
Player to Watch
It feels like a bit of a cop-out to highlight Zion Williamson any time you mention Duke, but there’s no doubt that he is the most important player on the team. It’s rare to find a player with his mix of size and athleticism, and he should be the first pick in the NBA Draft barring injury. Williamson is able to spark his team with his thunderous dunks, and his ability to run in transition makes him even more dangerous. He is hitting 67 percent of his field goals this year and averaging 21.7 PPG with 9.3 RPG.
Key Stat
Everyone other than John Mooney has had a hard time being efficient from the floor for Notre Dame. Mooney is sinking over 53 percent of his field foals, but no other player expected to play on Monday is shooting better than 41.4 percent from the floor. Those offensive woes mean that Notre Dame will need to play very well on defense to have a chance here.
Prediction
The last time Duke played on a single day’s rest, the Blue Devils were stunned by Syracuse. The Orange were able to light up Duke’s defense by sinking 11 threes and grabbing nine offensive rebounds. Coach K is going to remind his team of that woeful performance during the off day, and they won’t have a let down this time.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Duke 91, Notre Dame 72
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