Duke vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Game Preview

Duke vs. Notre Dame prediction and game preview. The Blue Devils will look to steal a road game at the Joyce Center against a Fighting Irish team that has dropped two straight.

Duke vs. Notre Dame Game Preview

When: Monday, Jan. 30 – 7 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN
TV Broadcast: ESPN

Jeff Capel, who remains interim head coach for his alma mater, will lead the Blue Devils (16-5, 4-4 ACC) into enemy terrain following a wild comeback victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. Luke Kennard hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left to give the Blue Devils an 85-83 win. He was a perfect 6-of-6 from 3-point range against the Demon Deacons.

Meanwhile, Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish (17-5, 6-3) are coming off of a tough buzzer-beating road loss to Georgia Tech, and the Irish have now dropped consecutive ACC games for the first time in 2016-17. After starting out 5-0 in league play, the squad has lost three of its last four games and will need a big effort on Monday night against a talented but erratic Duke squad.

Since joining the ACC in 2013-14, ND has defeated the Blue Devils five of six times, including an overtime victory in last year’s ACC tournament.

Duke Wins If …

… The Blue Devils get a vintage Grayson Allen performance. Allen is best suited as a wing scorer but has had to adjust to his new role at the point. His numbers are down, and it appears that he just doesn’t have the same confidence in his shot. However, against the Demon Deacons on Saturday, Allen went 5-of-11 from 3-point range just one game after his rough 1-of-9 effort against NC State.

Duke also needs to pick things up defensively. The Blue Devils don’t have a shutdown defender, so they have to rely on great communication. It’s imperative that Allen and Kennard—who scored 30 points after halftime against Wake—lead the way while Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum continue to get better defensively. But it appears that Duke’s best defense will have to be its own offense down the stretch because there doesn’t seem to be enough trust in one another at the other end of the court.

Notre Dame Wins If …

… The Irish get the offense flowing again. The last two losses saw ND struggle from the floor and put up just 54 points against Virginia and 60 against Georgia Tech. Brey is one of the best offensive coaches in the country, so expect things to get ironed out sooner than later.

Additionally, rebounding has been an issue lately. Against the Cavaliers, the Irish were out-rebounded by 16. The Yellow Jackets had an eight-board advantage. Being better on the defensive backboard will be vital on Monday night. And that starts with Bonzie Colson, who is the ACC’s top rebounder at more than 10 per contest.

Matchup To Watch

Steve Vasturia vs. Allen

The Irish didn’t get enough defensive stops in their back-to-back setbacks, and Vasturia had his poorest outing of the season against the Yellow Jackets. The Irish captain logged just five points on 1-of-7 shooting and 1-of-4 from downtown. He also had three turnovers. In a game that could be a high-scoring affair, Vasturia will need to be at his best.

Allen, meanwhile, is never not involved in the action, which is both a good and a bad thing for the Blue Devils. There’s no question that he has been one of the better players in the country since breaking out in ’15-16 despite now adjusting to his role as a point guard and not having the season that many had expected. But controversy seems to follow him each night on the court. In the team’s last game against Wake Forest, he found himself in a bit of a scuffle with Demon Deacons guard Bryant Crawford after a loose ball foul. He will need to keep his composure in a tough road environment.

Betting Odds

Spread: Even
Over/Under: No line as of post