Irish and Blue Devils meet in marquee matchup
Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Top-10 teams collide at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils play host to the 10th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a key ACC showdown.
Mike Brey’s Irish are battling for the top spot in the ACC standings with an impressive 9-2 mark, trailing only third-ranked Virginia (8-1). Notre Dame has won six of its last seven games, with the lone loss coming on the road at Pittsburgh last weekend (76-72). The team found its way back into the win column with Wednesday’s 71-63 victory over Boston College.
Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils have captured two straight victories and have won five of their last six outings, including a 72-66 decision over Georgia Tech on Wednesday. With the win over the Yellow Jackets, Duke moved to 19-3 overall and 6-3 in conference play, tied for fifth in the league standings with Syracuse.
These two teams are meeting for the 24th time in history. Duke holds a 19-4 advantage overall, but Notre Dame has won the last two matchups, including a thrilling 77-73 decision on Jan. 28 in South Bend.
The Irish jumped all over Boston College in the first half, watching a lead balloon to 25 points at one point. Notre Dame settled for a 16-point lead at the break and had to hold off a tough BC squad in the second half to pick up the eight-point victory at home. Jerian Grant and Steve Vasturia led the way offensively for Notre Dame, finishing with 17 points apiece. Zach Auguste poured in 16 points and Pat Connaughton added 11 for Notre Dame, which shot 50 percent from the field overall, including an impressive 10-of-21 from behind the arc.
Strong offensive performances are nothing new for Notre Dame, which ranks among the nation’s best in terms of scoring (80.8 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.521). Grant has done it all this season and is not only a candidate for ACC Player of the Year, but perhaps National Player of the Year as well. The senior guard ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring, averaging 17.3 ppg on .507 shooting, while leading the conference in assists with 6.4 apg. Offensive depth is found in Auguste (13.7 ppg), Connaughton (13.5 ppg) and Demetrius Jackson (12.9 ppg). Connaughton is just 6-foot-5, but mixes it up inside, ranking sixth in the ACC in rebounding (8.2 rpg).
Not many teams can hang with Notre Dame in a shootout, but Duke is one of them. The Blue Devils are second in the ACC in scoring (80.6 ppg) and field- goal percentage (.497), while ranking third in scoring margin (+16.0). An extremely young team is headlined by 6-11 center Jahlil Okafor. The freshman big man leads the conference in field-goal percentage (.664), ranks second in scoring (18.1 ppg) and third in rebounding (9.3 rpg). Quinn Cook is the veteran presence in the starting lineup, pouring in 14.5 ppg. A couple of more freshmen add to the youth movement in Durham this season in Tyus Jones (11.1 ppg, 4.9 apg) and Justise Winslow (11.0 ppg).
Cook had to elevate his game in the second half to propel the Blue Devils to victory and that is just what the senior did, as he scored all 17 of his points after intermission, leading Duke to the hard-fought victory over Georgia Tech this week. Winslow recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Okafor just missed one of his own, finishing with 14 points and eight boards. Matt Jones came off the bench to tally 11 points for Duke, which held a 40-33 edge in rebounding and outscored the Yellow Jackets 15-6 at the free-throw line.
Categorized in: NCAA Basketball