Duke will look to get back on track as it opens ACC play against Notre Dame.
It hasn’t been an easy start to the season for Duke, which recently canceled the remainder of its non-conference schedule to allow their players some needed time to see their families for the holidays. Mike Krzyzewski did say that the Blue Devils will keep their conference games on track so tonight’s matchup against Notre Dame will be the last major tuneup for Duke prior to the start of the new year.
Duke hasn’t taken the floor since losing to Illinois in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge last week, the second home game that the Blue Devils have lost already this season. There is no question that the Blue Devils have the talent to be a major threat in the ACC but a shortened preseason combined with limited court time has made it difficult for Krzyzewski to get his team to gel into a complete unit that is greater than the sum of its individual parts.
That task was made more difficult when the Blue Devils announced they will be without Jalen Johnson indefinitely due to a foot injury. Johnson, Duke’s top-rated freshman, is also Krzyzewski’s most dynamic playmaker and will be tough to replace in the starting five.
NEWS: Freshman Jalen Johnson is out indefinitely with a foot injury. He will not play tomorrow at Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/f3KrMfAkZH
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 15, 2020
This matchup will be an interesting one for Notre Dame, which has tested itself nicely in the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Fighting Irish lost to Michigan State and Ohio State before defeating Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Saturday, a huge step forward for Mike Brey’s program that has been in a rebuilding cycle for awhile.
Saturday’s game was a tale of two halves for Notre Dame, which jumped out to a 48-26 lead at the break before hanging on for dear life when the Wildcats outscored them 37-16 in the second half. Having home-court advantage will help but the Fighting Irish will need to play a more complete game in order to take down Duke.
How to watch and bet on Duke at Notre Dame
- Date: Wednesday, Dec. 16
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- Location: South Bend, IN
- Venue: Purcell Pavilion
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: Duke -4.5 (FanDuel)
- Prediction: Duke 70, Notre Dame 66
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