Hoops Preview: No. 17 Duke at No. 14 Notre Dame

No. 17 Duke (16-5, 4-4) vs No. 14 Notre Dame (17-5, 6-3)

Date: January 30
Where: Purcell Pavilion
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET.
TV: ESPN

- Monday marks the 28th meeting between the two programs.
- Duke leads the series 20-7.
- Notre Dame one of five programs to earn at least five wins in six games against a Krzyzewski coached team at Duke.
- The Irish are a win away from matching the best three-year win total in program history at 74.
- Notre Dame and UCLA are the only schools in the country with four players averaging more than 14.0 points per game.
- The famous Red Panda will be doing the halftime show.

The Starters

(Per Game Averages)
Notre Dame
Matt Farrell: 14.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 5.6 apg
Steve Vasturia: 14.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 3.2 apg
VJ Beachem: 14.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.1 apg
Bonzie Colson: 15.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg and 1.8 apg
Martinas Geben: 4.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 0.9 apg

Duke
Grayson Allen: 15.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.9 apg
Luke Kennard: 20.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 2.6 apg
Matt Jones: 8.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.2 apg
Jayson Tatum: 15.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 1.9 apg
Amile Jefferson: 12.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 0.9 apg

How They Matchup

(National Rank)
Scoring Offense: Duke: 83.0 ppg (20) – Notre Dame: 79.0 ppg (61)
Scoring Defense: Duke: 67.8 ppg (72) – Notre Dame: 67.4 ppg (63)
Rebound Margin: Duke: 5.3 (48) – Notre Dame: 0.4 (188)
Field-Goal Percentage: Duke: 48.1% (30) – Notre Dame: 46.6% (78)
Three-Point Percentage: Duke: 36.6% (105) – Notre Dame: 40.2% (15)
Three-Pointers Made: Duke: 8.1 (116) – Notre Dame: 9.5 (24)
Free-Throw Percentage: Duke: 73.4% - Notre Dame:  81.5%  (1)

It’s always a big-game when the Duke is in town, but after back-to-back losses, it’s an even bigger game inside Purcell Pavilion on Monday night for Notre Dame.

Mike Brey might also be the most relaxed coach in the country after his team lost two games in a row.

“We never panic,” Brey laughed on Sunday. “This is the most unpanicked program in the history of college basketball.”

While the Irish might not be panicked, the Irish do need a sense of urgency on the boards, as they have lost the rebounding battle as of late. Duke enters the game as one of the better rebounding teams in the country and it’s by a committee, which is something Notre Dame needs to do on Monday night.

It very well could turn into a barn burner Monday, as both offenses are high-powered and have excellent guard play, so an offensive rebound and second chance points here and there could determine the outcome of the game.

Steve Vasturia had his first game in “like a year” according to Brey, but the senior will need to produce on Monday. Vasturia went 1-7 from the field against Georgia Tech and for the Irish to have any chance of winning on Monday, he will need to find his shot and ability to drive the lane again.

Duke will also be the more athletic, taller and longer team on Monday night, so it will be interesting to see how hard Notre Dame has to work on the offensive end. Florida State had similar size and the Irish got worn down on the offensive end simply trying to get into an offense and it impacted the defensive side of the game.

You can’t ever discount Brey against Duke, as a former assistant, he will have his guys ready to go at home and would love nothing more than to send the Blue Devils back to Durham with a loss. I think the Irish squeak one out in a high-scoring affair tonight 89-86.