No. 1 Duke looked every bit the part Tuesday night.
Inside Purcell Pavilion, Duke (26-2, 14-1) overwhelmed Notre Dame (12-16, 3-12) 100-56 in a game that was effectively decided in the opening minutes.
With Markus Burton and Jalen Haralson sidelined, along with Kebba Njie and Tommy Ahneman already out for the season, Notre Dame entered the night shorthanded against the nation’s top-ranked team. What followed, however, went beyond injuries.
It felt like two teams playing a different sport.
Any concern from Duke head coach Jon Scheyer about a letdown after Saturday’s win over then-No. 1 Michigan vanished quickly. The Blue Devils stormed out to a 20-4 lead, which turned the game into the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
“I was really proud of our maturity and our readiness coming in,” stated Scheyer. “Obviously, that's not Notre Dame's team. They've had terrible injuries this year. The guys they have are playing very hard. We knew (Braeden) Shrewsberry and (Cole) Certa, how dangerous those two guys are. I thought it was our defense in the beginning establishing the paint.
“We also are well aware that's not the team that Notre Dame came into the year with. But really proud of our effort.”
Duke led 54-22 at halftime, assisting on 13 of its 15 made field goals and dominating the glass 26-10 in the first 20 minutes.
Freshman star Cameron Boozer set the tone early, pouring in 20 first-half points. He finished with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds on just 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
Duke placed six players in double figures, outrebounded Notre Dame 49-27 and held a commanding 19-3 edge in fastbreak points. The Blue Devils were also nearly flawless at the foul line, converting 34-of-38 attempts.
By the 3:40 mark of the second half, Duke had stretched the lead to 96-50.
“We wanted to play well,” said Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry. “But we didn't and they had a lot to do with it. There's a reason they're the No. 1 team in the country and one of the best defenses in offense in the country.
“This isn't going to be the worst thing that ever happens in their lives. Embrace the next opportunity. Embrace tomorrow. If we just keep getting chances and opportunities, we're going to keep fighting our way to see what happens.”
Certa and Brady Koehler scored 14 points each for the Irish. Sir Mohammed was the only other player in double figures, scoring 11 points.
It was the first time Purcell Pavilion had sold out this season, and despite more than a few empty seats, Duke fans turned it into a home game as they enjoyed Notre Dame’s worst loss at home in program history.
It’s what Notre Dame football does on the road and Scheyer doesn’t take it for granted.
“It's an amazing thing. We just came off a game playing in D.C., in a sold-out arena. Duke fans all over the place. Duke fans were everywhere. Road games, that's one of the things I'm most proud of. Wherever we go, you see the Duke blue up in the crowd.
“It's an incredible privilege to have those people travel to come see us play.”
MORE INJURIES
If losing Burton, Haralson, Kebba Njie and Tommy Ahneman for the year wasn’t enough, Notre Dame suffered another injury on Tuesday night.
Micah Shrewsberry suffered an Achilles injury during the first half and had to be helped to the locker room by Ahneman at halftime. When the Irish came out of the locker room, Shrewsberry was in a boot and didn’t stand up for the entire second half as the Irish moved their huddles to his chair.
“I don't really want to get into that,” Shrewsberry said when asked about his injury. “It's like the season of hell continues.”
With three games left to play, Notre Dame will now to try qualify for the ACC Tournament without its best player and an unknown timeline on its second best player with a head coach that can’t stand.
Still, Shrewsberry pointed to one consistent positive.
“It hasn’t been great,” explained Shrewsberry. “I don't know how many years I've been coaching and there are some times you have some seasons like this and you don't want to go to practice. You show up to practice and it's a chore because you don't like the guys that you have.
“I like these guys. That's been the one shining light on this season. I enjoy going to practice every single day. I want to see these guys keep growing and getting better. I also love being around them.”
BK KEEPS SHOWING UP
Freshman Brady Koehler again flashed his potential, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds while knocking down two three-pointers. He also embraced a leadership role amid the mounting injuries.
“We're really banged up right now,” explained Koehler. “Usually I probably wouldn't be like a leader on this team because I'm a freshman. But with all the injuries that we've had throughout the course of the season, I feel like I have to fill that role a little bit. So, just keeping everybody in the right head space throughout the game, not getting too high, not getting too low.”
The night didn’t go as the Irish planned, but Koehler and his classmates can use it as a learning experience for the final three games, but also in future seasons.
“There's a lot of things that we did wrong,” stated Koehler. “That's a really good team. I'm not going to discredit them. We just got to look at ourselves and see what we've got to get better at.”
Despite the tough season, the short-term goal is to make the ACC Tournament and that’s within reach.
“We all really want to make the ACC Tournament,” said Koehler. “I think that's what we're looking at right now. The season isn't over. We've got three games left to make that a possibility.”
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will host NC State for a Noon tip on Saturday.
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