Duke Vs Notre Dame — Top-Ranked Duke Dominates in Return to ACC Play
In a commanding outing that answered the main question of the night, duke vs notre dame ended with top-ranked Duke University firmly in control — a result that left Notre Dame scrambling for its ACC hopes and Duke reinforcing its national title credentials.
Duke’s emergence in South Bend
Duke came in on a roll and the Blue Devils looked like a complete team and a national championship contender. Four of the five Duke starters reached double digits in scoring, and the run on offense was relentless: Duke has outscored Notre Dame 34-20 since halftime, and the run was also described as 25-13 for Duke since halftime.
Duke Vs Notre Dame: Cameron Boozer carried the load
Cameron Boozer was the driving force. He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. At halftime Boozer had 20 points, 9 rebounds and two assists; earlier in the game he had stints with 14 points and 5 rebounds and then 7 points in a stretch that helped the Blue Devils build a lead. Boozer hit free throws coming out of the break that matched Notre Dame’s point total at that moment and drilled multiple nothing-but-net three-point shots during the run.
Where Notre Dame faltered
The Irish struggled to make shots all night, finishing at 37 percent from the field and 27 percent from behind the three-point arc. Notre Dame was also outrebounded 49-27. Despite three-pointers from Brady Koehler and Logan Imes at times, Notre Dame was being doubled-up by Duke at the first break of the second half.
Key contributors and in-game moments
For Notre Dame, Brady Koehler and Braeden Shrewsberry each had 14 points. Cole Certa and Koehler supplied the early scoring for the Irish at moments when others were held scoreless. Carson Towt grabbed 7 rebounds. Sir Mohammed hit a three with 10: 40 to play to make it 78-39, but that did not ignite a rally for the Irish. Patrick Ngongba II had six in a stretch when Duke stretched the margin, and Matthew MacLellan was given playing time in the contest.
Bench impact and surges
Duke’s bench made its mark as well. Darren Harris poured in 12 points in nine minutes off the bench as Duke rolled on a 13-4 run at one point. Duke also got two threes from Dame Sarr and another from Caleb Foster as the half ended, helping build the cushion that carried into the second half.
Consequences for the standings and the sideline
Notre Dame falls to 12-16 overall and 3-12 in the ACC; Duke improved to 26-2 and 14-1 in the conference. Notre Dame will have to win one more game than Pitt to make the ACC tournament, and there are three games to go. The Irish simply couldn’t stop Boozer, and now Notre Dame will have to scramble to be one of the 15 teams in the ACC tournament.
The game featured a tense sideline moment: Notre Dame head coach Michah Shrewsberry appeared to hurt himself, and later Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry was given a technical foul at the 16: 36 mark. An broadcast called it Notre Dame’s worst home loss since the 19th Century.
With the ACC schedule moving quickly, both teams head into their next windows with specific tasks: Duke will look to maintain its form and conference record, while Notre Dame must win enough of its remaining three games to overtake Pitt for the final ACC tournament spot.
