Duke Basketball: 4 Toughest January Games Without Coach K

By Michael Collins | Jan 4, 2017

Jan 6, 2016; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski looks on in the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Duke defeated Wake Forest 91-75. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jan 4, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Steve Vasturia (32) goes up for a shot as Louisville Cardinals forward Deng Adel (22) defends in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 77-70. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Jan. 30 @ Notre Dame

Why It’s Tough:

Notre Dame Offense
Difficult Road Venue
Bonzie Colson in the paint

The Fighting Irish were one of the preseason favorites in the ACC and are currently ranked No. 23 in the Associate Press top 25.

It’s always tough to face the Irish in South Bend, and with the Irish having the No. 27 scoring offense in the nation at 83.2 points per game, Duke will have their hands full defensively.

Duke is giving up only 63.8 points per game, placing them 33rd nationally, against Notre Dame’s No. 71 ranking of 66.2 points per game. This looks to be a pretty evenly matched game. Duke’s big challenge will be keeping forward Bonzie Colson off the boards with his 10.5 rebounds per game.

Not only would this potentially be a win against a ranked team (assuming ND is still in the top 25 by the 30th), but it’s also a crucial game in the standings. Head-to-head meetings may end up determining some tiebreakers in conference standings later in the season.

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