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Duke Basketball Excels in Tough Road Win at Notre Dame

By Chris Brown

Jan 30, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) dribbles as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Matt Farrell (5) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) dribbles as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Matt Farrell (5) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Grayson Allen and Jayson Tatum helped Duke Basketball earn their second straight ACC road win in an 84-74 victory over the Fighting Irish.

After relying heavily on Luke Kennard for an epic comeback win against Wake Forest, Duke Basketball used a balanced effort to defeat Notre Dame in an 84-74 win. The Blue Devils seem to have put their struggles on the road behind them after beating a talented ND team for their second straight ACC road win.

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The main reason for Duke’s success against the Fighting Irish was their improvement defensively. The Blue Devils held the high-powered Notre Dame offense to only 25 points on 26.9% shooting in the first half. The Irish are known for their three-point shooting, and Duke Basketball was able to limit them from beyond the arc to only 33.3%.

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Meanwhile, the Blue Devils had one of their best offensive games of the season overall. Duke was balanced offensively, led by Grayson Allen with 21 points. Jayson Tatum was huge recording his first career double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Luke Kennard and Matt Jones also added 16 points each. The team made 51.9% of their shots and 41.7% of their threes. Probably the most impressive was the team’s 95.8% free throw percentage after struggling all season. Harry Giles and Frank Jackson stepped up late in the game to hit key free throws to hold off Notre Dame’s rally.

Duke Basketball played one of their best games of the year at No. 20 Notre Dame. However, there are still some areas to work on if they want to reach their full potential. The Blue Devils committed 15 turnovers leading to 22 points for the Fighting Irish and keeping the game close. Additionally, Duke had huge contributions from the bench from Giles and Jackson who combined for 6 points and Giles’ 5 rebounds. But as the rotation and roles become more solidified, the depth can be a huge factor for the Blue Devils going forward.

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Duke Basketball will return home for three straight road games to help improve their conference standings. The Blue Devils are now 17-5 overall and 5-4 in the ACC with a game against struggling Pittsburgh on Saturday. At the moment it appears that Coach K’s punishment may have worked and Duke Basketball is back on track, but we’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out.

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