Duke avoided any type of potential letdown on Tuesday night in South Bend, bludgeoning Notre Dame 100-56 for the exact type of win you expect from a national championship contender that is rounding into its final form as the calendar approaches March and the madness nears.
Duke built a 54-22 lead at halftime and opened the game on a 20-4 run, using stifling defense and a typical dominant effort in the paint to build an insurmountable lead and quickly turn the game into a laugher.
While the headlines will - rightfully - focus on another monster game from Cameron Boozer, Jon Scheyer was effusive in his praise for Duke sophomore big man Patrick Ngongba, who rarely gets the praise he deserves because he plays in Boozer's shadow.
But Ngongba has raised his stock significantly this season and is a projected first-round pick in his own right. In just 15 minutes against the Irish, Ngongba scored 13 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists.
Duke started the game by putting the ball in Ngongba's hands, and he responded with a bucket on Duke's first possession and then an assist to Boozer on the second.
"I thought we established Pat early," Scheyer said. "He did a good job getting us going. He had a bucket; he also had a nice pass to Cam, where he had that layup as well. But that's the strength of our team. If we can establish that early, it's what we want.
Ngongba's quick start helped Duke get rolling early against Notre Dame
After Saturday's thrilling win over then-No. 1 Michigan, this would have been an easy spot for a letdown for Scheyer and his team. Going on the road just three days later and playing an under .500 opponent in Notre Dame, it would have been human nature for the Blue Devils to slack off.
But Scheyer has this team dialed in. They are completely bought in to what it's going to take to try and win the program's first national championship in 11 years.
That has become increasingly obvious with each passing game.
After back-to-back games away from home, Duke will return to Cameron Indoor on Saturday for a big matchup against No. 11 Virginia.