The Duke Blue Devils will host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The ACC basketball battle is scheduled for noon ET.
Notre Dame (7-8 SU, 7-6-2 ATS and 8-7 O/U) lost 66-65 to NC State on Wednesday. The Fighting Irish are 1-3 in ACC competition this season.
Duke (13-2 SU, 10-5 ATS and 5-10 O/U) beat Pittsburgh 76-47 on Tuesday. The Blue Devils are 5-0 in ACC play.
Duke beat Notre Dame twice last season. The Blue Devils are 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last ten matchups with the Irish. The under has cashed in four straight and is 6-4 in the last ten meetings.
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Who will win this NCAAB matchup? Read more about our Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Duke Blue Devils prediction!
Notre Dame is coming off a tough loss
Notre Dame has lost three consecutive ACC basketball contests, including its last game at NC State. The Wolfpack rallied late from a seven-point deficit to steal the win in a game it trailed by as many as ten. The Fighting Irish shot 46 percent from the field, including 8-for-19 (42.1%) from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard Markus Burton (18.4 PPG and 4.0 APG) recently returned to the court after a lengthy knee injury, boosting the Notre Dame lineup. A few other Irish players to watch vs. Duke are junior forward Trae Davis (16.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG), sophomore guard Braeden Shrewsberry (15.9 PPG) and senior guard Matt Allocco (10.1 PPG and 4.5 RPG).
KenPom rates Notre Dame as the 86th-ranked college hoops squad, including 56th in offensive efficiency and 144th in defensive efficiency. The Irish score 74.9 points per game (197th) on 46.9 percent shooting (93rd) and allow their opponents to score 70.5 points per game (158th) with a 43.4 field goal percentage (193rd).
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Injury Report: No injuries to report for Saturday's game against the Blue Devils.
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The Blue Devils are rolling right now
Duke demolished Pittsburgh earlier this week, shooting 50 percent from the field, including 11-for-20 from three-point range. Pitt shot 30 percent overall with a 31 percent three-point mark. The Blue Devils led by ten at halftime and outscored the Panthers 42-23 in the second half. They won the rebounding battle 41-26 and scored 20 points off Pittsburgh turnovers.
Freshman guard Cooper Flagg paces Duke, averaging 17.5 points on 45 percent shooting with 8.5 rebounds per game. A few other Blue Devils to watch vs. Notre Dame are freshman guard Kon Knueppel (12.7 PPG and 3.5 RPG), junior guard Tyrese Proctor (11.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG) and freshman center Khaman Maluach (8.1 PPG and 5.6 RPG).
KenPom rates Duke as the 2nd-best NCAAB team, including 7th in offensive efficiency and 1st in defensive efficiency. The Blue Devils score 80.0 points per game (78th) with a 47.5 field goal percentage (68th) and their opponents average 58.4 points (5th) on 35.8 percent shooting (4th).
Duke Blue Devils Injury Report: No injuries to report for Saturday's game against the Fighting Irish.
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Best Bets for Notre Dame vs. Duke
Full-Game Side Bet
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Which one of these ACC hoops squads covers the spread? Find out more in this Notre Dame vs. Duke prediction.
Full-Game Total Pick
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Notre Dame vs. Duke expert prediction: The under will be the winning wager in this ACC basketball battle in Durham!
Betting Trends: Duke has hit its team total under in 15 of their last 23 home games (+5.86 units/22% ROI). The game total under is 10-5 in the Blue Devils games this season, including 5-2 in their previous seven.
I'll lay the points with the Blue Devils and wager on the under, as well. Duke's defense is monstrous and Notre Dame could struggle to score for stretches of Saturday's action. The visitors won't find much success near the basket and easy buckets in transition or at the foul line will be few and far between. Besides, the Fighting Irish play at one of the slowest paces in the country, ranking 319th in schedule-adjusted tempo, per KenPom.
While the Blue Devils play at a slightly faster pace (276th in adjusted tempo) and are likely to score plenty of points, I don't envision them pushing the total over. Notre Dame does not project to be competitive in either half, allowing the home team to cruise to victory and rest starters late in the game.
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