Duke vs. Notre Dame: 2018-19 college basketball preview, TV schedule
The Duke Blue Devils and Notre Dame Fighting Irish meet as both ACC programs continue to pull in polar opposite directions.
TV schedule: Monday, January 28, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN
Location: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, Indiana
A couple of years ago, a primetime showdown between the Duke Blue Devils and Notre Dame Fighting Irish would’ve been worth the limelight – not this time, though.
These ACC teams are simply traveling different paths to March.
Duke is clearly one of the top teams in the country, only dropping two dramatic games to Gonzaga and Syracuse. They even topped Virginia – then the last unbeaten team in the land – without the services of essential guard Tre Jones.
Jones returned to the lineup against Georgia Tech on Saturday, showing few signs of his shoulder separation in 35 solid all-around minutes for the Blue Devils. Despite the quick turnaround for Monday’s game, Duke should feel emboldened by his quick recovery.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is treading water – Bonzie Colson isn’t walking through the door anytime soon.
Mike Brey has his team playing hard as always, but there’s a clear talent gap between this year’s Fighting Irish and the Fighting Irish of previous years. Notre Dame is 11-9 this season, including a horrific 1-6 in the ACC. They have a four-game losing streak hanging over their heads.
They’re also in the midst of one of the toughest stretches imaginable. They lost by just six points at North Carolina, then returned home for a four-point loss against the ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack. That was followed by a road loss at Georgia Tech, then a home blowout against the aforementioned Virginia Cavaliers.
Now, mighty Duke rolls into town.
Since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC, they’ve hosted the Blue Devils three times and have actually won two of those games. But those victorious Notre Dame teams had the likes of Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant.
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This Notre Dame team has John Mooney (who nobody’s ever heard of but averages a double-double) and TJ Gibbs, who’s scoring less than last season. That’s not enough to get the job done against this monstrous Duke team.
Prediction: Duke 88 – Notre Dame 70