ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Duke Blue Devils gelling at the right time

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 10: Teammates Jordan Goldwire #14, Wendell Moore Jr. #0 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

7 of 16

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16-10)(7-8 ACC)

The Fighting Irish lead the ACC in 3-point attempts and have managed to stay afloat amid the middle of the ACC race behind their offense and the rebounding effort of senior John Mooney. The Fighting Irish sit at 7-8 in the ACC after picking up a one-point win over North Carolina on Monday. Notre Dame came back from a 15-point deficit in the second half with sophomore Prentiss Hubb leading the way. Hubb has only scored in double digits twice over his last seven games but those two games were a one-point overtime loss to Virginia on February 11th and Notre Dame’s aforementioned win over North Carolina on Monday.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey has been able to count on a diverse scoring effort on a nightly basis, with Mooney’s nightly double-double serving as the only guaranteed output. Mooney went for 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Clemson on February 9th. His scoring was inefficient but he collected 14 boards in the close loss to Virginia, and he chipped in a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double in Wednesday’s win.

The Fighting Irish are tied for first in the league in turnovers per game (9.8) and their lack of mistakes gives them a chance against almost any opponent but they still have a lack of impressive wins to date. Notre Dame’s February 4th matchup with Florida State will provide Mike Brey’s quad with a key chance at a big-time program win as Selection Sunday nears.