Notre Dame Basketball: 3 keys to upsetting Duke Blue Devils at home

With the ACC not being as strong as in years past limits the chances to obtain major wins in conference games. When you go up against Duke it gives you the chance to secure a major win to add to the resume. This is exactly what Notre Dame Basketball has in front of them on Monday night when they host the Duke Blue Devils inside a sold-out Joyce Center.

Notre Dame comes into this matchup playing really good basketball in the last month. After the first seven games of the year they found themselves sitting at 3-4, but really have righted the ship with a record of 14-6 (7-2 in ACC) and currently tied with Duke in second place in the ACC standings. The Irish have won nine of their last ten games, plus not having a loss so far through nine home contests. Duke comes into this game with a record of 17-3 (7-2 in ACC). They come into this game-winning eight of their last ten games.

Right now, Notre Dame has one very good win over Kentucky last December who should be a top ten team once the new polls come out on Monday. Adding another top ten win would go a long way with getting the Irish back into the NCAA tournament. An NCAA tournament bid would be the first for Notre Dame since 2017.

Notre Dame is a veteran group that also features one of the better freshman guards in the country. Senior Dane Goodwin and freshman Blake Wesley have been the most consistent players up to this point in the season, but players like Nate Laszewski and Paul Atkinson Jr. have also been playing very well. Guard Prentiss Hubb also has made some key shots this year in ACC competition after having a difficult start to his season.

Multiple players will have to step up and play when you go up against a team with loads of talent like Duke. The Blue Devils are led by forward Paolo Banchero who even as a freshman is one of the best players in the country. Wendell Moore is a junior who helps bring much-needed leadership and experience to a younger Duke roster. Moore really is having a very good year for Duke.

The Blue Devils also have sophomore center Mark Williams and freshman AJ Griffin who tied his career-high with 22 points over Louisville on Saturday. Freshman forward Trevor Keels has missed the last few games with an injury. Should be interesting to see if he is healthy enough to dress and contribute on Monday night.

It is worth noting that this game was scheduled to be played on January 1st, but was postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests in the Blue Devils program. The Notre Dame students would have been on break at that time. Now with classes being back in full force, the student section will be back along with a sold-out crowd cheering on the home team in Notre Dame.

Here are 3 keys to Notre Dame knocking off Duke and pulling the upset.