Postgame Wrap: Thoughts on Duke's Win at Notre Dame

Blue Devils win ACC opener on the road

Duke bounced back from a tough start to the month of December, winning its ACC opener—and first road game of the season—over Notre Dame, 75-65.

The Blue Devils had struggled to a 2-2 start to the season—it’s worst in 21 years—and was playing without freshman Jalen Johnson, Duke’s leading rebounder and one of two Blue Devils who started every game.

Duke also cancelled its final two non-conference games due to concerns over the pandemic.

The adversity forced some changes for the Blue Devils which helped lead to Duke’s success against Notre Dame. With Johnson out, the Blue Devils had to shuffle their starting lineup. The combination of Jordan Goldwire, Jeremy Roach, DJ Steward, Matthew Hurt and Patrick Tape sparked Duke to a fast start against the Irish. Duke was crisp and active on both ends of the floor. Putting essentially three point guards on the floor allowed Roach to play off the ball and focus on scoring. He finished with 14 points, shot 5-of-6 from the field, and didn’t have an assist.

The controversial decision to cancel the remaining non-conference schedule gave the Blue Devils eight days of practice, which certainly showed against the Irish. Duke’s shooting, which has been a trouble spot early in the season, returned. The Blue Devils hit 51.7 percent from the field and 8-of-15 from three-point range.

Duke also cut down on turnovers, giving up just eight against the Irish. The Blue Devils also did a better job stopping penetration on the defensive end. The one time Notre Dame had an open drive for a layup, Coach K immediately called time out to emphasize the teaching points from the past week’s practice.

With six freshmen and a COVID shortened preseason, Duke was behind schedule in the season’s first month, but the Blue Devils clearly made significant progress over the past week.