Winners of five straight, Duke will look to keep momentum rolling as they travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame.
It has been a tough start to the the season for the Fighting Irish. They currently sit at 6-8 overall and 1-2 in ACC play.
What to watch for:
Forcing Notre Dame to take threes
Duke will want to pack the paint and force Notre Dame into three point attempts. The fighting Irish shoot just 28.7% from three as a team – 325th in the country. Duke will likely dare Notre Dame to beat them from deep.
Can Duke get to the free throw line?
While their overall defense lacks in many ways, Notre Dame does a good job of defending without fouling. They commit just 14.9 fouls per game which ranks 39th in the country. How often Duke can get to the free throw line is something to monitor.
How does Duke respond to any adversity?
Road games have not been kind to Duke this season. With losses at Arkansas and Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils are 0-2 on the road. They have not done a good job on the road of responding when the home team makes a run. Should Notre Dame make a run at any point, how Duke responds will be key.
Will Mark Mitchell build off of Syracuse performance?
Mark Mitchell thrived in his role the last time Duke took the court. It would be huge for both Mitchell and Duke if he can deliver another similar performance against Notre Dame. When Mitchell plays the way he did against Syracuse, Duke is a much more dangerous team.
Game info:
Where: Purcell Pavillion, South Bend
When: Saturday at 6:00pm EST
Coverage: ACCN