The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils demolished the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday evening for their biggest ACC win of the season. The Blue Devils backed up their thrilling win against the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines in Washington D.C. last weekend with a dominant performance on both ends of the floor in South Bend.
Duke Team Chemistry Pops After Notre Dame Blowout In South Bend
A clip posted by Duke on X showed the unity of the dressing room as star guard Dame Sarr interviewed guard Darren Harris about his performance in the game in the locker room in South Bend.
“I just wanted to make an impact out there, man. Every time I check in, that’s my goal,” Harris said. “Our starters kind of already set the tone, got us in a big lead, so I was just more comfortable out there. I said it to the guys on the bench, it’s my job man, no matter if I play or how much I play. Always gotta be ready and I think today I was.”
Harris, who has started most of his games from the bench for the Blue Devils this season, tallied 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 17 minutes of game time against the Fighting Irish.
The bench players stepped up in South Bend as six Blue Devils scored in double figures in the lopsided win, led by star forward Cameron Boozer, who tallied 24 points and 13 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season.
Jon Scheyer Praises Blue Devils’ Maturity
During his postgame news conference, Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer praised his team’s competitiveness despite the apparent ease of the ACC clash against Notre Dame.
“I was really proud of our maturity and our readiness coming in,” Scheyer said. “I thought it was our defense in the beginning and establishing the paint. But, we also are well aware that’s not the team Notre Dame came into the year with, but really proud of our effort, really grateful. Every conference win you can get is a big one.”
The Blue Devils have an impressive 12-2 record in Quadrant 1 games, 4-0 in Quad 2 games, 1-0 against Quad 3 teams, and 8-0 against Quad 4 teams and are currently No. 2 in the NET rankings. Scheyer’s team is currently projected by several bracketologists to be the No. 1 overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament in a few weeks.
Next up for the Blue Devils is a tricky fixture against the plucky No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday as they seek to continue their good form before March begins.
