The college basketball regular season is nearing its conclusion over the coming weeks, making way for conference tournaments before the Big Dance begins in March. The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils just pulled off an impressive win against then-No. 1 Michigan over the weekend and now find themselves with a four-game winning streak heading into this game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Will that streak stay alive, and will Cam Boozer keep driving his draft stock to go with the top selection when summer rolls around?
Here’s a prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Duke vs. Notre Dame on Tuesday, February 24.
Duke vs. Notre Dame prediction, preview
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are dominant this season, amassing a 25-2 record overall with a 13-1 mark in conference play. They’ve flat-out dominated most competition, recording an average scoring margin of +19.3 while going 12-2 against Quad 1 teams and unbeaten against Quad 2s and below.
Duke sits second in the KenPom rankings with a +37.21 NetRtg, powered by the seventh-best ORtg and third-best DRtg. The Blue Devils post 82.4 PPG, shooting 50.0% from the field and 34.8% from deep. That FG% is good for 16th in the nation, and they also log an average of 17.0 assists with a very respectable 1.577 AST/TO ratio that ranks 30th. The offense is efficient in most areas, and an OREB% of 35.4% also ranks 17th in the country. In terms of total rebounding, Duke brings in the 18th-most boards with 39.7 per game. As for defense, the team allows just 63.1 PPG, the third-lowest average of any unit at the D1 level, with opponents logging an eFG% of 46.1% (13th overall).
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The home team tonight, Notre Dame, doesn’t have much of a basketball program to write home about with its last season above .500 coming in 2021-22. This year, the Fighting Irish are 12-15 and only 3-11 in ACC play. They’re 2-9 against Quad 1 sides with the lone wins over TCU and Stanford, and against Quad 2 teams, they’re only 1-5.
Per the latest KenPom rankings, the Fighting Irish fall 87th in the country with a NetRtg of just +9.63. The offense posts 74.4 PPG with the 89th-ranked ORtg, shooting 44.9% on field goals and 35.6% on three-point attempts. This is notably one of the sport’s worst teams from the charity stripe, hitting just 68.7% of free throws as well. The Fighting Irish dish out just 12.4 assists per game with a 1.084 AST/TO ratio that’s an indictment on their ball security. On the glass, they bring in a respectable 37.0 rebounds, that’s something of a bright spot. The defense is rather paltry though, giving up 73.4 PPG with a DRtg that sits 93rd.
Duke vs. Notre Dame pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Duke as a 17.5-point favorite on the road with the game total set at 138.5 combined points.
The Blue Devils will absolutely dominate this contest, no question about it. Momentum is on the side of this roster, which is headlined by potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cam Boozer. His 22.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists are all team-bests while shooting a stunning 58.2% from the field, and he’s truly looked the part of the prospect who’s been promised. Isaiah Evans pitches in 14.7 PPG as the second-leading scorer, joined by one other player in double digits as well. With Markus Burton still sidelined for Notre Dame, that roster is headlined by Jalen Haralson’s 15.5 PPG as he’s joined by two others in double figures. The Fighting Irish simply don’t have the high-end talent to compete with Duke, simple as that.
Given the Blue Devils’ two-way excellence, they should still be able to cover this large spread tonight. They’re 15-12 ATS overall and a strong 6-3 ATS on the road, and given their superstar, they should handle business with ease.
