Duke basketball hasn’t faced much resistance in the ACC through the first five games of its conference schedule.
The fourth-ranked Blue Devils (13-2, 5-0 ACC) have won their first five league games by double digits for the first time since the 1998-99 season, which ended with Duke playing for a national championship.
In its third season under head coach Jon Scheyer, Duke has won its first five league games by an average margin of 23.2 points.
Coming off a pair of one-point losses to North Carolina and N.C. State, Notre Dame (7-8, 1-3), will try to bring the Blue Devils back to Earth on Saturday (Noon, ESPN) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke has won 31 of its 39 games against Notre Dame, including 11 of the 13 played in Durham. Here are some other things to know and a score prediction for the latest meeting between the Devils and Irish.
Mason Gillis, Duke basketball bench points
Duke dominated nearly every category on the stat sheet in its 29-point win against Pitt, but the Panthers had a 16-6 advantage in bench points. Prior to that game, the Blue Devils were averaging 23.4 bench points. Purdue transfer Mason Gillis, an Indiana native, scored five of the Blue Devils’ six bench points against Pitt. Gillis has averaged 7.3 points in the last three games and Notre Dame is heavily reliant on its starting lineup. The opportunity should be there for Gillis, Maliq Brown, Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster to provide a big boost off the bench for the Blue Devils on Saturday.
Markus Burton, Tae Davis, Braeden Shrewsberry make Notre Dame offense go
Notre Dame’s “Big 3” of Markus Burton, Braeden Shrewsberry and Tae Davis were the Fighting Irish’s top players against UNC and N.C. State. That trio combined to score 98 of Notre Dame’s 138 points (71%) in those games. Since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for seven games, Burton has averaged 19 points and 3.5 turnovers. Shrewsberry has averaged 14.5 points in the last two games, knocking down seven 3-pointers in that stretch. And Davis has, perhaps, been the most consistent of the bunch with averages of 15.5 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
Tyrese Proctor, Duke 3-point shooting vs the Fighting Irish
The Blue Devils’ defense has been the story of the season to this point, but Duke’s 3-point shooting continues to get better. For the first time this year, Duke has knocked down double-digit 3-pointers in four straight games. During that stretch, the Devils have drained 43.4% of their treys. Tyrese Proctor has been at the center of that success, making 7-of-11 shots from long range in the last two games.
Duke vs Notre Dame score prediction
Duke 78, Notre Dame 57: The Blue Devils’ defense is elite and the offense is catching up as a consistent scoring machine. Duke starters will do what they do, but Mason Gillis and the Blue Devils’ bench will have a big performance in a comfortable win at Cameron
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball vs Notre Dame: Score prediction, scouting report
