The #4 Duke Blue Devils ensured revenge for a 77-73 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend on January 28th, absolutely blitzing ND for the majority of the game's first 20 minutes to take an eye-popping 50-24 lead into the break.
Duke would coast (for the most part) in front of their Cameron Crazies from there, taking down the #10 team in the nation in a resounding 90-60 rout.
Key Stat:
No big deal. Duke just shot 81 percent (17-of-21) from the field in the first half, and 87.5 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-8).
Simply sizzling.
(Also of note: Duke sensation Jahlil Okafor eclipsed 10 points for the 23rd-straight game, tying Johnny Dawkins' freshman record for the program.)
Duke MVP:
Sophomore Matt Jones had a career day...in this first half. His 15 points in the first 20 minutes (17 overall) keyed the Blue Devils attack, allowing for Coach K to have some leeway in resting key threats such as Jahlil Okafor for extended periods of time.
Notre Dame MVP:
No one. Not a one. You could look a scoresheet and pick out the most productive player from the lineup (Demetrius Jackson is a good place to start), but this is a team blowout that carries plenty of sting with it. The Irish are good enough to compete with the nation's elite, but they didn't show it on Saturday afternoon.
What’s Next?
The Duke Blue Devils look to make it four wins in a row when they travel to Tallahassee for a Monday matchup with the Florida State Seminoles. Notre Dame will look to shake off the cobwebs that gathered in this one with a bounce-back effort on Tuesday in South Carolina against the Clemson Tigers.
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