Duke and Notre Dame spent many years before non-conference rivals, but now the Fighting Irish are one of many teams beginning their first seasons in the ACC after the conference expanded. Notre Dame enters this year unranked while the Blue Devils sit at No. 7 knowing a win against the Fighting Irish would certainly help out.
Notre Dame's chances in this game got even harder when the team lost leading scorer Jerian Grant to academic issues. Head coach Mike Brey is certainly concerned to see how his team will step up in wake of the loss. Grant was putting up 19.0 points and 6.2 assists per game. He was a preseason all-ACC team selection
This is Notre Dame's first year in the ACC after spending 18 seasons in the Big East. Brey will be facing his mentor Mike Krzyzewski who gave the Notre Dame coach his first coaching job in college basketball. Now he is head of the Fighting Irish who are 9-4 after a round of non-conference games.
The biggest challenge for Notre Dame will be facing Jabari Parker. The freshman currently headlines the 11-2 Blue Devils. He leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 21.4 points and 8.0 rebounds a game.
Notre Dame could have the edge since the Irish are playing at home. The team is 12-6 at home when facing a top 10 opponent. Brey has lead the to four straight wins over ranked teams including Kentucky last season. They will give Duke their first true road test. The Blue Devils have won 11 straight games against the Irish and aim to keep that going.
