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Notre Dame Men’s Basketball: Irish topple Duke in must-win game

By Brad Weiss

Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey talks to his players during a time out in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey talks to his players during a time out in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team has been playing a lot better in recent weeks, losing only two games since a January 13 loss to the No. 18-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. Since then, the Irish have been downright dominant at times, though they suffered a tough loss the last time out.

Still, this team has made steady gains over the last four weeks, and on Tuesday, they traveled to Duke to take on the Blue Devils in a must-win game. In a game that was close the entire way, the Irish picked up arguably their biggest win of the season, moving to 8-10, and inching ever so close to .500 on the season.

This is not your normal Duke team, as they have struggled mightily this season, but a win on the road in Cameron Arena is never to be taken lightly. Notre Dame had to overcome a five-point deficit at the half in a game that saw every member of the Irish’s starting lineup scored in double figures.

Notre Dame Men’s Basketball gets 27 from Cormac Ryan

One of the things we talked about heading into the 2020-21 college basketball season was how important Cormac Ryan would be down the stretch. Against Duke, Ryan showed his prowess from the outside, hitting four threes for a game-high 28 points, by far his best game since transferring from Stanford.

For the Irish, they do not play a ranked team until the season finale against Florida State, so there is a big opportunity to keep stringing wins together and possibly making the NCAA Tournament. The ACC has a bunch of elite teams, including Virginia and the Seminoles, so winning the conference tournament is going to be tough.

Next. Notre Dame football reloads along the offensive line. dark

Now healthy, this Irish team is playing their best basketball all season long, and are led by a dynamic group of juniors who will be battle-tested down the stretch. Prentiss Hubb continued his strong play on Tuesday by pouring in 15 points to go along with eight assists, as he continues to be the straw that stirs the drink.

The Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team will be back in action in Valentine’s Day matchup with the University of Miami (FL) this Sunday.