No. 3 Duke Faces Quick Turnaround After Huge Win Over No. 1 Michigan

Blue Devils travel to take on struggling Notre Dame on Tuesday night

Feb. 23, 2026 at 12:19am

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Coming off an impressive win over No. 1 Michigan, the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils will face a quick turnaround as they travel to South Bend to take on the struggling Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday night. Duke's frontcourt trio led the way in the win over Michigan, and the Blue Devils will look to continue their strong play against a Notre Dame team that has lost 11 of its last 13 games.

Why it matters

This matchup features a top-5 Duke team looking to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season, while Notre Dame is fighting to avoid missing the ACC Tournament field entirely. Duke's dominant performance against the nation's top-ranked team has raised expectations, and they'll need to avoid a letdown against an inferior opponent.

The details

Duke beat Michigan despite some uncharacteristic struggles, turning the ball over 11 times and missing 5 free throws. However, the Blue Devils made up for it with a dominant performance inside, outscoring Michigan 34-24 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 41-28. Duke's frontcourt trio of Cameron Boozer, Patrick Ngongba II and Nikolas Khamenia combined for 35 points and 25 rebounds. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is in the midst of a rough stretch, losing 11 of its last 13 games, including a 73-68 defeat at Pittsburgh on Saturday in which the Irish shot just 23.7% from 3-point range.

  • Duke defeated the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, February 22, 2026.
  • Duke will travel to face Notre Dame on Tuesday, February 25, 2026.

The players

Jon Scheyer

The head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.

Cameron Boozer

The leading scorer and rebounder for the Duke Blue Devils, averaging 22.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Patrick Ngongba II

A frontcourt player for the Duke Blue Devils who had a strong performance against Michigan with 2 blocks and altering several other shots.

Micah Shrewsberry

The head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Markus Burton

A leading scorer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who has been out with a broken ankle since December.

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What they’re saying

“I thought he had a huge presence tonight. He's obviously really valuable for us. We don't have necessarily a ton of depth at (center).”

— Jon Scheyer, Head Coach, Duke Blue Devils

“I thought we were piss-poor in our execution. I'm doing a bad job of coaching these guys when you don't execute like that.”

— Micah Shrewsberry, Head Coach, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

What’s next

With four regular-season games remaining, Notre Dame is in danger of missing the 15-team field for the ACC Tournament. The Irish are tied with Pitt for the final spot, but the Panthers now own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The takeaway

This game represents a crucial opportunity for Duke to build on its impressive win over Michigan and maintain its position as one of the top teams in the country, while Notre Dame faces an uphill battle to secure a spot in the ACC Tournament with its recent struggles.