No. 3 Duke Faces Quick Turnaround After Huge Win to Take on Notre Dame

Blue Devils look to build on momentum after defeating No. 1 Michigan ahead of matchup with struggling Fighting Irish

Feb. 23, 2026 at 5:55am

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Coming off an impressive win over No. 1 Michigan, the third-ranked Duke Blue Devils will travel to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday night. Duke's victory over the top-ranked Wolverines was its first over an AP No. 1 team under coach Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils dominated inside against Michigan and will look to continue that success against a Notre Dame team that has lost 11 of its last 13 games and is in danger of missing the ACC Tournament.

Why it matters

This matchup features a top-5 Duke team looking to build on a signature win against the struggling Notre Dame squad. The Blue Devils are aiming to solidify their position as one of the top teams in the country, while the Fighting Irish are fighting to keep their season from completely unraveling.

The details

Duke beat Michigan despite turning the ball over 11 times and missing 5 of 17 free throws, thanks to a dominant performance in the paint. The Blue Devils outscored the Wolverines 34-24 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 41-28, tallying 18 second-chance points. Duke's frontcourt trio of Cameron Boozer, Patrick Ngongba II and Nikolas Khamenia combined for 35 points and 25 rebounds. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has lost 11 of its last 13 games and is in danger of missing the ACC Tournament after a 73-68 loss to Pittsburgh in which the Fighting Irish shot just 23.7% from 3-point range.

  • Duke defeated the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday.
  • Duke and Notre Dame will face off on Tuesday night.

The players

Jon Scheyer

The head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.

Cameron Boozer

A key member of Duke's frontcourt who leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding.

Micah Shrewsberry

The head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Markus Burton

Notre Dame's leading scorer who has been out with a broken ankle since December.

Jalen Haralson

Notre Dame's second-leading scorer who missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.

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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, Duke Head Coach

“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, Notre Dame Head Coach

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 features a top-5 Duke team looking to build on a signature win against a struggling Notre Dame squad fighting to keep its season alive. The Blue Devils' dominant interior play will be key as they aim to solidify their status as one of the nation's elite teams, while the Fighting Irish need to find a way to turn their season around and secure a spot in the ACC Tournament.