Irish Lose 56-100 to #1 Duke

Brady Koehler & Cole Certa co-lead with 14 points each

Feb. 25, 2026 at 3:21am

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-16, 3-12) fell 56-100 to the top-ranked No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (26-2, 14-1) on Tuesday evening. Brady Koehler and Cole Certa led the Irish with 14 points apiece, while Sir Mohammed recorded 11 points. Duke was led by Cameron Boozer's 24 points and had six players finish in double figures.

Why it matters

This loss drops Notre Dame to 12-16 on the season and 3-12 in ACC play, further damaging their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. Duke, on the other hand, remains the top-ranked team in the country with a 26-2 record and 14-1 in conference.

The details

Halfway through the first half, Duke had built a 22-9 lead, with Brady Koehler scoring all 9 points for Notre Dame. The Blue Devils then went on a 11-5 run to open up a 33-14 advantage. Duke took a 54-22 lead into halftime, led by Cameron Boozer's 20 first-half points. In the second half, Notre Dame shot better (44.8%) compared to Duke (40.0%), but the Blue Devils still outscored the Irish 46-34 to win by a final score of 100-56.

  • The game took place on Tuesday evening, February 25, 2026.

The players

Brady Koehler

A Notre Dame player who led the Irish with 14 points, going 5-9 from the field and adding 5 rebounds.

Cole Certa

A Notre Dame player who also scored 14 points for the Irish, extending his career-high double-digit scoring streak to six games.

Sir Mohammed

A Notre Dame player who recorded 11 points on 5-8 shooting, with 9 of his points coming in the second half.

Cameron Boozer

A Duke player who led all scorers with 24 points, including 20 in the first half.

Micah Shrewsberry

The Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

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What they’re saying

“We wanted to play well, and we didn't, and Duke had a lot to do with it. There's a reason they are the number one team in the country. We didn't play as well as we wanted to, but this won't be the worst thing to happen to them. So embrace the next opportunity. Embrace tomorrow. And if we keep getting chances, we are going to keep fighting and see what happens.”

— Micah Shrewsberry, Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach

What’s next

The Irish will host NC State on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 12:00 p.m. on The CW. The Irish will honor seniors Carson Towt, Kebba Njie, and Matthew MacLellan, as well as their senior managers, pregame.

The takeaway

This lopsided loss to the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils further damages Notre Dame's chances of making the NCAA Tournament, as they now sit at 12-16 overall and 3-12 in ACC play. However, the Fighting Irish will look to bounce back in their next game against NC State and honor their seniors in the process.