Top-Ranked Duke Returns to ACC Play at Notre Dame

Tuesday, February 24

South Bend, Ind.

7 p.m.

Duke University

Notre Dame

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Photo by: Duke Athletics

Top-Ranked Duke Returns to ACC Play at Notre Dame

2/23/2026 8:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

The Opening Tip

After defeating top-ranked Michigan on Saturday, No. 1 Duke returns to conference action with a trip to Notre Dame on Tuesday night on ESPN.
Kevin Brown and Cory Alexander will call the action on ESPN. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Duke makes its record 148th appearance atop the weekly Associated Press top-25 poll.
The Blue Devils lead the series with the Fighting Irish, 32-8, including a 9-4 edge in South Bend, thanks to a five-game road win streak.
Duke is No. 2 in NET rankings and is the national leader with 12 Quad-1 wins. (Feb. 22)
Duke has secured nine top-25 victories with wins over No. 1 Michigan, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 20 Clemson, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
Duke has won 35 of its last 37 games against conference opponents.
Duke is one of just two teams ranked in the top-seven nationally in both offensive efficiency (127.1, 7th) and defensive efficiency (89.8, 3rd) ratings. (KenPom)
The Blue Devils lead the ACC and are fifth nationally in scoring margin (+19.3).
Duke tops the conference and ranks seventh in the country in rebounding margin (+10.0).
The Blue Devils rank third in the nation and first in the ACC in scoring defense (63.1 ppg).
Cameron Boozer is the nation's fifth-leading scorer with an ACC-high 22.6 points per game, and tops the ACC in rebounding (10.0 rpg), is ninth in steals (1.6 spg), 13th in assists (4.0 apg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.582).
Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 27 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
Isaiah Evans ranks second in the ACC in free-throw percentage (.882), and is the ACC's 11th-leading scorer in conference play, averaging 17.1 points per league game.
Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 60-6.
Since Thanksgiving 2024, the Blue Devils have achieved a record of 56-4 (.933).
On Dec. 16, Jon Scheyer broke the ACC record for the fastest coach to 100 wins (122 games), exceeding the standard set by Duke's Vic Bubas in 1964 (128 games).

About the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Tuesday's game is the 41st meeting in the series, with the Blue Devils leading, 32-8, including a 9-4 edge in South Bend.
Since Notre Dame joined the ACC, the series favors Duke, 13-6 (11-4 in the regular season), and the Blue Devils have won 12 of the last 13.
Four of the meetings have come in the ACC Tournament (2-2), with Duke winning 75-69 in the 2017 championship game and 88-70 in the 2018 quarterfinals -- both in Brooklyn.
In last season's meeting, Cooper Flagg broke the Duke and ACC freshman scoring record with 42 points (Jan. 11, 2025).
Notre Dame ranks seventh in the ACC in three-point shooting percentage (35.6%), led by Braeden Shrewsberry, son of head coach Micah Shrewsberry, who shoots 40.6% (fourth in ACC) from long distance.
Cole Certa leads the ACC and ranks 22nd in the nation by shooting 89.6% from the free-throw line.
Carson Towt tops the conference in offensive rebounding (3.70 per game) and is second in total rebounds with 254.

On This Date - Feb. 24

Duke is 17-11 overall on Feb. 24, having won six of its last seven outings on this date since 1993.
Duke has a 5-7 record in road games on this date.
The Blue Devils last played on Feb. 24 in 2024, an 83-79 setback at Wake Forest.
Since 1988, Duke has played nine times on this date. In each of those Feb. 24 contests, the Blue Devils were ranked inside the top-10.

Last Time Out

In a battle of top-three teams that did not disappoint, No. 3 Duke edged No. 1 Michigan, 68-63, Saturday evening inside Capital One Arena.
The Blue Devils used an elite defensive effort to seal the victory, as the Wolverines were limited to just eight field goals in final 20 minutes and held to their lowest point total of the season.
Cameron Boozer nearly finished with a triple double, totaling 18 points, including seven of Duke's final nine, 10 rebounds and seven assists, as well as two blocks.
Patrick Ngongba II turned in 11 points, two blocks and six boards, including a key offensive rebound in the final minute to help Duke's offensive effort.
Isaiah Evans (14) and Caleb Foster (12) also reached double digits for the Blue Devils.
Duke (25-2) has won three of its last four meetings with the nation's top-ranked team, also defeating Gonzaga, 84-81, on Nov. 26, 2021, and Syracuse, 66-60, on Feb. 22, 2014.
When the Blue Devils are ranked in the top five, they have won six consecutive meetings with a top-ranked squad.
Duke has played 33 opponents ranked No. 1, earning 11 victories in those matchups.
Duke tallied its ninth ranked victory of the season and is 9-2 against top-25 foes this season.
The Blue Devils lead the all-time series against Michigan, 23-8, including four straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings against the Wolverines.
The Blue Devils are a perfect 7-0 in neutral-site matchups with Michigan.
The Wolverines entered Saturday's game averaging 90.6 points per game, but were held to 63, 27.6 below their season average. Duke's defense has held all but two of their 27 opponents below their scoring average.
Duke began Saturday's game holding its opponents to 63.2 points per game, the fifth-best scoring defense in the country. Michigan was limited to exactly 63 points, its season low for scoring. Duke's defense held Michigan to just eight made shots in the second half, holding the Wolverines to 8-of-28 (.286) from the field following halftime.
Entering Saturday night, Duke topped the ACC and ranked eighth nationally for rebounding margin (+9.8). The Wolverines also entered Saturday's clash with a +9.8 margin on the glass and the 10th-best rebounding rate, at 41.5 boards per game. The Blue Devils outrebounded the Wolverines by 13 (41-28) and have finished with a positive margin on the glass in 23 games this season. Duke has finished with a double-digit margin on the glass in 14 games this season.
The Blue Devils are the first team to finish with a double-digit advantage in rebounding against Michigan this season. The 28 total boards for the Wolverines ranked second-fewest for them this season, trailing only 26 rebounds in a 101-83 victory at Maryland.

Duke Moves to No. 1 in Top-25 Polls

On Feb. 23, after defeating top-ranked Michigan, Duke jumped two spots to the top of the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches top-25 polls.
The Blue Devils have now been ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation (AP poll) for 148 weeks, more than any other program in the country.
Tuesday will be Duke's 293rd game played as the No. 1-ranked team, topping UCLA's 257 games for the best total all-time (since 1949).
Since 1998, the Blue Devils have played 190 games as the top-ranked team, more than twice as many as the next best tally (84 by North Carolina).
Duke moved to the top of both the AP and Coaches polls on March 10, 2025, and remained in the top spot on March 17, 2025, after winning three games in Charlotte to capture the ACC Tournament title, right through to the Final Four.
The No. 1 ranking on March 10, 2025, was the first time the Blue Devils were positioned atop the Associated Press poll since Nov. 29, 2021.

Blue Devils Efficient at Both Ends of the Floor

Duke is one of only two teams ranked in the top-seven nationally in both offensive efficiency (127.1, 7th) and defensive efficiency (89.8, 3rd) ratings, according to KenPom.com.
The Blue Devils are the nation's No. 2-rated team, according to KenPom, with an overall rating of 37.21. Michigan, who the Blue Devils defeated, is No. 1 at 38.85. (through games played on Feb. 22)
The 2024-25 Blue Devils achieved the best offensive efficiency rating (130.1) in the history of KenPom (since 1996-97 season).
In 2024-25, Duke registered the second-highest overall rating (39.29) in KenPom history, trailing only the 1998-99 Duke Blue Devils (43.01).
Last season, Duke was the only team in the country ranked among the top-five in both offensive (130.1, 1st) and defensive (90.8, 5th) adjusted efficiency (KenPom).
Duke has boasted a top-20 defense in all four seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer: 16th (93.9) in 2022-23; 16th (95.2) in 2023-24; 5th (90.8) in 2024-25; and currently 3rd (89.8) in 2025-26.

Tracking Blue Devil Deflections

Through 27 games, the Blue Devils have accumulated 478 deflections, an average of 17.7 per game.
Duke amassed a season-best 32 deflections versus Niagara (Nov. 21), topping the previous high of 30 against Indiana State (Nov. 14).
Maliq Brown, described as a "defensive menace" by head coach Jon Scheyer, tops Duke with 145 deflections (5.4 avg.).
Brown, who was selected to the 2023-24 ACC All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 71 steals as a sophomore at Syracuse, recorded 12 deflections against Niagara (Nov. 21), the most by a Blue Devil this season.
Brown has the best steal percentage (4.98%) in the ACC and ranks seventh nationally (second among major conferences), according to KenPom (percentage of possessions a player records a steal while on the court).
Brown joined teammate Cameron Boozer as one of 25 players selected to the 2025-26 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award watch list, announced Jan. 29.

Cleaning the Glass

Duke tops the conference and ranks seventh in the country in rebounding margin (+10.0), outrebounding its opposition by an average of 39.6 to 29.7 boards per game.
The Blue Devils have outrebounded their opponent in 23 games this season.
Duke has outrebounded six opponents by 20 or more boards, including a season-best rebound margin of +34 (55-21) against Lipscomb and a +21 (47-26) versus Louisville.
Duke has limited three opponents to two points or less in second-chance points, including a pair of shutouts (Lipscomb, Georgia Tech).

Strength of Schedule

Duke has secured nine top-25 victories with wins over No. 1 Michigan, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 15 Florida, No. 20 Louisville (twice), No. 20 Clemson, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 24 SMU and No. 25 Kansas.
Duke has played 15 Quad-1 games, based on the NCAA's NET rankings (Feb. 22), with a 13-2 record in those contests. The Blue Devils' 13 Quad-1 wins are the most in the country.
Eight ACC teams are among the top 40 of the NCAA's NET rankings (as of Feb. 22). Duke (2), Louisville (13), Virginia (15), NC State (26) and North Carolina (27) rank among the top 30.
Four ACC teams are ranked in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll (Feb. 23): No. 1 Duke, No. 11 Virginia, No. 18 North Carolina and No. 24 Louisville.
Duke's 2025-26 non-conference lineup features eight opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago: Texas (Nov. 4; Charlotte, N.C.), Kansas (Nov. 18; New York, N.Y.), Arkansas (Nov. 27; Chicago), Florida (Dec. 2; Durham), Michigan State (Dec. 6; East Lansing, Mich.), Lipscomb (Dec. 16; Durham), Texas Tech (Dec. 20; New York, N.Y.) and Michigan (Feb. 21; Washington, D.C.). Of those teams, five advanced to the Sweet 16, with three reaching the Elite Eight.
The Blue Devils play 10 games against teams ranked in ESPN's preseason top 25: No. 2 Florida, No. 6 Louisville (twice), No. 8 Michigan, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 22 Kansas, No. 24 NC State and No. 25 North Carolina (twice).

Other Notables

Duke has won 35 of its last 37 games against conference opponents.
Duke owns the best record in Division I college basketball over the past two seasons at 60-6. (College Basketball Report)
Since Thanksgiving 2024, the Blue Devils have achieved a record of 56-4 (.933).
Duke has a record of 67-3 (.957) when committing 15 or fewer fouls under head coach Jon Scheyer, compared to 47-21 (.691) when the Blue Devils have 16 or more fouls. (@EvanMiya)
Maliq Brown is seventh in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage (74.3%), having made 55-of-74 shots inside the arc.
Veteran Blue Devil Caleb Foster has proven to be a road warrior this season, establishing new career-highs in points (20 at Louisville), rebounds (8 at Pittsburgh) and assists (8 vs. Arkansas in Chicago) all away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans are the first Duke teammates to each have 350+ points in the team's first 25 games of a season since Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. in 2019-20.
Duke has registered 29 kill shots (scoring run of 10+ points) this season, while surrendering just six by the opposition.
The Blue Devils have confronted double-digit deficits in four outings this season, including their largest deficits at Louisville (12) and versus SMU (11), and have rallied to win all four games.
Duke's 11-0 start was the best unbeaten open to a season since the 2017-18 campaign, and its 21-1 record was the best start to a season since 2007-08 (22-1).
The Blue Devils' 17 straight ACC regular-season victories (Feb. 12, 2025-Feb. 3, 2026) is the third-longest ACC winning streak in program history and the longest since 2000.
Duke's eight consecutive ACC road wins (Feb. 12, 2025-Feb. 3, 2026) tied for the third-longest ACC road winning streak in program history.
The 55-point margin of victory over Army West Point (Nov. 11) was Duke's largest road win in program history.
Duke posted a record of 36-3 (.923) in 2025, to tie the ACC record for most wins in a calendar year, equaling the 1992 Blue Devils (36-2) and North Carolina in 2008 (36-3).

The 2025-26 Duke Blue Devils

Entering the 2025-26 campaign under fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer, Duke returns six players from a squad that finished 35-4 overall last season, capturing the program's 23rd ACC Tournament title, 21st ACC regular-season crown and advancing to its 18th Final Four.
The 2025-26 Duke squad returns just 20% of its offensive production from last season, as all five 2024-25 starters, representing the team's top five scorers, were selected in the NBA Draft.
The 2025-26 Blue Devils welcomed the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class - the seventh top-ranked recruiting class for Duke since Scheyer joined the coaching staff.
The Blue Devils are the second-tallest team in the country, trailing Illinois (80.0") - with an average height of 79.3 inches. (KenPom)
Duke is one of the youngest teams in the nation with an average of 0.89 years of Division I experience, according to KenPom.com, which ranks 309th out of 365.

Cameron Boozer's Historic Campaign

Cameron Boozer is the first Duke freshman to score 35 points or more twice - amassing 35 points versus Indiana State (Nov. 14) and tallying 35 points again versus Arkansas (Nov. 27).
The freshman forward became the first NCAA Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to have an eight-game span with more than 175 points, 75 rebounds and 25 assists, 10 or fewer turnovers, and an undefeated record - doing so in Duke's first eight games. (OptaSTATS)
Boozer became the first ACC player with at least 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a five-game span since Craig Smith of Boston College in March 2006. The freshman forward accomplished that standard in his first five college contests. (Nov. 19)
Boozer is the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to collect at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 40 assists through his first 11 career games. (Dec. 17; OptaSTATS)
Boozer amassed 35 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks, connecting on 13-of-16 field goals in a win over Indiana State on Nov. 14, becoming the first major conference freshman to reach 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with no more than one turnover since Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2003 (ESPN), and joined Zion Williamson (2019) and Christian Laettner (1990) as the third Duke player in the past 45 years to score at least 35 points in a double-double performance.
Boozer's nine assists against Florida State were the most by a Blue Devil in the past three seasons (10 assists by Tyrese Proctor against Pitt in the 2023 ACC Tournament).
Boozer needed just 16 career games to record 300+ points, 150+ rebounds and 50+ assists. That is the second fewest needed by any player this century, as LSU's Ben Simmons reached those figures in 15 games 10 years ago in 2015-16. (Stats Perform)
Boozer became the first Blue Devil to score 30 points in consecutive games since RJ Barrett in February 2019.
Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 27 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
The Miami native has amassed 25 points or more in 10 games, including 35 points against No. 22 Arkansas, 35 points versus Indiana State, 32 points against Wake Forest, 30 points at Stanford and 29 points against No. 15 Florida.
Boozer's 32-point performance versus Wake Forest (Jan. 24) was his 10th game scoring 25 points or more, which ranks third among Duke freshmen all time.
Boozer has led all players in points, rebounds and assists in six games this season, breaking a tie with Tim Duncan (5, 1996-97) for the most by an ACC player in a season over the last 30 seasons.
Boozer has been voted ACC Player of the Week four times (Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 19) and ACC Rookie of the Week nine times (Nov. 17, Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 23).
The freshman forward is currently the nation's fifth-leading scorer with 22.6 points per game, ranks 13th nationally with 10.0 rebounds per contest and is tied for ninth with 15 double-doubles, which is tied for the fourth-most by a Duke freshman.
Among ACC statistical leaders, Boozer leads the league in scoring (22.6 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg), and ranks ninth in steals (1.6 spg), 13th in assists (4.0 apg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.582).