Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. Notre Dame

In a highly-anticipated matchup featuring two top-10 teams with two of the best offenses in the country, No. 8 Notre Dame upended No. 4 Duke 77-73 Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind. The Blue Devils led by as much as 10 in the second half, but their woes at the free throw line and several clutch plays by Jerian Grant—who led the Fighting Irish with 23 points and 12 assists—proved to be too much to overcome as they failed to capture their third road victory against a top-10 opponent this season.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Force Notre Dame to put it on the deck: Duke was successful in preventing the Fighting Irish from hoisting up 3-pointers over a zone defense, but Notre Dame was still able to be effective offensively. Led by point guard Jerian Grant, the Fighting Irish amassed 17 assists on 29 field goals, often driving to the lane and finding shots for open teammates on the perimeter as the Blue Devil defense collapsed on the ball-handler. Notre Dame demonstrated fantastic passing and cutting abilities and an ability to score in a multitude of ways, proving why it boasts the most efficient offense in the country.
• Get Justise Winlsow involved somehow: Winslow shook off his nagging injuries to assume his normal role in the starting lineup and logged a solid 30 minutes, but he still lacked the explosiveness and athleticism that made him so successful early in the season. He finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting—including three made triples in four attempts—but the rest of his stat line consisted of a lowly two rebounds and one steal. The Blue Devils made an effort to get the talented freshman involved early, but he still looked a little banged up and was unable to have the meaningful impact Duke was hoping he could provide on both ends of the floor, especially late in the game. His made triples were still an encouraging sign for Blue Devil fans, though.
• Find the right combination: As Notre Dame went with a smaller lineup in the second half, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski countered with Jahlil Okafor down low and Winslow playing the four. Okafor was able to have some success in the post—he scored 11 second-half points and had several other good looks—but the rest of the lineup had trouble penetrating the Notre Dame defense and creating any sort of fluidity on offense down the stretch. The Blue Devils scored just eight points the last 10:58 of the game after building a 10-point lead.

Three key plays:

• 8:08, second half: Trying to fend off a Fighting Irish comeback, Duke swung the ball around on the perimeter and got Cook an open 3-pointer from the corner. But the shot wouldn’t fall for the Blue Devil captain, and senior Pat Connaughton’s rebound—one of 12 on the night for him—and outlet pass to teammate Demetrius Jackson led to an easy two points for Notre Dame, highlighting a 12-0 run that turned a 10-point Duke advantage into a two-point lead for the Fighting Irish.
  
• 1:11, second half: With the Fighting Irish leading 71-70 and the shot clock winding down, Grant stood dribbling the ball at the top of the key guarded by Duke point guard Tyus Jones. Jones took a swipe at the ball and managed to disrupt Grant’s dribble, but the Notre Dame senior recovered in time to get off an off-balance shot from the free-throw line—and it found the bottom of the net for a crucial bucket to extend the lead to three.
  
• 0:28, second half: This one was the real dagger. Cook had just sunk two free throws to keep the Blue Devils within a single point, giving them the opportunity for one last chance if they could get a stop on the defensive end. Grant drew the attention of the Duke defense as he dribbled into the key and dished out to a wide-open Steve Vasturia, who drained the triple—his only basket of the game—to put Notre Dame up 76-72 and effectively ice the game.

Three key stats:

• Blue Devils hit just 10-of-20 from the free throw line: This was especially critical in the game’s waning minutes, when Duke squandered multiple chances to earn key points from the charity stripe. The Blue Devils connected on only four of their nine free-throw attempts in the final five minutes of the game—punctuated by a 1-of-5 performance from Okafor—as a Duke lead turned into a Notre Dame victory.
• Fighting Irish shoot 51.8 percent from the field: Notre Dame certainly lived up to its reputation as one of the top offenses in the country, putting together a quality shooting performance right in line with its 52.1 clip entering the game. The Fighting Irish also knocked down 8-of-18 3-point attempt as well, attacking the Duke defense from everywhere on the floor. Notre Dame even missed several looks it usually converts from distance, with V.J. Beachem and Vasturia largely ineffective, yet still put up 77 points.
• Blue Devils make two field goals in the final 10 minutes: Okafor was responsible for both of these field goals, and the last shot made by a Duke player other than Okafor came at the 12:41 mark in the second half—a 3-pointer by Tyus Jones. The Blue Devils offense looked stagnant down the stretch and showed a disturbing inability to create ball movement and open looks—issues that will have to be corrected if Duke hopes to emerge victorious in close games like this in the future.

The Blue Devils fed Okafor down low early and often, as he displayed a variety of polished post moves that the smaller Fighting Irish defenders seemed to have no answer for. Okafor’s misses at the free throw line will be dissected and over-analyzed at length, but he was also the only player to score for Duke in the final 10 minutes—even as the offense and ball movement slowed to a snail’s pace around him, he still found ways to be effective.

And the Notre Dame game ball goes to…Jerian Grant

The Fighting Irish senior played all 40 minutes Wednesday night, and Notre Dame needed every second of his star performance. Grant posted a double-double with 23 points—on 9-of-15 shooting—and 12 assists with just three turnovers. He filled out the rest of the stat sheet too—chipping in six rebounds, three steals and two blocks for good measure.

Whenever the Fighting Irish needed a big play, Grant was there to get the job done. He was directly involved in the two baskets that sealed the win in the final minute, and also blocked a layup attempt by Cook as the Blue Devils desperately tried to mount a last-ditch comeback.

Grant played the role of floor general flawlessly, seamlessly directing Notre Dame’s uber-efficient offense throughout the game. Taking 15 shots and dishing out 12 dimes requires having the ball in your hands quite often, but Grant was able to make it look easy as he perfectly balanced his own looks with high-percentage shots for his teammates. The underrated senior appears to be staking his case for ACC Player of the Year honors as the halfway point in ACC play approaches.