After getting blown out at No. 7 Duke on Saturday, Notre Dame will return home for Presidents’ Day and battle the other blue-colored school from the Old North State: North Carolina. The Irish (15-10, 6-8) already battled the Tar Heels (10-15, 3-11) during the season opener and lost, 76-65. Since then, the normally formidable Carolina program has struggled even more than the Irish, so this could be a much-needed reprieve.
Notre Dame has not defeated North Carolina since 2016. To break the skid, it will have to do so on one day of rest and at the end of a challenging stretch. It not only included the landslide loss to the Blue Devils, but also a close overtime defeat to Virginia that was preceded by a win over Clemson.
Juwan Durham will be the player to watch after scoring a career-high 21 points over Duke. It was the first time he has reached the 20-point mark during his career. He is averaging 11.5 points over his past four games while shooting 74 percent from the field.