Who would have thought Notre Dame would be tied with Duke atop the ACC standings approaching the middle of February? Well, you better believe these programs have identical 10-3 conference records as tall an order as that might be. The Irish can hold onto that distinction if they beat Clemson in their next game. The first game between the teams went the Irish’s way, but can they repeat on the road what they did at home?
The Irish are tied for their best start to ACC play since their first of back-to-back Elite Eight seasons in 2014-15. One player key to keeping the good times going is Paul Atkinson Jr., who is averaging 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds over the past three games. As a whole, the Irish need to keep relying on their defense, which has held the past six conference opponents to 65 points or fewer. That’s the best such streak for the Irish since they joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season.
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