This game was billed as showdown for the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference a little over a week ago. That was before the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost three straight games to fall back to the middle of the pack. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Tar Heels bounced back from a road loss in Miami to and survived a scare from Pitt by holding on for a two-point victory on Monday. The Irish get one shot at UNC this season and they better make it count if they want to close the gap.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Dean Smith Center at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 4, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
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The Irish had climbed to No. 14 in the AP poll released Jan. 23, but that was before they doubled their season loss total in the span of three games. The ACC is a meat grinder and the Irish have experienced that first hand with home losses to Virginia and Duke sandwiched around a road loss to Georgia Tech. Notre Dame also failed to cover the spread in those games. All five of Notre Dames true road games have come in conference play where the Irish are 3-2 SU and 3-1-1 ATS.
UNC got a scare on Monday night and nearly had its undefeated home record come to an end. But, alas, the magic of the Dean Dome prevailed and the Tar Heels came out victorious 80-78 over Pitt in a game that saw them favored by 19 points. The Heels have been heavily favored in several of their home games this season and they’ve been a good bet going 12-0 SU and 8-3 ATS.
Injury Report
The Tar Heels really miss Theo Pinson and that was evident in their last two games. Pinson missed the first 16 games of the season recovering from a broken foot, but 14 of those games were non-conference tilts when the Heels played mostly a patsy schedule. Now that the ACC slate is underway, his absence is much more noticeable. Pinson returned to action on Jan. 8 and played in six games before injuring his ankle last week. UNC won all six games with him on the floor going 4-2 ATS.
He’s the uniquely gifted athlete that has the size and athleticism to play all over the floor and he’s especially dangerous when teams play a zone. His game at the high post is the best the Tar Heels have as he can knock down the jumper, go by defenders to the hoop or make a pinpoint pass to a teammate. Roy Williams is hopeful Pinson can return soon, but it won’t be Saturday.
Player to Watch
The Irish are one of the better offensive clubs in the ACC but have faltered recently because they’ve been unable to score consistently. Part of that can be blamed on Steve Vasturia, who is the team’s third leading scorer with 14.1 points per game. During the three-game slide, Vasturia has made just 6 of 26 field goal attempts and 3 of 14 from beyond the arc and has seen his per game scoring average fall nearly a point in those three games.
Vasturia made just one of his nine shots and misfired on all five three-point attempts in a loss to Duke on Monday night. Four of Notre Dame’s five starters average double figures and the production falls significantly after that. With Vasturia struggling to find his stroke, there is one more scorer defenders don’t have to worry about. If Notre Dame is to pull off the upset on the road, it’s imperative that Vasturia shoots the basketball better.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
UNC let out a heavy sigh after Pitt’s Jamel Artis misfired on his potential game-winning three-point shot Tuesday night. Now it’s time to regroup against a struggling Irish squad. But as we’ve seen in the ACC there are no easy games and the Tar Heels have escaped plenty of close encounters this season. While the Irish will come out pumped to end their slide, playing in the Dean Dome has an effect on opponents.
Notre Dame was frustrated by the slow down tactics of Virginia and Georgia Tech in two of their most recent losses. They won’t have to worry about that on Saturday. UNC likes to push the tempo and that plays into what the Irish like to do as well. It’ll be tough for the Irish to win on the road, but they should cover the spread in a game that will be tight.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina 84, Notre Dame 81
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