The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are going to have to make a huge adjustment on the fly on Thursday without Demetrius Jackson in the lineup, and how Mike Bray and the gang adapt will be the key to winning at live betting in their game against the Syracuse Orange.
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SCHEDULING
Notre Dame has only played one road game since January 7, and all of a sudden, that victory over Duke doesn't look nearly as impressive as it did at the time. The Fighting Irish could be up against it, knowing that they've only played four legitimate road games all season long, though live bettors need to keep in mind that they've managed a 3-1 ATS record in those duels.
Syracuse had a shaky weekend. It had its game against Virginia postponed from Saturday to Sunday thanks to all of the snow in the mid-Atlantic, and then it was beaten by eight to end a three-game winning streak. Things like that extra day off on the road can really mess with a team's mental game, so that's worth considering, especially since in the two road games against the serious ACC teams were lost. Live bettors should watch to see if the pressure gets heaped onto the Orange in this game and how they ultimately react.
KEY MATCHUP
With Jackson out with a hamstring problem in this one, the Fighting Irish are going to have to count on Bonzie Colson and Rex Pfleuger to pick up the slack. These are really the only two bench players that Bray depend on.
The good news is that Colson has the ability to be a superstar in this lineup. He plays a lot bigger than 6-foot-5 suggests, and he could really be a force on the inside against that 2-3 zone. However, we're questioning where the threes are coming from for Notre Dame.
In order to beat the Syracuse defense, you've got to manage to shoot some threes. With Jackson out of the fold, Notre Dame is losing almost two threes per game. Colson isn't a three-point shooter, and that's going to leave live bettors wondering if Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem will hit enough long ones to keep this crowd out of the equation.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
We just love the way Notre Dame shoots. The Irish are knocking down just a tick under 50 percent of their shots from the field, and it's that and not the pace of play, why they're averaging 79.2 points per game.
Still, live bettors know exactly what they're going to be getting here out of Syracuse. There are only six men who will be on the court for the most part, and the five starters are sure to bring the offense. Malachi Richardson has been completely hit or miss. When he's on though, there's always a little bit of concern because his teammates aren't generally involved in the offense all that much. Live bettors have to be aware of this, because the ball really has to move around the perimeter for the 'Cuse to be at their best.
Keep in mind that Jim Boeheim's return to the bench after his suspension has really been great for bettors. The Orange have covered four games in a row, and until that game on Sunday in Charlottesville, the outcomes have never been in doubt for bettors. Syracuse had covered its three previous NCAAB games by at least 11 points per game.
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