The Notre Dame Fighting Irish showed that their 9-0 start to the season wasn’t just the result of a weak out-of-conference slate. Notre Dame gave Villanova all it could handle last Saturday and although the Irish didn’t cover, were in the lead much of the way. This weekend they will get the opportunity to face another team that could go a long way in March Madness when they take on their in-state rival, the Purdue Boilermakers.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 17, 2016, at 2 p.m. ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This game will be televised live on ESPN2. We will have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Boilermakers are also looking for a marquee win after falling short against Villanova and Louisville in their non-conference schedule. Purdue is 5-3 ATS on the season, but the ATS losses to Nova and Louisville came by a combined 1.5 points. Over has hit in each of Purdue’s three neutral site games.
Notre Dame has covered every game in which it was a favorite, 4-0 ATS, but didn’t cover as a dog to Villanova last Saturday. The Irish haven’t played many lined games this season as some of their competition has been a bit weak, but they have taken care of business against the bigger name teams they have faced.
Matchup to Watch
This game has the potential to have plenty of fireworks, especially in the paint. Purdue and Notre Dame both have solid frontcourts and use that to their advantage as more teams move to smallball lineups.
For Purdue, Caleb Swanigan is the star of the frontcourt and has a little bit of range to his game too. Swanigan is averaging a double-double on the season and leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 15.9 PPG and 11.2 RPG. He is hitting just a shade under 60 percent of his shots from the floor and is a tough match-up.
Like Swanigan, Bonzie Colson of Notre Dame is also averaging a double-double this season. Colson is the team’s second-leading scorer with 16.5 PPG, but his 10.8 RPG is double the average of anyone else on the Irish. He was somewhat held in check last game and may have some trouble putting up numbers against Purdue due to his size disadvantage.
Key Stat
When Notre Dame gets to the line, the Irish make those chances count. Notre Dame is the best team in the country from the charity stripe, knocking down 86.4 percent of its attempts this year. This team gets to the line often too, averaging 19.1 free throw attempts a game.
As impressive as those numbers are, the Irish are even better when you only consider their big four. Colson, Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem, and Matt Farrell are all averaging double-digits this season and are hitting 92.3 percent of their free throws altogether. Farrell has yet to miss this season, going 24-24 from the line.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
The Irish might have a real problem rebounding against the Boilermakers. When Purdue goes big, few teams can match up down low and Notre Dame will have difficulty with a frontcourt player as short as Colson. He does play bigger than his 6’5 height, but that may not be enough against a frontcourt where the shortest guy is 6’9. That may mean increased playing time for Martinas Geben, who has the size to match up with Purdue.
Notre Dame was outrebounded by a Villanova last game and if Nova can outrebound the Irish, Purdue can rack up a big advantage there. Both teams are well-rested having not played during the week because of finals, so fatigue won’t be an issue. In the end, look for Purdue to be a small favorite per the odds at BookMaker.eu and expect the Boilers to carry the day.
College Basketball Odds: Purdue 73, Notre Dame 68
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
