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The ACC is the premier conference in college basketball, the to many perennial powers. Two of those are the Syracuse Orange and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They will go head-to-head in a pivotal matchup this week.
The teams have identical records but it seems as if Notre Dame has the more talented roster. However, Syracuse gets this game at home, which helps wipe out that advantage. This looks to have the making of an intriguing showdown that could go either way.
Each team is jockeying for position in the conference as well as trying to get a good seeding in the NCAA Tournament down the road. There will be plenty of big games in ACC play and this is a winnable one for each side so it is important.
Don't miss the hardwood action from Carrier Dome at 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 6, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN2.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Notre Dame is 12-3 straight up and 5-7 against the spread. The Fighting Irish has covered in half of its four road games this season. Notre Dame is 4-6 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Syracuse is 12-3 straight up and 6-7 against the spread this season. The Orange has covered in four of nine attempts at home on the season. Syracuse has failed to cover in two attempts as the underdog.
Lookahead Situation
Syracuse is at home and should have a good crowd, so it will likely be ready to go. However, any notion of looking ahead should be squashed. It could be natural, as the Orange is staring down a tough two-game road trip against the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers and the No. 24 Florida State Seminoles.
Syracuse can’t think about that tough back-to-back test coming up because Notre Dame is a formidable foe in its own right. The Orange will be the underdogs in those two ensuing games, making this one even more important.
Any time a pair of ranked teams are on the schedule, it will get a team’s attention, but Syracuse can’t let it affect any focus against Notre Dame.
Key Stat
49.2. That’s the shooting percentage Notre Dame has accumulated this season, which is one of the best marks in college basketball. The Fighting Irish score points at a healthy clip, averaging 81.5 points per game, and do so efficiently.
Benzie Colson leads the way with 21.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 52.6 percent from the field and is a player Syracuse must concentrate on showing down in this one.
The Fighting Irish’s most efficient shooter is Martinas Geben. The big man is connecting on 65.3 percent of his shot, averaging 8.9 points per game. Syracuse runs a 2-3 zone that can make things complicated on an offense, and it will be interesting to see how Notre Dame handles it.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
This game seems like it is going to line up to be a fun one. Notre Dame has been more impressive in the earlygoing, but it’s never easy going on the road to such a tough environment. The Orange has one loss in ACC play while Notre Dame is off to a nice start at 2-0.
The Fighting Irish could make a statement with another win, but the feeling here is that Syracuse will come out on top. Notre Dame could be a very slight road favorite, but take the Orange to pull the upset on the moneyline.
Watch the “under” as Syracuse should do a nice job of keeping the strong Notre Dame offense in check.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Syracuse 73, Notre Dame 71
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